By Zephyria 
Sеоn-kyu, who arrivеd lаte, scаnned the rооm аnd sаt in а sрot awау frоm them. Woо-yeon grаbbed his bаg and flеd forwаrd, and Dо-hуun сhased аfter him, snаtching the seаt next to him.
Wоo-yeоn prоbаbly thought Do-hyun would bе kicked out bу thе рrоfеssor, but unfortunаtelу, thе profеssоr couldn’t hide his delight. Whеn the рrоfessor аskеd if hе wаs still аuditing clаssеs and tоld him he was welcome tо drop in аnytime, Dо-hyun respоnded with а politе smilе.
“Now, this pаrt is…”
While the рrofеssоr leсturеd, Do-hуun rеsted his сhin оn his hаnd and watсhеd Woо-уеоn. He had the notebook he borrowed from Seon-kyu open on the desk, and he was holding a pen he had also borrowed from Seon-kyu. Woo-yeon was focusing on the class, ignoring Do-hyun’s gaze.
‘Did he take after his mother on the Omega side?’
If Soo-hyang was an oil painting with high saturation, Woo-yeon was a watercolor painted with pigments diluted in water. From the shape of his eyes revealed beneath the cap, to the straight bridge of his nose and lips, and down to his slender jawline.
Perhaps it was because his eyelashes were long, or because his eyelids were thin. Every time he moved his eyes, it felt like looking at a well-drawn painting. A painting painted with a fine-tipped brush, mixing only clear and delicate colors.
Did he not sleep? Thinking that he looked tired, Do-hyun lowered his gaze. The nape of his neck, which would usually be fully exposed, was halfway covered by something. It was a half-turtleneck sweatshirt with a brand mark on the chest. The oversized, soft-textured top felt a bit excessive for this season, even considering the thinness of the fabric.
Do-hyun knew why he was wearing such clothes. It was likely because of the reddish marks that were visible if one paid a little attention. The evidence that Do-hyun had bitten, sucked, and refused to let his lover go from his arms still remained visible to the eye.
‘How can I give up when he’s like this?’
Even while being rejected, just being near him made him feel elated. His five senses were drawn to the fresh pheromones, and his gaze was pulled by every small gesture. Even the act of touching his own earlobe felt cute; how could he possibly let a Woo-yeon like this go?
“…Aren’t you listening to the lecture?”
“I don’t need to.”
The tips of Woo-yeon’s ears looked flushed. Woo-yeon might not know, but every time he kneaded his earlobe, Do-hyun wanted to bite that spot. Since it was ripened red, it would taste exquisite if he took a bite.
‘Would he get angry if I touched him?’
He knew he shouldn’t disrupt the class, but since Woo-yeon was right in front of him, his hands were itching. This was the Woo-yeon he had missed so desperately, thinking of him all night. If he could, he wanted to grab him right now and steal him away. It was fine for now since he was close, but if they were to grow distant again, something might truly break.
Do-hyun spun his pen and covered his mouth with the hand resting on his chin. The pen Woo-yeon was holding moved diligently across the notebook. He seemed to be taking notes from the board, but the content was completely haphazard.
“That part is wrong.”
“…….”
“Romanticism started from the end of the 18th century.”
Woo-yeon, who had written ’19’, drew two lines through it and corrected the number. Do-hyun considered correcting the representative artists as well, but stopped when Woo-yeon sighed. Woo-yeon took a mechanical pencil from his pencil case and wrote in small letters at the edge of the notebook.
「I can’t concentrate because of you, Seonbae.」
There were traces where he had written ‘Seon-s’ before awkwardly correcting it to ‘Seon-b’. Instead of pointing that out, Do-hyun took Woo-yeon’s mechanical pencil and wrote a reply.
「Sorry」
Seeing the neatly written apology, Woo-yeon erased his own writing. For some reason, he left the ‘Sorry’ written by Do-hyun as it was. When Woo-yeon asked for his pencil back, Do-hyun wrote clearly:
「What do you want for dinner?」
“…….”
A bewildered look returned. He was only parting his lips, but Do-hyun felt he knew what he wanted to say. It’s not even lunch yet, why are you talking about dinner? He was probably thinking that.
「We haven’t even had lunch, why are you talking about dinner?」
As expected, Woo-yeon took out a new mechanical pencil and wrote this. Do-hyun suppressed a laugh, his eyes curving softly. This part of him, where he couldn’t hide his inner thoughts and revealed them plainly, was one of the elements that made him lovely.
「Then what do you want for lunch?」
Only then did Woo-yeon make a face as if he had realized something. He had clearly grasped Do-hyun’s intention, albeit late. But before Woo-yeon could retort, Do-hyun numbered the options first.
「1. Meat 2. Noodles 3. Rice」
「1-1. Pork 1-2. Beef」
「*Not the cheap kind」
A hollow laugh was heard. Since he was picking a menu before they had even confirmed the appointment, it was understandable that he found it absurd. Do-hyun didn’t mind and circled ‘Beef’. Then he wrote below it:
「Shall we go to that place again?」
Memories of the day he had a meal with Woo-yeon came back. Woo-yeon liked cake more than rice, and he had made a subtle expression as soon as he was given chocolate. He also remembered how he felt like crying along with that face that looked like it was about to cry.
“…….”
Woo-yeon bit his lower lip and gripped the mechanical pencil. Seeing his downcast eyes, it seemed he was also recalling the past. Pressing his cap down so Do-hyun couldn’t see his face, he scribbled roughly.
「I’m eating lunch with Seon-kyu.」
「Seon-kyu has student council work, right.」
A gaze full of betrayal turned toward Seon-kyu. In truth, Do-hyun didn’t know for sure. He had just made a rough guess, as he often did. Cutely, Woo-yeon seemed to think that if he didn’t have a prior engagement, he couldn’t refuse the proposal.
「Stop glaring at Seon-kyu」
They continued to exchange written notes for a long time after that. The content wasn’t much, but strangely, the conversation didn’t stop. Even the professor, who had initially cleared his throat to warn them, pretended not to notice when Do-hyun gave him a friendly smile.
“That will be all for today.”
“…Uh.”
As soon as the professor left, Woo-yeon quickly looked at the blackboard. Unlike the densely packed notes on the board, Woo-yeon’s notes contained nothing but the trace of correcting 19 to 18. Watching his eyes shake in dismay, Do-hyun put down the mechanical pencil.
“I’ll give you the notes I took in the past.”
Woo-yeon’s gaze shifted. His dark brown eyes were full of a sense of unfairness. Do-hyun curled up the corners of his mouth and spoke softly.
“I’ll give you the past exam papers for the finals, too.”
“…I don’t need them.”
Though he looked like he desperately needed them, Woo-yeon answered grumpily. As he closed his notebook, Do-hyun spoke up slightly.
“This is my first time doing this. You know, talking via notes during class.”
“…….”
Woo-yeon’s expression changed. There was no answer, but it must have been his first time as well. Perhaps that was why his movements in putting the notebook into his bag were awkward and slow.
“So, what do you want for lunch?”
As soon as he closed the zipper, Do-hyun naturally took the bag. Woo-yeon lowered his eyebrows like a puppy whose treat had been stolen. He looked at the bag once, then at Do-hyun’s face. The sound of his gears turning was audible from here.
“Not lunch… what about dinner?”
This was the result of his hard thinking. Do-hyun tilted his head as if telling him to keep talking. Woo-yeon avoided his gaze while touching his collar.
“I’ll buy you a meal. But I don’t have time at lunch, so let’s make it dinner.”
No time at lunch. It was a transparent lie. He had clearly forgotten who had arranged his timetable. He was probably planning to push it back for now and come up with another excuse.
“What time for dinner?”
“…I’ll contact you later.”
In fact, even if today passed, he had the same class as Woo-yeon tomorrow. Diligent and lacking in cunning, Woo-yeon would attend class no matter what. However, Do-hyun’s patience wasn’t good enough to wait until tomorrow.
“I don’t have a phone.”
“What?”
Woo-yeon asked back, frowning. His reaction was as if he were hearing some nonsense. Do-hyun shrugged and answered nonchalantly.
“It broke.”
When he checked this morning, the phone wouldn’t power on. Then again, it would have been strange if it didn’t break after he threw it like that. He had thought it was strange that not only were there no calls, but even the alarm didn’t go off.
“You just fixed it the other day. How on earth did it happen?”
“Just…”
Do-hyun tried to trail off as usual, but then shut his mouth. It was because Woo-yeon had an expression that said, ‘He’s not going to tell me again.’ He didn’t want to show a foolish side of himself. Awkwardly turning his eyes away, Do-hyun gripped the bag strap tightly.
“…I threw it.”
“What?”
“I threw it in a fit of anger, and…”
“…….”
“It won’t turn on.”
He felt a gaze. It was a gaze of shock mixed with absurdity. Woo-yeon muttered as if it were unbelievable.
“No, why would you…”
Instead of adding an excuse, Do-hyun reached out to Woo-yeon. As he habitually interlaced their fingers, Woo-yeon held back as usual. Then, after a short pause, he unnaturally pulled his hand away.
“…….”
“…….”
An awkward atmosphere flowed. In the lecture hall where everyone had already left, there was no one except Do-hyun and Woo-yeon. With a very complicated face, Woo-yeon pressed down the brim of his cap.
“…Let’s go, to eat lunch.”
* * *
They headed to the club room as they always did. This was because Do-hyun hadn’t brought his car, and the reporters were a concern if they went far. Do-hyun, who had brought Woo-yeon along suggesting they just order delivery, locked the door as soon as they entered.
“Why are you locking that?”
“Because I don’t want to be disturbed.”
He was the only one with the key, and he had contacted Ga-ram in advance. Since there was no one who would bother to open a locked door, it would be just the two of them until the conversation ended. He wondered if Woo-yeon would feel uncomfortable, but fortunately, he seemed to have no interest in the door being locked.
“Yeon-ah, sit there.”
About two hours. Estimating the time in his head, Do-hyun set the bag on the table. Woo-yeon sat on the sofa with a complicated face, his lips twitching. Because his top was large and he had his cap pressed down, he looked as if he were buried in his clothes.
“What do you want to eat? Whatever you want,”
“I’m uncomfortable with Teacher.”
It was a sudden statement. Do-hyun stopped his movements, forgetting what he was about to say. The indifferent voice calmly trampled on Do-hyun’s heart.
“I’ll buy you a meal later, so I’ll just listen to what you have to say and then leave. Seon…bae doesn’t look very hungry either.”
It was a clear rejection. Do-hyun wasn’t unaware of that fact. His chest stung, and his solar plexus felt heavy, as if pressed down by a stone.
“I don’t know about you, Seonbae, but I can’t act as if nothing happened like you do.”
“Do I look like nothing happened?”
Woo-yeon shut his mouth without a word. Of course, he wouldn’t be able to deny it. Because Do-hyun looked like someone who had something going on, no matter who saw him.
“I couldn’t sleep a wink and only thought of you.”
“…Do you think I slept?”
Sorrow was embedded in his voice. It seemed the emotions he had kept hidden all this time were finally bursting out. Do-hyun let out a shallow breath and spoke slowly.
“Yeon-ah, I…”
There were many things he wanted to say. Many things he intended to say, and many things he had to say. Since he hadn’t been honest until now, he had to be honest this time. The reason he had come to see Woo-yeon first instead of Soo-hyang was all for that reason.
“I was just always scared.”
It was an abrupt statement, but Woo-yeon did not interrupt him. Instead, he only slowly raised his head with blank eyes. Only then, to the Woo-yeon who was facing ‘Kim Do-hyun’, Do-hyun spoke calmly.
“I was abandoned in front of an orphanage when I was eight years old.”