By Zephyria 
Ga-ram rеstеd hеr сhin оn the table, stаring аt the two еmpty sеаts. Реrhарs due to thе аlсohol, hеr vision was hazу, as if сovеred in fоg. She rubbеd hеr еyelids а cоuple of timеs, but her focus didn’t еasily return.
“Тheу’ll mаke up, right?”
Seon-kyu аsked her cаsuаllу. Не had alsо drunk quite а bit, but hе was the mоst sоber among the сlub membеrs. Gа-ram’s heаd sliрреd slightlу as shе sрokе slowly.
“Well… probablу.”
It had beеn about twо hours since thе drinking sessiоn, held under thе рreteхt of summer brеak, hаd bеgun. In the рub whеre Dо-hуun and Wоо-уeon hаd sliрpеd аwау, the remaining members were in the middle of drinking games. Normally, Ga-ram would have joined in, but she didn’t feel like it today and opted out.
“If he followed him out while drunk, it’s a hundred percent.”
“I guess…”
Seon-kyu nodded and sipped the somaek in his beer glass. Since he seemed somehow relieved, Ga-ram intentionally gave a playful, toothy grin.
“You must have been really worried.”
“Of course I was. Weren’t you worried, Noona?”
“Me? Well… I was a bit concerned. If things go south between them, Woo-yeon might leave the club.”
The fact that the two had fought was known to all the club members, including Ga-ram. The freshman that the great Kim Do-hyun kept tucked under his arm—the Omega who made a man who rejected everyone who approached him declare, ‘We’re dating.’ Woo-yeon’s attitude, which had been like a puppy following Do-hyun around, changed overnight; it was impossible not to notice.
“But I wasn’t that worried. You know Kim Do-hyun is the type to get things done if he sets his mind to it.”
Ga-ram had been certain since they entered their cold war that Do-hyun would resolve the situation somehow. Though she hadn’t known him for that long, the Kim Do-hyun she had spent about two years with was certainly capable of that.
Though she never dreamed he would be so helplessly swayed.
“Woo-yeon is impressive too. Making that Kim Do-hyun struggle like that.”
“Wow, I think Do-hyun Hyung is the impressive one. Seeing him take the same first-year major classes, I wondered just how much he must like him to go that far.”
Ga-ram didn’t answer, but she agreed. She had felt how much Do-hyun liked Woo-yeon long ago.
It started a few months ago, the day she first saw Woo-yeon.
‘Everything he’s wearing is luxury.’
Ga-ram, who was fundamentally interested in clothes and fashion, had unconsciously scanned Woo-yeon’s outfit from top to bottom the moment she saw him. This was because the clothes Woo-yeon was wearing at the time were from luxury brands Ga-ram knew well. From the light gray puffer jacket to the thick sweater, the sneakers, and even the jeans.
At least the cost of a studio apartment deposit, if not more.
‘Did he come in with a silver spoon?’
Ga-ram had a prejudice against kids from wealthy families. While she had become somewhat okay with it while spending time with Do-hyun, her first impression of Woo-yeon wasn’t particularly pleasant. She had even thought to herself that she shouldn’t get entangled with him.
However, that thought lasted only for a fleeting moment. The instant Woo-yeon turned his head toward Ga-ram, her feeling of dislike shifted instantly toward liking.
‘…Oppa, what’s his name?’
Every single one of his features was a strike. To Ga-ram, who liked small, fair-skinned boys, Woo-yeon was the embodiment of her dream ideal.
Of course, that didn’t mean she thought about trying to make a move on him.
‘I heard from the Teaching Assistant Oppa that his name is pretty, too.’
Ga-ram simply wanted Woo-yeon to join the club. She thought that if she had a Hubae like that, she could buy him Tteokbokki every single day, so she brought it up to Do-hyun. Naturally, she didn’t expect Do-hyun to have such a dramatic reaction upon hearing his name.
‘His name is Woo-yeon, Seon Woo-yeon.’
‘….’
Do-hyun immediately ran in the direction Woo-yeon had disappeared. Watching his back, which clearly told a story, Ga-ram realized instinctively, ‘Ah, no chance this time.’ Despite claiming she had no ulterior motives, it was a truly cunning observation.
“I guess they knew each other before.”
“Now that you mention it, he did call him Teacher back then, right?”
Just what kind of relationship did they have to sway ‘the’ Kim Do-hyun like that? Based on her not-so-bad intuition, there was only one possible scenario. The tutoring student Do-hyun had mentioned previously was none other than Woo-yeon.
“…Then isn’t he a total thief?”
Ga-ram had frequently witnessed people hitting on Do-hyun. Getting his number on the street, or meeting him during the festival. While he was like an iron wall at school, she knew he had dated freely elsewhere.
That’s why Ga-ram was a bit surprised when he showed interest in Woo-yeon. It was true that she suspected if this bastard was finally playing with a clueless freshman. While it seemed there was something between them, she didn’t want to lose a Hubae she liked to some clumsy romance.
‘Why are you hitting on Woo-yeon?’
To be honest, the sorrow of having several Omegas stolen by Do-hyun over the years played a part. As if by some cruel twist of fate, most of the people Ga-ram was interested in ended up liking Do-hyun.
Of course, even so, her desire for Woo-yeon’s well-being was genuine.
‘If you’re not being sincere, stop. I want to see Woo-yeon for a long time.’
Ga-ram was naturally affectionate, and Woo-yeon was a boy who constantly drew her eye. He lacked the arrogance typical of wealthy kids and sometimes had a naive side like a child. It would have been stranger not to worry about such a Woo-yeon.
‘…He says my smile looks fake.’
When she first heard that, Ga-ram wondered what kind of nonsense he was talking about. But the moment he spoke next, she felt as if she had been hit on the back of the head.
‘I’m going to see how long he thinks that.’
The content of the words wasn’t what mattered. The expression he wore while saying them was what mattered. With his eyes gently downturned and a faint smile on his face, it was enough to make even Ga-ram, who had not a shred of ulterior motive toward him, heart flutter.
‘Hey, you…’
She had intervened thinking it was simply interest. These were words spoken as someone who loved the club, as a Seonbae who cherished her Hubae, and as a friend who was worried about him. But what if Do-hyun was truly sincere?
‘If I keep doing this… he’ll eventually realize that I like him too.’
It was from then on. Ga-ram began to observe the relationship between Do-hyun and Woo-yeon from a distance. Instead of stepping forward to help like Seon-kyu, she just watched from the sidelines.
Looking back, there were many hints showing that he liked Woo-yeon. He always snagged the seat next to Woo-yeon at drinking parties, and whenever Woo-yeon ate something, his expression softened with a look of endless adoration.
“Well… he definitely met his match.”
Woo-yeon probably still didn’t know. That Do-hyun frowned whenever Woo-yeon called Ga-ram ‘Noona,’ or that at the cafe they visited for their study group, he had been staring out the glass window, unable to even sit down, like a puppy that needed to pee.
The fact that a guy who hated bothersome things helped him with course registration, stayed up all night guarding the living room during the Membership Training, and refrained from smoking when he was with Woo-yeon—all of it was an extension of those feelings.
“Now that I see it, this bastard only did the study group because of Woo-yeon.”
Kim Do-hyun was quite clever; he volunteered first, and then the talk of doing a study group vanished once the two started dating. It seemed the study group was merely a forced excuse to meet Woo-yeon from the start.
“Sigh, I’m going to go smoke.”
Ga-ram stood up, rummaging through her pockets. She asked Seon-kyu if he wanted to come along, but he shook his head, saying he was feeling the alcohol. He didn’t know the world—how sweet a cigarette tastes when you’re tipsy.
However, perhaps her timing was off, as the smoking room was quite crowded. Ga-ram hesitated for a moment and then turned her steps outside the pub. Her own cigarette was fine, but she had no intention of inhaling other people’s smoke.
It was a season where the night air was still cool. A humid breeze blew outside, as if foreshadowing the coming rainy season. Ga-ram put a freshly taken cigarette in her mouth, looked up at the sky, and took a deep breath. As expected, cigarettes should be smoked in an open space. Just as she thought that, she heard the murmur of voices from somewhere.
“It’s about time you dyed your hair.”
“I’m actually thinking about it. I’m wondering if I should just cover it with black…”
Though she had drunk quite a bit, it wasn’t hard to recognize the owners of the voices. One was Kim Do-hyun, the other was Seon Woo-yeon. These two are peacefully talking about hair dye. Ga-ram let out a short scoff and put the lighter back into the cigarette pack.
“Should we go on a trip during break?”
“Where to?”
“I don’t know, somewhere domestic would be fine. I can just take my car.”
Did they make up? That thought crossed her mind. Seeing them cozily planning a trip, it was clear they had reconciled. Well, of course, how much time had passed. It was about time Woo-yeon forgave Do-hyun. While she felt relieved, she also felt a slight sense of emptiness.
“I have a license too.”
“You probably can’t use that in this country.”
“…Why?”
Hearing the somewhat aggrieved voice, Ga-ram chuckled. She had intended to approach and say something, but the atmosphere was so good that it felt awkward to interrupt. Then again, if she just smoked while pretending not to know them, the smell would likely drift over there. Her drunken brain was processing thoughts far too slowly.
“Right, your pheromone is all over my shirt.”
“Really? I washed it all.”
“Yeah, I know. I think it just rubbed off.”
Then followed words full of infatuation, about how it made him feel strange, or how he felt it was too precious to wear again.
She didn’t know about the rest, but Ga-ram agreed that Woo-yeon’s pheromone was wonderful. Not only was he a dominant type, but his fresh, sweet scent was unrivaled compared to other Omegas.
“They say the rainy season starts next week.”
“…I guess so. It’s about that time.”
Ga-ram, with the cigarette in her mouth, tied her hair up high. Her long hair reached down to her shoulder blades. She really should just cut it all off; she had grown it out of laziness, and it had already gotten this long.
“Woo-yeon.”
“Yes?”
“Woo-yeon.”
“….”
“Yeon-ah.”
“…Why do you keep calling me?”
“Just because I like it.”
‘Kim Do-hyun has completely lost it.’
Having tied her hair neatly, Ga-ram turned away without lingering.
In the two years she had spent with Do-hyun, she had never seen him look so head-over-heels. If she smoked here, her appetite would surely vanish.
‘I’ll go inside and smoke.’
Well, it wasn’t a bad feeling. Even though she hadn’t specifically helped, she felt an unexpected sense of pride. It would be just right to quickly tell Seon-kyu the news and then smoke in the smoking room.
“Ah… I want to date someone.”
The words escaped her lips unconsciously. Ga-ram let out a lament and trudged back into the pub. The sky was high, and her heart was restless. The unlit cigarette filter tasted exceptionally bitter today.