By Zephyria 
Woo-yеоn didn’t know how tо hide his feеlings оf аffесtiоn. It was like thаt whеn hе first fell for him, аnd it was the samе now thаt he hаd reаlized his lingеring fееlings. Whenevеr his heаrt raced аnd his gaze chаsed the othеr man, hе wаs swept away bу a wind that blew inсеssаntlу.
Тodaу, toо, Wоo-yеоn blankly admired Dо-hyun’s рrоfile. At first, hе hаd bееn stеaling glаnсes frоm the corner of his eуe, but at sоme pоint, he was staring оpеnly. Ga-rаm hаd fallen аsleeр on thе сot, аnd Sеon-kуu hаd steрреd out for оthеr business, sо thеrе wаs no one to stop him.
‘He’s seriously handsome.’
The straight bridge of his nose was as perfect as if it had been sculpted. The slightly furrowed brows, the faint double eyelid of his left eye, and even his firmly closed lips—everything pierced Woo-yeon’s heart.
Come to think of it, Do-hyun always sat to Woo-yeon’s right during tutoring. It was a distance close enough that their shoulders occasionally brushed, and an angle where he could clearly see Do-hyun’s eyelids fold when he smiled. Whenever Do-hyun tilted his head, Woo-yeon could catch a whiff of his characteristic, fragrant body scent.
“…….”
Yes, just like right now.
A pheromone as dry as withered fallen leaves faintly enveloped the surroundings. Although the weather was warm with a gentle spring breeze, Do-hyun’s pheromones were as cool as autumn. Woo-yeon buried his lips near the collar of his hoodie and toyed with his ear.
After Woo-yeon told him, ‘Seonbae’s pheromones are fine,’ Do-hyun had increased the amount of pheromones he released day by day. It started at a subtle level, and as Woo-yeon showed no particular aversion, it gradually transformed into a presence befitting a dominant.
After a week of this, it had reached the point where Woo-yeon could feel Do-hyun’s presence on his skin just by closing his eyes. Of course, if Woo-yeon weren’t a dominant himself, he wouldn’t have noticed.
“I guess you’re having trouble concentrating.”
A soft voice broke Woo-yeon’s train of thought. Do-hyun asked in a gentle tone while scribbling something in his notebook.
“Is there something on my face?”
Woo-yeon snapped back to his senses and turned his head. Without realizing it, he had turned his entire head to look at Do-hyun. At this rate, it was practically an advertisement that he liked him.
“No…… there’s nothing on it.”
Mumbling his answer, Woo-yeon lowered his head deeply. Something was on it—the problem was that it was handsomeness and charm. If he said that, Do-hyun would probably look at him with disbelief, as if he were talking nonsense.
“Tell me if there’s anything you don’t understand.”
“Yes.”
Woo-yeon lightly rubbed his cheek and fixed his gaze on his major textbook. Midterms were next week; he didn’t have time to be spacing out like this. He couldn’t afford to ruin his exams by falling into daydreams like an immature child.
However, despite that resolve, Woo-yeon looked back at Do-hyun in less than five minutes. His gaze slid over and lingered around those firmly closed lips. While he was admiring how cool those lips were, Do-hyun let out a sigh and put down his pen.
“……This won’t do.”
He stood up and grabbed the pack of cigarettes he had left beside him. When a startled Woo-yeon widened his eyes, Do-hyun carelessly brushed back his hair. Even then, Woo-yeon thought the messy hair suited him well.
“Keep studying. I’m going to go smoke one.”
After saying that, Do-hyun immediately walked away. Seeing him open the pack to check for a lighter, Woo-yeon jumped up to follow him.
“Me too……”
His thoughts were too simple. Before he could think things through, the words popped out impulsively. As Do-hyun looked back at him with an unreadable expression, Woo-yeon spoke hesitantly.
“I…… want to go smoke too.”
* * *
In the season where the spring breeze seeped in, the campus was filled with the fluttering scent of flowers after the rain had stopped. The cherry blossoms had half-fallen, but green leaves filled the spindly branches. Woo-yeon suppressed his floating mood and followed closely behind Do-hyun.
From the moment they left the club room, Do-hyun walked quickly in silence. He wasn’t usually like this; it was almost a struggle for Woo-yeon to keep up. Just as Woo-yeon began to fall behind due to the widened stride, Do-hyun glanced back at him.
“……Is the studying going well?”
Woo-yeon shook his head and put his hands in his hoodie pockets. Far from going well, he could rarely remember focusing properly since last week. He had managed to get through the quiz on Friday, but that too would have been impossible without Do-hyun’s help.
“No…. The content is hard, and there’s too much of it. I can’t concentrate.”
Without noticing, his pace had become similar to Do-hyun’s. Even though he knew it was no big deal, his heart swelled at the fact that he was walking side-by-side with him. Do-hyun looked at Woo-yeon silently, then narrowed his eyes and stared straight ahead.
The smoking area wasn’t far from the club room. He had mentioned it was being renovated recently, and a wooden fence had been installed as a screen. As soon as Do-hyun stepped inside, he took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
“What about you?”
“Huh?”
“I asked if you don’t smoke.”
Woo-yeon, who was about to sit on the bench, awkwardly fumbled through his pockets. After checking his hoodie pocket and his pants pockets, he let out an awkward, empty laugh.
“I guess I didn’t bring any.”
“Really?”
Responding with that, Do-hyun lit his lighter without any particular comment. Woo-yeon blankly zoned out as he watched Do-hyun shield the cigarette with one hand to light it. When Daniel smoked, it didn’t feel like this, but when Do-hyun did it, it looked like a photoshoot.
“Since when did you start smoking?”
Woo-yeon leaned forward, resting his hands on the bench. As he looked up at Do-hyun, the other man let out a silly laugh. Then, for some reason, he awkwardly turned his head away.
“Just, you know…… around the time everyone else did.”
“Did you learn it in the army?”
“No, I smoked before I went.”
The grayish cigarette smoke scattered in hazy swirls. Looking at the tilted profile, Woo-yeon felt a strange sense of déjà vu. As if he had watched him smoke from an even closer distance once before.
“……Can I try one puff of that?”
Do-hyun turned his gaze as if wondering what he was talking about. Looking at Woo-yeon with only his eyes, he slowly exhaled the smoke. Phew, the breath flowed out, mixing with the cigarette smoke.
“This is the same kind as last time. The kind that’s nauseating for an Omega to smoke.”
“Then…… just one puff.”
Woo-yeon didn’t give up and pointed to the cigarette in his mouth.
Do-hyun, narrowing his eyes as if weighing something, stepped closer to him. The cigarette held between long fingers slowly approached Woo-yeon’s lips.
“Just put your lips on the end.”
For some reason, it felt erotic. Woo-yeon hesitantly opened his mouth and gripped the tip of the cigarette with his lips. Perhaps because it was the one Do-hyun had been smoking, it was heavily stained with a fragrant pheromone.
“You have to inhale.”
Do-hyun whispered in a very soft voice. His observing gaze was as persistent as if he were touching him with his hands. It was the moment Woo-yeon, as if possessed, narrowed his eyes and inhaled the cigarette smoke deeply.
“……Cough!”
The rushing smoke filled his throat with an acrid sting. Along with an intense spicy sensation, his nose began to prickle. The smell of burning, the scent of pheromones, and the characteristic nauseating smell of tobacco. Spitting out the filter, Woo-yeon coughed violently.
“Cough, cough—”
Do-hyun didn’t hesitate to take the cigarette back. Immediately rubbing out the ember, he threw away the butt and walked toward a vending machine. He returned to Woo-yeon with an ionic drink.
“I knew something was off.”
“Ugh……”
Tears welled up slightly. He heard the sound of Do-hyun, sitting beside him, opening the can. Unable to say anything, Woo-yeon pinched his nose. Whether the smoke had gone down the wrong way, his entire respiratory tract stung.
“Drink this, it’ll make you feel better.”
Do-hyun pressed the can into Woo-yeon’s hand and checked his face. His moist, glistening eyes had turned quite red. After being silent for a brief moment, Do-hyun slowly patted Woo-yeon’s back.
“Why act so reckless when you don’t even smoke?”
Woo-yeon barely managed to gulp down the drink in his hand. As he swallowed the liquid, the burnt smell seemed to fade slightly. While Woo-yeon took a few more sips, Do-hyun waited quietly for him to calm down.
Only after coughing for a while was Woo-yeon finally able to clear his throat. Pressing down on the area under his chin, Woo-yeon spoke with a miserable face.
“……How did you know I don’t smoke?”
He didn’t actually smoke, but he had put a cigarette in his mouth a few times. There was no particular reason; it was just to blend in since everyone else did. Now, he was just curious because Do-hyun smoked so coolly.
“Because I never saw you light one.”
Do-hyun replied casually, winking. They said he was quick-witted, but his observational skills were incredible. Seon-kyu and Ga-ram still thought Woo-yeon was a smoker; just when had he realized?
“I know it sounds funny, but if possible, don’t learn how to smoke. It’s best not to start at all.”
Woo-yeon felt like he was being scolded and nodded. He had no interest in cigarettes and no particular intention to smoke, but seeing Do-hyun do it made him want to follow suit. Now that he’d been caught as a non-smoker, that was all for naught.
“And don’t come out to the smoking area.”
“……!”
Woo-yeon widened his eyes and looked back at Do-hyun. That meant he would never get to see him smoke again. It meant that if he went out while studying like today, he would only be able to stare at his back.
“Can’t I just come out to watch?”
Woo-yeon made the most pitiful face he could. If asked why, he had nothing to say, but he intended to just insist. Do-hyun looked at Woo-yeon steadily and asked back in a kind tone.
“Even though you hate the smell of cigarettes?”
“I don’t hate it.”
“How many times do I have to tell you that you’re bad at lying?”
Woo-yeon’s expression turned pouty. Seeing the raised eyebrow, Do-hyun let out a soft laugh. He lowered his head and looked at Woo-yeon askew.
“How many subjects did you say you have for midterms?”
“……Five subjects.”
Ridiculously, his mood lifted the moment their eyes met. Woo-yeon lowered his gaze, feeling his heart beat pleasantly. Every time he suddenly became aware of it like this, an uncontrollable excitement surged within him.
“From what I saw, you can’t seem to concentrate on your studies at all……”
Of course he couldn’t concentrate. Far from concentrating, it was difficult just to maintain his composure with Do-hyun in front of him. Seeing Woo-yeon quickly become sullen, Do-hyun softened his voice as if to show he wasn’t scolding him.
“If you do well on your exams, I’ll give you a reward.”