By Zephyria 
And the next day.
Su-han barely managed to catch the fleeing Jeong-min and pressed a slip of paper into his hand. A phone number was written on it.
Jeong-min frowned upon seeing it, but he didn’t ask what it was.
“I changed my number.”
Only then did Jeong-min look at Su-han.
“I changed my phone, too.”
Jeong-min didn’t ask why, but Su-han waited for the right timing to explain.
“I’ve cleared out all the Omegas I knew until now, and the only people in my phone now are my parents, you, Su-eun, and a few classmates. Of course, there are no Omegas among them.”
Jeong-min was speechless.
“And so?”
“It means this is just the beginning. Since it seems you can’t believe my feelings are sincere, I’ll show you one by one.”
“Sunbae.”
“I told you to call me Hyung.”
“I’m quitting the hospital.”
This time, Su-han was the one left stunned.
“You… what does that mean?”
“It doesn’t matter whether Sunbae is sincere or not. I don’t date Alphas.”
“Why?”
“…Are you asking because you don’t know? In the end, an Alpha will always choose an Omega. The pheromones of an Omega who is sweet, lovely, and provides a sense of stability! I don’t have those pheromones. Look. Can’t you feel what my pheromones are like right now?”
There was no way he couldn’t feel it. Jeong-min had been emitting strong Alpha pheromones for a while. Su-han was reminded once again that Jeong-min was an Alpha. It was the first time he had revealed his pheromones to this extent.
Strong pheromones, the kind that would embrace an Omega.
“In the end, if someone exactly like me was an Omega in front of you, you would choose that person. Why should I take that gamble?”
As soon as Su-han heard those words, he grabbed Jeong-min by the collar. Both were on a knife-edge.
“Do you think I haven’t experienced that situation? You’re a twin. Your sibling has the same face as you and is an Omega. But have I ever said I liked your sibling?”
Actually, Su-han was right. He had never once cast a glance at Young-min. Rather, he had only worn an expression of annoyance and irritation.
“That’s because! You’ve never properly looked at him! That’s why you can say such things.”
Jeong-min closed his eyes in distress. Since he was pushing him away like that, he should naturally give up, but Su-han only became more stubborn. The reason was simple. He had realized at some point that Jeong-min wasn’t pushing him away because he truly hated him, but because he was afraid.
“Who is Yu Shin-woo?”
Su-han brought up the name he had been so curious about. In that instant, Jeong-min’s trembling stopped, and he looked at Su-han with a pale face.
“How… how do you know that name, Sunbae?”
“You don’t know, do you? That you call that name whenever you drink.”
Jeong-min covered his mouth and staggered, leaning his body against the wall. When Su-han reached out to support the collapsing Jeong-min, Jeong-min violently struck the hand away as if it were something filthy.
“No way. That can’t be.”
“I’ve known that name for several months already. You search for that name every time you drink. How could I not know?”
Oh my god. Jeong-min squeezed his eyes shut.
“He’s an Alpha, right?”
“He has nothing to do with you, Sunbae.”
“Right. He has nothing to do with me. But if that’s the reason you won’t accept my feelings, the story changes.”
“Sunbae. Please stop.”
“Yu Shin-woo is an Alpha, and you’re an Alpha. You loved him… and he couldn’t accept it, so he left. That’s my deduction so far.”
Jeong-min said nothing and leaned against the wall, avoiding eye contact. His heart was beating as if it would burst. He couldn’t believe he had done something so foolish. He thought he had forgotten him completely, but he had been calling his name while drunk? Jeong-min felt disgusted by how stupid he was.
“Jeong-min.”
“You’re right. Your deduction is correct. But I didn’t like him because he was an Alpha. I just… I just liked him. But it didn’t work out. But things like this are common, aren’t they? Love. Dating is the same. Breaking up and meeting again…. Shin-woo hyung doesn’t have that much meaning to me anymore.”
The eyes that spoke those words looked sad and exhausted. Su-han sighed as he looked at Jeong-min. That couldn’t be. You must have loved him dearly. Enough to help Su-eun with everything he had…
Putting it all together, the situation finally made sense. He had always wondered how Jeong-min could have been so willing to help Su-eun. It was because he had projected himself onto him. Since he couldn’t be that way himself, he had helped Su-eun with all his heart so that Su-eun, at least, could be happy.
So, it was understandable why he was anxious. Why he didn’t believe in his own love. Ji Su-han grew to hate the Alpha named Yu Shin-woo, whom he had never even met. He should have been the one to meet him first. If he had, he would have loved him without leaving such scars.
“I feel the same way. I don’t love you because you’re an Alpha. I… I love the person called Shin Jeong-min.”
Su-han’s trembling voice tapped gently against Jeong-min’s heart. Even as he told himself it was impossible, a flicker of hope began to sprout.
No. These emotions… these were feelings he wasn’t allowed to have. And he never wanted to walk such a painful path again. Jeong-min wanted to escape the situation. He wanted to run away to a place where Ji Su-han wasn’t. Quickly, before he opened the door that had been shut tight.
“Jeong-min!”
As Jeong-min tried to push Ji Su-han aside and leave the room, Su-han quickly grabbed him.
“Sunbae! Let go!”
“Look at me!! Not Yu Shin-woo, look at me! Can’t you give me a chance? I’ll treat you really well.”
“I told you I’m not an Omega?! I can’t have children! I can’t even imprint! Isn’t that why you slept with an Omega, Sunbae?”
“That was my mistake. I should have admitted it sooner. But I’m not like that anymore. I’ll never do it again.”
“Sunbae… Sleeping with an Omega isn’t wrong. You’re an Alpha, so that’s possible. But this is a different issue… Look at Su-eun. He can’t even tell the person he loves that he loves them. Even though they are so tightly bound together! And then there’s you and me? I don’t even need to see it to know. It’s a hard road. So wake up!”
“Shin Jeong-min!! You’re the one who needs to wake up and listen to me!”
As Jeong-min pushed him away once more, Ji Su-han became stubborn.
“Listen carefully. I know you’re an Alpha! That’s why I agonized over it. I suffered more than you could possibly imagine. It’s obvious! You’re an Alpha, and I’m an Alpha! Dammit…! But what can I do? The more I think about it, the more your upright nature is lovely… and I feel jealousy and rage toward the Alpha who took your heart… Yes, your pheromones? I don’t know what answer you’re looking for, but to me, your pheromones are sweeter than those of a Dominant Omega in heat.”
Su-han grabbed Jeong-min by the collar and pulled him closer. As their bodies pressed completely together, Jeong-min’s pupils trembled as he felt Su-han’s erection.
Just as Jeong-min tried to hurriedly push him away, Su-han pulled him in and kissed him. Lips that had desperately tried not to open were eventually forced open by Su-han’s strength, and Jeong-min ended up collapsing to the floor, tripped up by their entangled legs.
Su-han followed him down and kissed him deeply. Only after Jeong-min’s pheromones were completely enveloped by Su-han’s did the grip on his collar loosen, and Su-han embraced him softly.
The two continued to kiss for a long time, exchanging heat. The sharp pheromones softened slightly, but they still repelled one another. However, that was only the pheromones. Su-han gently stroked Jeong-min’s cheek.
“Anyone can see you’re an Alpha. Your height is similar to mine, you’ve built muscle from exercising… above all, you’re strong. I’ve seen you help Omegas who were struggling at the hospital many times. You were very reliable. And I like that about you, Jeong-min.”
“Sunbae…”
“I told you to call me Hyung.”
Jeong-min cautiously gripped the hem of Su-han’s clothes.
“I still don’t know… I know it’s foolish, but because I have experience… I can’t help being scared.”
“I know. But I’ll work hard so that you won’t be scared. So please, try to love me too.”
He couldn’t bring himself to readily answer that he would. Perhaps Ji Su-han hadn’t asked because he wanted an immediate answer. Jeong-min closed his eyes tight, feeling the pheromones that refused to mix. While he thought such a happy ending could never exist, his heart, which had already begun to move, was preparing to race toward something.
Shin-woo had wanted to be an Omega because he wouldn’t accept him as an Alpha. But Su-han was saying he loved him even if he was an Alpha. If so, wouldn’t that be closer to a brighter light? If he didn’t have to suppress his Alpha side and could accept this situation and be together… he wanted to believe that was a happy ending.
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