By Zephyria 
Тhеse were thе оnly words thаt camе оut оf his mоuth. Rаthеr than feеling bеwildеred or аbsurd, anger cаme first. Тo think thаt he wаs now еvеn sаying he wаs sorrу. He was hеaring all sorts оf nonsense this lаte in thе gаme.
“Are you dоing this becausе оf thе grоuр projеct grаdе?”
Woo-уеon spat out thе most likеlу guess, but Jun-seоng instеаd frоwnеd. With a flushеd fаcе and clenched teеth, he shoutеd back in а classic сasе of the роt calling thе kettle blаck.
“Whо аre уоu kidding? Thаt wаs due lаst wееk, so it’s alrеаdy оvеr!”
Wоо-yeon turned his body away without saying another word. He had no intention of talking in the first place, and if Jun-seong was going to act like this, it was a waste of time to drag it out. He had felt as if he were walking on clouds until a moment ago, but the second he saw Jun-seong, he plummeted to the ground.
“Hey, I’m not finished talking yet!”
Jun-seong blocked Woo-yeon’s path once again. Perhaps because he had been brushed off several times, he didn’t attempt to grab his arm or bag. Woo-yeon hadn’t intended to hold back if he were grabbed one more time, but in a sense, it was a letdown.
“I have nothing to say. Move.”
Woo-yeon furrowed his brow deeply with an irritated expression. He wanted to get to the club room as quickly as possible, but this guy, whom he thought he was done with, had appeared and was wasting his time.
Jun-seong scratched the back of his head vigorously and looked away.
“I… sigh, I’m sorry for bullying you.”
“….”
“Honestly, I was immature back then. I was jealous because your family is well-off. But I felt like you kept ignoring me…”
“So what do you want me to do about it?”
It was a story that didn’t warrant any further listening. He didn’t want to know about this sudden change of heart, nor did he have the time to listen to his excuses. Woo-yeon cut Jun-seong off and pointed out the part that made the least sense.
“Do you think you would have apologized to me if I hadn’t removed your name from the group project?”
“….”
Jun-seong immediately shut his mouth. If Woo-yeon had been an easy target, he likely wouldn’t be acting so humble. Far from apologizing, he would have probably demanded something and bullied Woo-yeon just like before.
“No, if we hadn’t run into each other again, would you have even remembered me?”
Woo-yeon didn’t believe he was sincerely reflecting on his actions. If they hadn’t reunited, he would have been nothing more than a pathetic guy buried in his memories. At best, a childish memory from puberty.
“You’re apologizing now because you think you can’t get anything out of me. Just so you can feel better about yourself.”
“Hey, the way you talk to someone who’s apologizing is…”
“Who told you to apologize?”
The more he spoke, the more a knot formed in his chest. Instead of feeling refreshed, he felt suffocated; instead of his mood improving, he grew angrier. Even seeing Kang Jun-seong’s face flush with shame wasn’t as satisfying as he thought it would be.
“Whatever you do is up to you, but I have no obligation to accept it, do I?”
This was something he had learned from Do-hyun after hearing Ga-ram’s apology. It was a very obvious truth, but it was exactly the kind of thing guys like this tended to forget.
“…I was too young, so I made a mistake. I’m truly reflecting on it.”
“A mistake?”
Woo-yeon asked back, snorting with an incredulous face. A mistake. That was the excuse the Alphas who tried to lay hands on him always gave.
“Who makes a mistake for three years?”
A mistake was a wrong committed unintentionally or by chance. Not bullying someone for three straight years like Jun-seong, but things like dropping a phone or getting a test question wrong.
Furthermore, people who were actually capable of reflecting rarely did such things in the first place. While turning over a new leaf wasn’t impossible, Woo-yeon didn’t think that applied to Jun-seong.
“I think I’ve already said this… You don’t have to apologize, so let’s just act like strangers. I feel nauseous just looking at you.”
In fact, Woo-yeon’s face was pale as if he were about to vomit. The pheromones wafting from him were clearly expressing his displeasure. Jun-seong instinctively flinched, but as Woo-yeon started walking, he followed him again.
“Hey, what can I do to make you forgive me? Should I kneel? Or, I don’t know, should I give you money?”
Neither suggestion was welcome. He didn’t even want to see him kneel (and Jun-seong didn’t seem like he actually intended to), and as for money, he had more than enough. He wanted nothing, so he just hoped the guy would stop clinging to him.
“I’m not asking for anything excessive right now. I’m just saying let’s act like everyone else…”
“Hey.”
With a hardened face, Woo-yeon called Jun-seong in a low voice. Although Woo-yeon was shorter, it was Jun-seong who was overwhelmed by his presence. Conscious of the surrounding gazes, Woo-yeon suppressed his pheromones.
“That’s exactly what I’m talking about.”
Having one mother in his life who was impossible to reason with was enough for Woo-yeon. No, no matter how unreasonable his mother was, it was better than talking to Jun-seong. That was simply because their fundamental ideologies were entirely different.
“The only class we share is that one, and there are no more group projects, so let’s just act like we don’t know each other.”
“….”
“Just ‘like everyone else,’ as you said. Is that so hard?”
Jun-seong clenched his fists, his face wounded in pride. To be clear, it was absolutely not the expression of someone reflecting. From the look of it, he didn’t even seem to feel sorry, so Woo-yeon had no idea why he was acting this way.
Jun-seong lowered his head deeply, adjusted his hat, and let out a sigh.
“Just greetings. Let’s just exchange greetings.”
His tone suggested he was being very generous. He felt as though he were stepping back, as if he would be satisfied with this much. Woo-yeon replied with an expressionless face.
“No.”
* * *
For some reason, the club room was full of members who weren’t usually seen. Surprised by the crowd as soon as he entered, Woo-yeon’s lips quirked up when his eyes met Do-hyun’s. His mood had been foul, but in an instant, it was washed clean.
“It’s been a while, Woo-yeon!”
“Hey, you got even more handsome.”
“Is Jinsang not picking fights with you lately?”
Woo-yeon entered while giving appropriate answers to the pouring questions. He didn’t dislike the bustle, but receiving attention all at once was somewhat burdensome. In this situation, he only found Ga-ram, who had taken over an entire cot, to be truly impressive.
“Did anything happen today?”
Do-hyun asked Woo-yeon with his usual kind smile. One of the Seonbaes giggled, saying, “Oppa, you’re not his dad.”
Next to Do-hyun and next to Seon-kyu. Between the two empty seats, Woo-yeon habitually sat next to Seon-kyu.
“I just attended lectures.”
Two gazes fixed on Woo-yeon’s face. One was Seon-kyu, and the other was Do-hyun. Do-hyun, who had been staring blankly at Woo-yeon, nodded after a slight pause.
“Good work.”
Woo-yeon noticed a subtle gap between his words and Do-hyun’s response. There was definitely a slight hesitation, but he couldn’t tell what it was. Moreover, he didn’t know why Seon-kyu was fidgeting restlessly.
“Are you uncomfortable?”
“…No.”
Seon-kyu shook his head and rolled his eyes. His lost gaze landed on the edge of the table where plenty of papers were laid out.
Woo-yeon quickly lost interest in Seon-kyu and secretly observed Do-hyun.
“Since almost everyone is here, I’ll explain the budget and things like that.”
Fitting his position as the club president, he led the meeting proactively. The support funds from the school and the approximate budget. How to decorate the booth and how much the price range should be set. His voice, speaking without hesitation, was soft and sweet.
‘I should have sat next to him.’
If he had sat next to Do-hyun, he could have heard him from a bit closer. He would have enjoyed not only the voice but also those tender pheromones. He was starting to feel envious of the other club member sitting next to him.
“For the making part, let’s have everyone try it once and let the person who’s best at it do it. Those with free hands can handle promotion and attracting customers.”
“But will cotton candy sell? I don’t think people will buy it much.”
A freshman spoke in a worried voice. Their opinion was that while people might buy other things because they’re hungry, they wouldn’t eat cotton candy because it’s cumbersome.
Just then, Ga-ram, who had been lying down, bolted upright.
“Hey, if Kim Do-hyun makes it, it’ll definitely sell. You know how popular he is.”
Ga-ram pointed at Do-hyun with a face as if she’d chewed on something bitter. It seemed she was quite reluctant to have to praise Do-hyun with her own mouth.
“None of that matters, looks are everything. That’s why four years ago, even though the pub location was trash, one Seonbae sold everything out.”
Woo-yeon naturally thought of the ‘Management God.’ It came to mind whenever he almost forgot, and he thought the nickname was truly brilliantly coined. At this point, one might be curious about what he looked like, but Woo-yeon still only thought the nickname was funny.
“That’s right, I heard it was amazing back then.”
“Then we’ll be fine as long as we have Oppa.”
The club members, quickly convinced, added their excitement one by one. For some reason, Seon-kyu was glancing at Woo-yeon, but Woo-yeon was inwardly looking forward to ‘cotton candy made by Teacher.’ While secretly stealing glances at Do-hyun’s face, someone snapped their fingers.
“We can send Woo-yeon for booth promotion.”
“….”
At the sudden mention of his name, Woo-yeon’s face naturally crumpled. Since he was also a club member, he would help with the work, but the idea of being put in charge of ‘promotion’ was baffling. He saw them making things like placards earlier. Did that mean he had to carry one around?
“Oh, true. We have two talents in our club.”
“I think it would be great if he carried around a big cotton candy.”
“Omg, that would be cute.”
“…Me?”
Woo-yeon asked back cautiously with a reluctant face. It would be fine if he just had to carry it, but the possibility of that was very slim. How would simply carrying cotton candy serve as promotion? Listening to the conversation, it was clear that, in short, they wanted him to solicit customers.
“If Woo-yeon promotes and Do-hyun Hyung sells, it’ll be a total hit.”
“I can already see the piles of money.”
“With cotton candy that costs only a few thousand won?”
Woo-yeon lacked confidence, but the plan proceeded smoothly. As if they had already finished imagining it in their heads, they were even thinking about making T-shirts and headbands.
Let’s do cat ears, let’s do rabbits, forget that, let’s do slogans. Amidst all sorts of opinions popping up, Do-hyun spoke in a low voice.
“No.”
Instantly, the club members fell silent. It wasn’t a loud voice, but it was enough to draw their attention. Do-hyun spoke in a soft voice while spinning a mechanical pencil in his hand.
“I’m not making Woo-yeon do promotion.”