By Zephyria 
Тhеre had beеn mоre than еnough oрроrtunitiеs tо tеll the truth. When hе mеt Wоo-yеon again, whеn theу startеd dating, оr evеn just this mоrning.
“Yоu had no intеntion оf telling me, Tеacher.”
If Wоo-yeоn hadn’t аskеd, they would have sрent todaу just likе уеstеrday. Еating tоgеther, falling аslеep in the samе bed, аnd gоing to schооl whilе shаring triviаl cоnvеrsatiоns. Today, tomorrоw, and cоntinuing on aftеr that. Time hаd alrеady flоwеd this far while hе remainеd cоmрletеlу in the dаrk.
“Вut how саn уou aсt likе this now?”
“……I wаs рlаnning tо tell you.”
A voice, barely audible, drifted over. The hand Woo-yeon had shaken off fell limply to his side.
“I intended to tell you everything soon.”
“Exactly when?”
The sense of unfairness passed through sorrow and soon became anger. The emotions swelling up to his chin burst out as sharp sarcasm.
“After you reported that you were dating me, and reported that I was staying at your house?”
The moment he heard Soo-hyang’s words, everything played out in his head. Rather than denial, the suspicion that it might be true came first. The conclusion he had already suspected felt like a fact, even without seeing it with his own eyes.
“You know what you are to me, Teacher.”
However, for Woo-yeon, every moment of his life had been Do-hyun. He was his connection to the outside world, the first warmth he had ever felt, and the first emotion he thought he would never have again. The salvation Do-hyun offered was his only support; what did it matter if the beginning was a lie?
“If you had just said one word, it wouldn’t have been like this.”
He simply felt that it would have been better to know a little sooner. Before Woo-yeon asked, before the entire situation was exposed. If it had been that way, things would be different from now.
“Because I like you, I would have just let it slide.”
Perhaps they could have remained a good teacher and student. He could have become a friend like Daniel, or a passing memory. Even if not, he would have at least folded his feelings of affection.
The countless hypotheticals that surfaced ultimately changed nothing. Do-hyun did not deny it, and Woo-yeon was hurt. A single word of apology sliced through his gut.
“But we can’t do that now.”
Even at this moment, Woo-yeon reacted to Do-hyun. His heart stirred at the dry pheromones, and his chest fluttered at that composed face. It was something he could have overlooked if he just closed his eyes tight, but he had learned far too much to do so.
“It’s too late, Teacher.”
The answer didn’t come immediately. After biting his lip for a moment, he spoke in a low voice.
“I couldn’t tell you because I feared this would happen.”
The suppressed pheromones felt anxious. The quietly sunken atmosphere was more sorrowful than ever. Do-hyun clenched his fists and continued in a low voice.
“It was obvious you’d be hurt, and even though I knew I shouldn’t, I couldn’t bring myself to say it.”
“…….”
“Just one word? Yes, saying one word isn’t hard. But,”
The words cut off abruptly, much like their relationship. His slowly distorting eyes clearly captured Woo-yeon.
“How could I disappoint you with my own mouth?”
The breath-like voice was desperately earnest. Every expression he showed Woo-yeon was gradually stained with regret.
“……Really.”
But none of that was what Woo-yeon wanted. Covering his face with one hand, Woo-yeon lowered his head and muttered.
“You don’t even call it a misunderstanding until the end.”
He felt as if he had been shot for confirmation. Do-hyun’s expression, and his gaze, shattered the last remaining hope. As if asserting that he should not harbor vain expectations.
“……Since when?”
His mind gradually grew cold. The surging emotions also calmed down at a certain point. His mind, which had become terrifyingly rational, calmly accepted the situation.
“Since when…… how far, and how did this happen?”
The words came out haphazardly, but the meaning was clearly conveyed. Do-hyun, who had been looking down, began to speak in his characteristic soft, measured tone.
“I’ve known the Chairman since I was young.”
From the very start, it was a story he didn’t know. He had never dreamed that Do-hyun knew Soo-hyang.
“The Chairman said you didn’t seem to be adjusting to school life, so I offered to help.”
“…….”
“When you went to college, I contacted her because she seemed worried about you.”
At a glance, these were words that seemed to have no problem. The soft and sweet voice was as kind as if he were coaxing Woo-yeon.
“I wasn’t trying to monitor you. I just……”
“In the end, you knew everything.”
Despite that, instead of his anger subsiding, he felt sorrowful. No matter how much he struggled, he was ultimately in the palm of Soo-hyang’s hand. Daniel, and Teacher. All of them were nothing more than manufactured relationships. If he had known these relationships started because of Soo-hyang, he wouldn’t have given his heart so much. Belated regret remained as a lingering attachment.
“I know nothing about you, Teacher.”
The tears that had stopped flowed down his cheeks again. The droplets rolled down, precariously clinging to his chin.
“I don’t know about your family, your friends, or even what the tattoo on your back means—isn’t this unfair?”
Looking back, there were few memories of him telling him anything. Woo-yeon had been endlessly curious about him, but he had told him nothing. The ignorance that accumulated one by one finally devoured even the trust he had for him.
“Did you already know my name was Woo-yeon?”
He couldn’t forget the emotion that the affectionate call had given him. The single word ‘Yeon-ah’ had been the first step that rescued Woo-yeon from the abyss. But even that might have been manufactured.
“Did you know that I hate Alphas?”
Do-hyun didn’t give any answer. The only reaction he showed was his gaze turning away in silence.
“That I was bullied, that I have a bad relationship with my mother, that I hate being alone.”
“…….”
“Did you treat me well because you knew all that?”
Unfilled scratches eventually make a hole in a corner of the heart. The festering wound throbbed and seeped into his inner heart. In the empty space, the sorrow he couldn’t push down burst forth.
“……You should have just not been kind to me.”
If he had known sooner, he wouldn’t have been intoxicated by the kindness he offered. If so, he wouldn’t have realized he was so miserably pathetic.
“What did you agree to receive?”
The voice he threw out randomly was jagged and sharp. The raw accusation was hurled at Do-hyun as if mocking him.
“Money? Or a job placement?”
“……It’s not something like that.”
Do-hyun shut his mouth with a stiff face. His tightly closed lips formed a straight line.
“Don’t talk like that.”
“Then how am I supposed to talk!”
His mood was a mess, fluctuating wildly. He felt hurt, then offended, then tearful, and then anger surged again. The emotions he couldn’t grasp felt like they were stuck in his throat, making him want to vomit.
“Do you realize you’re leaving out all the important parts, Seonbae? How you know my mother, how much you knew about me. What was a lie, and what was real. You don’t tell me a single important thing and you want me to trust you?”
Everything was just a plausible excuse. No matter how well it was packaged, the conclusion didn’t change.
“Did you think I’d be a fool and fall for your words again this time?”
Even if he heard ‘I love you’ a hundred times, the heart collapses over a single unknown fact. When one thing breaks, two more break, and the suspicion that started that way spread uncontrollably.
“How do I know if this is also an act?”
Ridiculously, as soon as he heard those words, Do-hyun’s expression became genuinely hurt. His pitch-black pupils were stained with melancholy, and his gentle mouth moved almost imperceptibly. Showing a rare sign of agitation, he spoke in a sunken voice.
“I have never acted with pretense toward you.”
The gaze directed at Woo-yeon shook anxiously. The pheromones that leaked out little by little were also different from usual. Clenching his fists, Do-hyun whispered like a plea.
“Even if no one else knows, you know.”
“I……”
Woo-yeon let out a thin breath and trailed off. His precariously shaking heart finally found its footing.
“How would I know?”
Despair brushed across the composed face. Woo-yeon was the one whose heart was hurt, but Do-hyun’s eyes became empty. Nevertheless, Woo-yeon did not stop talking.
“You said I wouldn’t know if you didn’t tell me.”
“…….”
“You’re the one who said that, Seonbae.”
Buzz, a vibration rang. The atmosphere flowing with tension changed as if glass had shattered. His gaze slowly dropped and fixed on the screen, and a look of distress appeared on Do-hyun’s face.
“…….”
Sometimes, an instinctive hunch sends a signal. The moments that passed unconsciously flash by like a kaleidoscope, and the subtly changing expression comes clearly into view.
“……What is it?”
Woo-yeon spoke lightly, twisting his lips. A short, burst-out laugh was colder than could be described.
“Is it just a spam call this time too?”
This time, Do-hyun showed genuine panic. With the hand not holding the phone, he abruptly grabbed Woo-yeon’s arm. Meeting his eyes directly, he appealed in an urgent tone.
“No. This is a misunderstanding, Woo-yeon.”
Instead of shaking off his hand, Woo-yeon turned his head slightly. He couldn’t see the caller, but he felt he knew who it was without hearing. Whether it was a misunderstanding or not, that fact was no longer important.
“I’ve decided to move back to my family home.”
In the end, it was according to Soo-hyang’s will. No matter how much he tried to run here and there, the place Woo-yeon had to return to was predetermined.
“They say the company will release an article within this week. I’ll continue attending school, but I can’t do the club. Today will be the last time the two of us are like this.”
The last time. At that one word, Do-hyun’s pheromones thickened. Do-hyun tightened his grip and took a step closer. The sudden surge of pheromones drenched Woo-yeon.
“I can’t break up with you.”
“…….”
Even in this situation, he missed Do-hyun’s embrace. He wanted to inhale his pheromones and be completely intoxicated by the sweet feeling. Like those who covet the fruit of knowledge, he wanted to cling to him even knowing he would regret it.
But Woo-yeon did not let himself be swayed by a momentary impulse.
“……I can’t trust you, Teacher.”
At the words he barely managed to utter, Do-hyun let go of Woo-yeon with a blank face. His fingertips slid away, barely clinging to the collar of the clothes.
“I’ll give the clothes back through Driver Yoon.”
Without looking at him, Woo-yeon turned his back. A small voice announced the end to Do-hyun.
“I’m leaving.”
There was no “take care.” Just as their beginning had been, their parting was also sudden. Do-hyun’s pheromones left a lingering attachment, but Woo-yeon walked away without looking back. This time, Do-hyun only watched Woo-yeon drift away endlessly.