By Zephyria 
Тhеre was no nееd to loоk back. Dо-hуun рushеd Gа-rаm aside nоnсhаlantly аnd steppеd ovеr the сhair with his lоng legs. Аt а distаnce sо clоse their shouldеrs almost touсhed, Woo-уeоn bеgan to hiccup.
“Ugh, whу are yоu sitting hеrе whеrе it’s so crаmpеd?”
“Рut your рhеromones awаy bеfоre yоu sреаk.”
Тhe blооd rushed thrоugh Woo-yeon’s bodу. His heаrt poundеd so hard he fеarеd the sound might bе аudible. While Wоo-yеon’s shоuldеrs joltеd with еverу hiсcuр, Dо-hуun brought ovеr а watеr bоttlе withоut even glancing his way.
“Your drunken antics are a problem. Bullying the freshmen and all.”
“I wasn’t bullying them. I just came to get close to them.”
A glass of water was placed in front of Woo-yeon. With vacant eyes, Woo-yeon stared at the fingertips that had just brushed past him. Hic. His shoulders jolted silently once more. Glancing at Woo-yeon from the corner of his eye, Do-hyun tapped the glass.
“Drink.”
His tone was as soft and composed as it had always been. Even his well-groomed nails hadn’t changed from when he used to hold a pen. The only difference was that his speech had shifted from informal to formal.
“……Thank you.”
It felt like his insides were twisting. The consideration that would have touched him in the past was not welcome at all now. Thanks to Do-hyun, Ga-ram’s pheromones were completely blocked, but that didn’t make him happy either. Teacher’s kindness truly was for everyone. The realization felt strangely hollow.
“Are you okay?”
Seeing the change in Woo-yeon’s complexion, Seon-kyu asked cautiously. Woo-yeon nodded to indicate he was fine and gulped down the water. The hiccups had stopped the moment Do-hyun offered the water.
“That’s the one.”
With a face even more intoxicated, Ga-ram pointed at Woo-yeon. She leaned against Do-hyun’s shoulder, but Do-hyun pushed her away as if he were used to it. Ga-ram simply opened her mouth in a silly grin, showing no particular dissatisfaction.
“Just like I told you, right?”
Do-hyun’s gaze landed on Woo-yeon. For a brief moment, Woo-yeon hoped that he might recognize him. He hadn’t had plastic surgery; he had simply grown taller and lost weight, so if Do-hyun looked closely, he might know.
“……I guess so.”
But Do-hyun didn’t recognize Woo-yeon in the slightest. Setting aside the fact that he had been his tutoring student, there wasn’t even a hint of a ‘I think I’ve seen you somewhere’ feeling. He simply curved his eyes softly and asked:
“Can I speak informally?”
It was an artificial smile. At least, that’s how it felt to Woo-yeon. He was clearly smiling beautifully, but for some reason, it felt awkward.
“Yes.”
Memories are most beautiful when they remain as memories. Perhaps the person named Kim Do-hyun had been overly idealized in Woo-yeon’s imagination. Was that why? He was still kind, still gentle, but it didn’t make his heart flutter like before.
“You said you wanted to join our club, right?”
Then again, it had been four years. Three springs had passed while he was gone, so it wouldn’t be strange for his emotions to fade. The reason his heart had raced was likely just the shock of the sudden reunion.
“Your name?”
Woo-yeon looked at Do-hyun with indifferent eyes. The moment their eyes met, a sharp pain shot through his chest, but he tried his best to ignore it. This relationship, where he had to state his name all over again, felt futile and pathetic.
“Seon Woo-yeon.”
Do-hyun knit his brows and parted his lips. The slight twitch of his eyebrow instantly caught Woo-yeon’s attention. Soon, he repeated the name clearly.
“Seon Woo, Yeon?”
Woo-yeon’s eyes stung. He felt that if he answered ‘yes,’ the call of ‘Yeon-ah’ would return. But now was the time to correctly rectify the traces of the past.
“Seon, Woo-yeon.”
“Ah, Woo-yeon.”
That was it. The tiny spark of interest was quickly and cleanly erased. Woo-yeon once again realized his place. A mere passing existence when someone with the same name appeared. That was all he was to Do-hyun.
“Woo-yeon, huh.”
Because he turned his gaze away immediately, Woo-yeon didn’t see Do-hyun’s face as he spoke. However, that still-sweet voice dyed Woo-yeon’s face red. Honestly, wasn’t it cheating for a voice to be this good?
“What’s so ‘coincidental’ about it?”
Seon-kyu, who had been exchanging drinks with Ga-ram, asked casually. Do-hyun was also pouring soju into a new glass. It seemed he intended to settle in at this table.
“He has the same name as a student I used to tutor. But that kid had a single-syllable name. Seonwoo Yeon.”
“Oh, what a coincidence.”
Despite himself, Woo-yeon felt a surge of excitement at the fact that he had been mentioned. He pressed his nails into his palm, pushing down the lump that had risen to his throat. However, he couldn’t suppress the greed that followed.
“What kind of student was he?”
Just a little more; he wanted to hear about himself from Do-hyun’s mouth. At the very least, he wanted to know how Do-hyun remembered him. Since they had the same name, wouldn’t it be natural to be curious? Comforting himself with that thought, Woo-yeon looked up.
“Well, just……”
The protruding Adam’s apple moved up and down. The jawline extending below the ear was much sharper than it had been four years ago. Do-hyun gave a light shrug and curled the corners of his mouth slyly.
“It’s not a particularly good memory.”
It felt like he had been hit in the back of the head. It felt as if someone was squeezing his stomach and laughing at him. His cold-soaked mind clearly informed him of the harsh reality.
“I don’t really want to talk about it.”
Was it a memory he hated that much? Was it so bad that he would change the subject with such a troubled face? Was the reason he cut off contact immediately, changed his number, and vanished because he truly wanted to get away from Woo-yeon?
“……I guess he didn’t listen well.”
“Hmm, it wasn’t exactly that.”
He shouldn’t have confessed. He regretted it belatedly. If he hadn’t, the answer now might have been slightly different. Even if he had just said, ‘He was a good student,’ he wouldn’t have been this upset.
“Anyway, about the club……”
Woo-yeon let Do-hyun’s words drift past him and downed the beer in front of him. It was flat and lukewarm, which only made his stomach feel worse. When he grimaced, Do-hyun refilled his glass with fresh beer.
“Do you like English novels?”
He blinked. The heat gathering in his eyes wasn’t solely due to the alcohol. The ice-cold beer intensified his thirst.
“I do.”
‘Teacher, I like you.’
On the day Woo-yeon couldn’t hold back and confessed, Do-hyun hadn’t smiled at him. He hadn’t stroked his hair, nor had he acknowledged his feelings. That awkward single sentence about going to the military was the entirety of the reaction Do-hyun had shown him.
“That’s good. I’ll give you the application form later, so just fill it out and bring it back. Or you can come directly to the club room.”
Well, it wasn’t that Woo-yeon didn’t understand. No college student would welcome a confession from a sixteen-year-old whose blood hadn’t even dried yet—especially one who was small and chubby. Even if it were Woo-yeon instead of Do-hyun, he probably would have reacted similarly.
“Give me your phone. I’ll put my number in.”
“Ah, my phone is……”
Woo-yeon hurriedly stood up and rummaged through his pockets. He searched his pants for a while, but the phone actually came out of the front pocket of his hoodie. When he held out the caseless phone with an embarrassed face, Do-hyun let out a small chuckle.
“It’s going to get scratched.”
The default wallpaper appeared on the screen. Woo-yeon hadn’t even locked his phone. Do-hyun entered his number with a subtle expression, and Woo-yeon saved him as ‘Kim Do-hyun Seonbae.’ Do-hyun stared at him blankly.
“……Why are you looking at me like that?”
One corner of Do-hyun’s eye twitched. It was the left eye, the one with the double eyelid. Tilting his head slightly, he gestured toward the phone with his eyes.
“Since you already knew my name.”
“…….”
Now that he thought about it, Woo-yeon was the only one who had said his name. Trying his best not to look flustered, Woo-yeon searched for a suitable excuse.
“I heard it from the Teaching Assistant.”
“Yun-woo Hyung did?”
Fortunately, Do-hyun let it slide without further comment. He had probably just been curious, not intending to press the issue. Having learned the Teaching Assistant’s name, Woo-yeon put the phone back in his hoodie pocket.
“Baby, give Noona your number too.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Led by Ga-ram, Seon-kyu and some other guys held out their phones. Without even time to ask why he was being called ‘Baby,’ Woo-yeon was pushed into entering his number. After entering about four of them, Ga-ram touched Do-hyun’s shoulder with a proud face.
“Hey, let’s go have a cigarette.”
“I quit smoking.”
“This bastard is acting up again.”
Ga-ram didn’t push further and looked around.
“Anyone else smoke?”
At the straightforward question, most of the people at the table stood up. Among them was Seon-kyu, who was calling Woo-yeon.
“Woo-yeon, you too?”
Woo-yeon immediately stood up to follow Seon-kyu. He didn’t have the confidence to be left alone with Do-hyun. The problem was that even though Woo-yeon stood up, Do-hyun didn’t move out of the way.
“Seon—”
Woo-yeon flinched, stopped speaking, and his Adam’s apple bobbed. Habits were truly terrifying. Years had passed, but it still hadn’t been completely erased. He had almost called him ‘Teacher,’ just now.
“……Seonbae, please move over a bit.”
After a brief silence, Do-hyun moved aside. Once enough space was secured, Woo-yeon hurriedly stepped over the chair. He looked like a fleeing rabbit.
Since the bar had no smoking room, they had to go outside to smoke. Among the people with cigarettes in their mouths, Woo-yeon blankly held the cigarette he had borrowed from Seon-kyu. Seon-kyu tried to light it for him, but Woo-yeon waved his head.
“Unni, does that Seonbae have a partner?”
“He’s insanely handsome, how old is he?”
“What about the club? Can I join too?”
The topic of conversation had shifted to Do-hyun. Ga-ram answered each question kindly, with an expression that seemed to say, ‘Is this why this bastard didn’t come out?’ Woo-yeon, who felt relieved upon hearing he had no partner, was surprised by his own relief and snapped the cigarette in half.
“Aside from his face, there’s nothing to see with Kim Do-hyun. You returning students who’ve finished military service should absolutely never date him.”
“Eh, he seemed really kind though?”
“I’m kinder.”
Whether he had a partner or not, what did that have to do with him? As he stared vacantly at the broken cigarette, Seon-kyu handed him a new one. This time, instead of holding it in his hand, Woo-yeon put it to his lips.
“Do-hyun Hyung really is cool.”
“……Not really.”
He didn’t want to admit with his own mouth that Do-hyun was popular. His stomach, which had been simmering, was now boiling over.
“I hate it because his smile seems fake.”
Suddenly, Seon-kyu’s face stiffened. His gaze was directed not at Woo-yeon, but behind him. Sensing something ominous, Woo-yeon looked up, and immediately felt a familiar pheromone.
“So you were here.”