By Zephyria 
А chilling silencе sеttled ovеr one sidе оf thе living rооm. Тhe atmоsрhеre was sо still that even rоlling onе’s eуes fеlt like it wоuld bе nоticed. Аs if that wеren’t enough, Wоo-yeоn added in clеar, рrеcise pronunciаtion.
“Leaking рhеrоmоnеs when yоu barеlу have а sрeck of them, thinking рeорle will find it sweеt…”
“…Whа, whаt?”
Тhе returning studеnt аsked bаck belatedly. His blаnkly oрen eуes showed аn eхpressiоn оf utter disbeliеf that such wоrds would асtuallу сomе оut. Woо-уеon scаnnеd the surrоundings with а hаzу gaze and then rubbed his eyes vigorously with the back of his hand.
“Stop acting like a nuisance. You should at least live up to your name; we barely know each other, so why do you keep calling me Woo-yeon, Woo-yeon?”
“Hey… are you done talking?”
“And if I’m not, what are you going to do about it?”
Woo-yeon glared defiantly. He was half the size, but his spirit was about three times as large. The returning student’s face turned red and blue, seemingly wounded in his pride by the fact that he had been hit with a blow by such a small fellow.
“This fucking… what the hell are you saying? Hey, say that again. What did you say?”
“I said stop acting like a nuisance. Forcing drinks on me is shitty enough, but why do you keep mixing pheromones into the alcohol?”
His tone was full of grievance. His eyes were flushed red, likely from irritation. Half of it was because he had rubbed them, but to others, he looked pitiful. At that, Do-hyun added in an indifferent voice.
“You mixed in pheromones too?”
“Ha, this is just absurd…”
The returning student was visibly flustered. It was true that he had tried to appeal with pheromones, but in the end, the amount was small. Since there had been no reaction throughout, he had tried increasing it bit by bit, but it seemed Woo-yeon had known from the start.
“Yeah, I put a bit in. Huh? You’re the one who acted all fucking sensitive because you’re a dominant, and now you’re talking to me like this, fuck…”
“Sensitive? Did you just say sensitive?”
Woo-yeon, greatly provoked, suddenly stood up. As he rose as if to pounce, those around them scrambled to their feet as well. It was a reaction born from the single-minded determination that they might have to carry Woo-yeon away for his own safety if things went south.
“Oh, look at you. What are you going to do if you stand up, huh?”
“This is why people hate you, Seonbae. When you know you’ve done something wrong, you should know how to apologize.”
“Look at the way this brat talks. Hey, you all watch closely. He started it.”
The returning student stood up with an angry face. He wasn’t particularly tall, but his build was significantly more imposing than Woo-yeon’s. Left with no choice, Do-hyun stood up and completely blocked Woo-yeon’s path.
“Stop it.”
The staggering Woo-yeon was blocked by Do-hyun’s back. ‘What, move.’ Even at those words, Do-hyun didn’t blink. Meanwhile, another Seonbae quickly approached and supported Woo-yeon.
“Why are you taking it so seriously when a Hubae said it while drunk? It’s not like this is the first or second time we’ve seen Freshmen get wasted.”
“Fuck, is he drunk right now? He’s fucking sober! Where does he think he’s going, hiding behind someone else…”
“That’s right, I’m not drunk.”
As soon as the returning student finished speaking, Woo-yeon shook off the Seonbae. He shook his head, widened his eyes, and pushed Do-hyun aside as well. Do-hyun, still with a calm face, grabbed Woo-yeon’s arm.
“Woo-yeon.”
“….”
A ragged breath could be felt. He was so angry that his Omega pheromones were fluctuating wildly. At a presence that overwhelmed not only Alphas but even Omegas, the Alphas—excluding Do-hyun—gasped.
“Woo-yeon.”
Do-hyun calmed Woo-yeon down once more. Just as he was contemplating whether he should use force to stop him, Woo-yeon’s lips parted slightly.
[Fuck.]
The clear voice pierced through the air. Do-hyun blinked, unable to believe what he had heard. Since it was very simple English, the others also looked as if they had understood.
“…Did that brat just swear?”
Woo-yeon ruffled his hair messily and frowned. He opened and closed his mouth as if he had something to say, then closed it again with a frustrated expression. Soon, after composing his pheromones, Woo-yeon began speaking in fluent English.
“….”
“….”
It was a silence incomparable to anything before. Words that one wouldn’t even hear in a typical English listening test poured out brilliantly. Half were curses, and the other half were something else. Meanwhile, the pronunciation was impeccably perfect, as if they were listening to a lecture from a native professor.
“W-what is he saying?”
The returning student stuttered with a bewildered face. He wasn’t bad at English, but he couldn’t understand most of what Woo-yeon was saying. Part of it was because the pronunciation was too good, and part of it was because Woo-yeon was liberally using words he had never heard before.
In the meantime, Woo-yeon finished everything he wanted to say and smiled with a triumphant face. His still-pale face didn’t look like that of a drunk person. He gave the returning student one last fierce glare and then strode out of the pension.
“….”
It was as if a typhoon had passed. Do-hyun stared blankly at Woo-yeon’s retreating back. The words Woo-yeon had spoken echoed in his ears. Fuck, this and that… curses he had never heard in his life crashed over him like waves.
“Ha.”
Unfortunately, he understood everything Woo-yeon had said. The curses recited skillfully. And the abusive language that sounded like a curse. Translated literally, it was this:
[Fuck, you piece of shit. Eat shit and go to hell. Your face looks like shit too…]
* * *
Woo-yeon crouched in front of a wall and looked up at the sky. Perhaps because the air was clear, there were so many stars it felt as if they would spill over. Wow, the moon is bright too. Thinking this, Woo-yeon rubbed his eyelids.
“Don’t rub your eyes.”
A familiar voice stopped his action. Then, someone grabbed both his arms and suddenly pulled him up. Standing helplessly on his two legs, Woo-yeon staggered and bumped his forehead against the shoulder in front of him.
“Ouch…”
“You really are drunk.”
Do-hyun let out a hollow laugh and straightened Woo-yeon up. He held his arms to help him balance, firmly stabilizing the swaying boy. However, Woo-yeon couldn’t stand on his own for even three seconds.
“I’m dizzy.”
He even grumbled and leaned his head into Do-hyun’s chest. Do-hyun, who had stopped moving for a moment, let out an absurd laugh. Do-hyun tried to push Woo-yeon away, but as expected, the small body couldn’t maintain its balance.
“Do you know where you’re leaning right now?”
“I know.”
“I think you don’t.”
“I know.”
The sound of soft breathing spread through the quiet surroundings. Do-hyun gave up on pushing Woo-yeon away and put his hands in his coat pockets. Even though he wasn’t supporting him, Woo-yeon stubbornly kept his head leaned.
Time passed in silence. Surprisingly, it was Do-hyun who couldn’t endure the silence.
“I told you that you don’t have to drink alcohol you don’t want to.”
His voice sounded like a lament. It also felt slightly reproachful. Leaving all sorts of excuses behind, Woo-yeon replied haltingly.
“It’s my first time playing drinking games.”
“There are a lot of things you’re doing for the first time.”
Turning his head the other way, Do-hyun let out a thin sigh. From the chest Woo-yeon was leaning on, the sound of a steady heartbeat could be heard. Soon, Do-hyun murmured in a voice that was barely audible.
“Your pheromones are leaking.”
Only then did Woo-yeon react to Do-hyun’s words. He staggered to stand straight, then tilted over toward the wall. Do-hyun, who supported the back of his head before he could hit it, frowned from a close distance.
“Just how much did they make you drink?”
After hesitating for a moment, he let Woo-yeon lean against him again. Then, he took a cigarette out of his coat pocket and put it in his mouth. With the click-click of the lighter, an artificial pheromone scent wafted out.
“Seonbae Kim Jin-sang is angry.”
“….”
“He acted like a nuisance, just like his name.”
“….”
“Are you listening?”
Every time Do-hyun spoke, a vibration was felt at the nape of the neck. Woo-yeon gave a moan-like answer, “Mm-hmm,” and wrapped his arms around Do-hyun’s waist under the coat. This time too, Do-hyun neither hugged him back nor pushed him away.
“It’s cold.”
Woo-yeon complained in a small voice. Then, he lifted his head to look at Do-hyun and fixed his gaze on the cigarette in his mouth. Do-hyun was still turning his head away, exhaling cigarette smoke.
“And?”
Wow, he’s damn sexy.
The prominent jawline caught his eye. Every time he held the smoke, the area around his throat moved subtly. The smoke coming from those well-shaped lips also looked chillingly erotic.
“You’re the only one wearing a padded jacket.”
Woo-yeon muttered his complaints. As he buried his face in the warm nape, Do-hyun inhaled the cigarette again. ‘How stingy…’ To the words he whispered next, an unexpected answer returned.
“You can’t be angry tomorrow.”
Tuk, the long cigarette fell. Do-hyun crushed the ember with one foot and let out a short breath. With his hands still in his coat pockets, he pulled Woo-yeon’s body into an embrace.
“….”
A faint pheromone was mixed with the warm heat. The scent clinging to the clothes and the nape was Do-hyun’s characteristic dry pheromone. As Woo-yeon fidgeted and pressed closer into the embrace, Do-hyun whispered.
“Feel a bit better?”
Better? He felt great. His face flushed as if he had never been cold. His heart pounded, and pheromones flowed out in waves.
Do-hyun, keeping his head held high, murmured in a breathy voice.
“You shouldn’t drink alcohol.”
“Why?”
“There’s a reason.”
Woo-yeon didn’t ask further and closed his eyes. Every time his vision closed, sleepiness washed over him. Teacher, I’m sleepy. He wanted to say that, but his hazy mind wouldn’t listen.
“Seonbae.”
Instead, a different title slipped out. It was a slightly awkward, yet now familiar title. The broad chest shifted slightly, as if Woo-yeon’s fidgeting was ticklish.
“Seonbae, you’re a playboy, aren’t you?”
“What?”
Do-hyun let out a hollow laugh and lowered his head. The round head was still stuck tightly to the nape of his neck. A troubled smile hung on Do-hyun’s lips.
“How did you reach that conclusion?”
“They say if you have a double eyelid on only one side, you’re a playboy.”
Woo-yeon lifted his head and looked at Do-hyun’s left eye. It was the only side with a double eyelid amidst the gently sloping eyes. Do-hyun stared intently into Woo-yeon’s pupils and replied without inflection.
“That’s unfair. I haven’t even had the chance to play around yet.”
It felt as if the gaze was stroking his face. Eyes, nose, mouth. And eyes again. After examining Woo-yeon in detail, he lowered his head slightly. Woo-yeon was still hugging Do-hyun’s waist tightly.
“Are you sleepy?”
The low voice asked Woo-yeon. Instead of answering yes, Woo-yeon closed his eyes. Only after he fell asleep as if collapsing did Do-hyun hold him properly.