By Zephyria 
Woо-уeon stаred at Jun-sеоng, сlutсhing his mесhanicаl реncil. Hе was trying to gаuge thе intentiоn behind thоse wоrds. Dеsрite starting thе toрic in such an оminous manner, Jun-sеong grinned the mоment thеir еyes met.
“But he lоoked fucking diffеrеnt.”
It didn’t sееm likе he was tеsting him. In the first рlаce, Jun-sеоng wasn’t that intelligent оf a guу. Unаble to find thе right wоrds tо rеsрond, Wоо-yеon secretly clеnched his tеeth.
“Thаt guy was kind of… rеallу like that. Не was short аs hell, but just bloаted with fаt.”
Wоo-уеon fеlt а surge оf nаusеa. His сhеeks twitсhеd, аnd his mоuth tightened. If he hadn’t put strength into his fingertips, his expression would have crumpled instantly.
“He wore these ridiculously huge glasses, and he acted like such a loser… in many ways, he was different from you.”
A gaze full of disgust flew toward him like a dagger. Jun-seong’s shoulders actually trembled, as if he truly despised the Woo-yeon of the past. Yet, at the same time, he looked at the Woo-yeon before him and marveled, “But you’re actually pretty.”
“Plus, his family was super rich, so…”
“What does that have to do with you?”
Eventually, Woo-yeon set his mechanical pencil down irritably. His stomach was already in knots, and now he had to listen to such disgusting words. What the hell was wrong with this bastard that he had bullied him for so long?
“What did he do to you?”
“Huh?”
Jun-seong reacted with a blank face. Sensing the cold gaze, he frowned in confusion. Woo-yeon pressed down on his stinging solar plexus and tried to control his churning pheromones.
“He didn’t even do anything to you, so why are you badmouthing him?”
It was something he had always thought. He had never uttered it, but Woo-yeon always wondered: what did it matter to you that I was fat? The fact that he was large, that his school uniform was about to burst, or even that he ate a lot—none of it had anything to do with Jun-seong.
“No, I wasn’t badmouthing him…”
Trailing off, Jun-seong scratched the back of his head. His bright yellow bleached hair was messy, like a bird’s nest. He shifted his gaze awkwardly, then narrowed his brows with an irritated face.
“But why are you being so sensitive? I didn’t say you were fat.”
“You’re noisy.”
“….”
“I’m preparing for my presentation right now.”
Jun-seong’s face crumpled. His sharp eyes distorted even further. After parting his lips a few times, Jun-seong spoke with a sigh.
“Hey, the way you talk—”
“Now, we will start with the presentation from Group 1.”
Woo-yeon stood up without waiting for Jun-seong to finish. Before heading to the podium, he didn’t forget to grab the paper to submit to the professor. The professor took the paper from Woo-yeon and handed him the microphone.
[I am Seon Woo-yeon, in charge of the Group 1 presentation.]
As soon as he spoke in English, the professor wore a satisfied smile. A few students could be seen hurriedly revising their scripts. Woo-yeon tried his best not to look at Jun-seong as he explained the definition of leadership.
[…Therefore, I would like to discuss what kind of character a leader should possess.]
As Daniel had once said, Woo-yeon’s English pronunciation was perfect. They say it’s difficult to correct pronunciation after the age of fifteen, but that didn’t apply to him. In fact, Woo-yeon spoke better in English than in Korean.
[As a representative leading a team, a leader must strive to ensure that no team member is marginalized.]
After finishing the sentence, Woo-yeon briefly swallowed a sneer. It was because it was ridiculous that Jun-seong had written this content. Strive to ensure no team member is marginalized? Wasn’t Jun-seong the one who did the marginalizing?
[Furthermore, a leader…]
‘I know a guy named Seon Woo-yeon.’
He remembers. That was the first thought that came to mind. He remembers me, Woo-yeon, the middle schooler he bullied. And he’s so shameless that he can bring it up as a conversation topic as if it’s nothing.
‘But he looked fucking different.’
He had thought Jun-seong might not recognize him, but he didn’t expect it to be this bad. Even if he didn’t expect him to feel guilt, he thought there would be at least some sense of remorse. But as expected, it seemed people didn’t change easily.
Barely managing his emotions, Woo-yeon presented the content he had mechanically memorized. The time wasn’t long, and no one was slacking off. It seemed only the professor understood everything, but in truth, it was enough if only the professor understood.
[That concludes the presentation. Thank you.]
Loud applause filled the lecture hall. After asking a few questions in English, the professor let Woo-yeon return to his seat. Seeing the smile on the professor’s lips, Group 1’s presentation had been a success.
As soon as Woo-yeon returned to his seat, he hunched over. He was fine while standing, but as soon as he sat down, his stomach hurt again. While he swallowed his groans of pain, Jun-seong tactlessly marveled at him.
“Whoa… your English is seriously good. Are all the English Lit majors like that?”
Not just Jun-seong, but other team members chimed in as well. When they said they wouldn’t have to worry about the midterm presentation as long as he was there, Woo-yeon thought, ‘So these guys actually know how to speak.’ If they could talk this well, they should have helped when drafting the outline earlier; why had they kept their mouths shut then?
“Group 2, please come forward.”
Group 2 also presented in English, like Woo-yeon. However, it was obvious that it had been thrown together hastily, and they made mistakes with words here and there. The professor asked questions in English again and let the presenters go without any particular praise.
Presentations continued for about three minutes per group. In the meantime, his stomach settled a bit, and Woo-yeon straightened his posture, stroking his pale face. The last group was presenting in Chinese.
“Everyone worked hard. Especially Group 1, very well done.”
The professor ended the class after adding a few light words of praise. It was about 30 minutes earlier than usual. As Woo-yeon was packing his things the moment the professor left, he froze when Jun-seong called him.
“Hey, Woo-yeon.”
No matter how many times he heard that friendly address, he couldn’t get used to it. Seon Woo-yeon would be one thing, but ‘Woo-yeon-ah.’ It gave him the chills.
“About what I said earlier.”
Woo-yeon stuffed his notebook and writing utensils into his bag and forced the zipper shut. He intended to leave the classroom immediately, but he couldn’t because Jun-seong grabbed his bag strap. Even though Woo-yeon didn’t answer, Jun-seong abruptly spoke.
“Ah, damn, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to compare you.”
“…What?”
His head rang with a ‘ding.’ For a moment, he wondered if he had hallucinated. While Woo-yeon remained speechless, Jun-seong tugged on the bag strap with an embarrassed face.
“I said I’m sorry. You’re angry because I badmouthed a kid who has the same name as you, right?”
His tone was serious. Even the awkward way he looked at Woo-yeon didn’t seem like a joke. With a sigh, Jun-seong tapped the bag with his fist.
“Why make someone feel so embarrassed over something like that? I just mentioned a kid I knew because it came to mind.”
“….”
A blank gaze stared at Jun-seong’s face. Woo-yeon kept his mouth shut and chewed over the words he had said. That he was sorry, that he hadn’t intended to hurt his feelings. A string of unbelievable words echoed in his mind.
“…You’re sorry?”
It had been three years. The period Woo-yeon was ostracized was three years, and the period Jun-seong bullied him was three years. He hadn’t thought about wanting to die, but he had thought about not wanting to live. If it weren’t for Do-hyun, if it weren’t for Teacher, he would still be suffering.
And yet, he was hearing an apology now that he never heard back then. And for such a pathetic reason.
‘You fat pig, why do you even live?’
“…Hah.”
Various emotions swirled in a complex vortex. His pheromones surged, and the hair on his neck stood up. The emotion rising violently, making him feel like he might vomit, was nothing other than rage.
“You’re really funny.”
Woo-yeon let out a hollow laugh and looked Jun-seong in the eye. If it had been middle school, Jun-seong would have snapped, asking what he was staring at, but now he only blushed slightly and didn’t pick a fight.
“I really hate people like you.”
Woo-yeon snatched the bag from his hand. The pheromones that crept out were sharp enough to cut. Not only Jun-seong, but other Omegas nearby were flustered and held their breath.
“Badmouthing others at your age isn’t something to be proud of…”
Would it have been different if he had said it in middle school? If he had looked Jun-seong straight in the eye and protested like this, would the result have changed even slightly?
No matter how much he thought about it, the answer was ‘no.’ Even in middle school, Woo-yeon hadn’t bowed down to Jun-seong. He might have ignored him or looked away, but he had never avoided him out of fear. Even so, hadn’t Jun-seong always looked down on him?
“You don’t have to apologize, so just don’t act like we’re close.”
With those words, Woo-yeon turned his back on Jun-seong. Only heavy pheromones remained in the spot where he had left.
* * *
On his way to the main gate, Woo-yeon collapsed onto a bench. The blood drained from his face, and he felt as if he might faint at any moment. Hunching his upper body and lowering his head, Woo-yeon let out a long groan.
“Ugh…”
He had indigestion. A severe case of it.
His condition worsened suddenly as soon as he left the classroom. It would be better if he could just throw up, but his stomach was just churning and nothing was coming out. His head was dizzy, and his fingertips grew cold. While doing everything foolishly on his own, Woo-yeon miserably missed Do-hyun.
‘I miss Teacher…’
Whenever he felt this way, he desperately craved Teacher. It was because he felt that if he could just stroke his hair and tell him it was okay, everything would truly be alright. Just like four years ago, the current Woo-yeon would feel the same.
‘I miss you…’
If he wished for it a hundred times, would he appear? Thinking this, Woo-yeon hugged one knee. Do-hyun would be at the main gate, but he didn’t have the strength to go there right now. Besides, even if he met Do-hyun, he was now a Seonbae, not Teacher.
Drip, drip—
At some point, raindrops began to fall. The slowly falling rain stained the ground and soaked both the bench and Woo-yeon. Woo-yeon bit his lip self-deprecatingly and pulled his hoodie cap down low.
“….”
If he were to appear just because he was missed, he should have appeared four years ago. If everything had gone as planned, he wouldn’t have cried in loneliness. He wouldn’t have gone to America alone, returned home clutching a faint hope, or been caught in the rain like this.
He was used to giving up expectations. In that big house, and in America, Woo-yeon learned how to give up instead of hope. Whenever memories of Do-hyun melted his heart, he suppressed them, thinking such sentimentality was a luxury.
“Huu.”
With a short sigh, Woo-yeon closed his eyes. His stomach still felt bad, but the wavering expectation had been washed away.
Just five minutes. Let’s give up within that time.
It was the moment he tried to lift his eyelids.
“…I wondered why you weren’t coming.”
A shadow fell over him. The raindrops stopped, and the shadow split into two. Woo-yeon gasped, feeling his heart sink. A gentle voice, like a dream, wrapped around his ears.
“You’ll catch a cold.”