“Oh, Tae-hyun? What are you doing here.”
I had finally found a cozy spot where the light didn’t hit too well and was trying to squeeze myself in, but someone had miraculously found me and was determined to talk to me.
It was the second son of Dongmyung Group, who had joined 〈Haechi〉 last month.
“…Hello.”
“Oh, you surprised me. You’re such a… You don’t look like it.”
The corners of Joo Tae-hyun’s lips, which had loosened a little while looking at Seo Baek-han, tightened again.
I was deliberately hiding in a corner because I didn’t want to mingle with people, but who is this guy to bother someone like that and then act all awkward?
Joo Tae-hyun clamped his mouth shut like a clam. Just because someone older than him was urging him to talk didn’t mean he wanted to do as they pleased. It depended on the person; if you readily responded to rude people, they would start to look down on you. That was the first lesson Joo Tae-hyun learned on his middle school entrance day.
“Well, have a good Christmas. Happy New Year.”
“Yes.”
At Joo Tae-hyun’s rather cold reply, the person who had spoken to him left, looking a little embarrassed.
I missed Seo Baek-han’s whereabouts while exchanging unnecessary greetings. I went a little further into the center of the gathering and looked around, but his whereabouts were still unknown.
The places where he might be confessing were obvious. The terrace at the left end, under the tree at the right end, or behind the bulletin board in the center…
As Joo Tae-hyun counted the spots he remembered, he felt a little guilty and reached for any plate that caught his eye. It’s not like I deliberately eavesdropped; it’s just that the rumors were so widespread that I couldn’t help but memorize them.
“Isn’t it amazing? They know they’re going to get rejected, but they still confess? There are so many people who are crazy about Seo Baek-han, it’s so consistent, so consistent.”
“But it’s also amazing that none of the kids who get rejected badmouth Seo Baek-han.”
“That’s obvious. Why would they advertise that they got rejected? Why would they openly badmouth Seo Baek-han in an embarrassing way? They’d just gossip behind his back.”
Guys who had never been called to such places since joining 〈Haechi〉 were grumbling about Seo Baek-han for no reason. It was clear jealousy.
They were jealous, but they didn’t have the confidence to surpass him, so they couldn’t bring themselves to curse him and just grumbled timidly behind his back.
“Come to think of it, Seo Baek-han. He used to change girlfriends every other day, but he’s been quiet lately?”
“He’s probably had his fun and is now preparing for marriage.”
“Or he might have changed his partner. Seo Baek-han is an Alpha, after all.”
“Oh, what… With a male Omega?”
“Wow, Seo Baek-han with a guy… I really can’t imagine it. His face just screams that only women will be attracted to him.”
“Bullshit. You never know. He might have already slept with one; I heard male Omegas are a delicacy.”
“Damn, lucky him. Seo Baek-han can probably pick and choose, right?”
“Pick and choose? When he’s in Rut? I heard he goes completely crazy like he’s on drugs. That’s why a lot of kids deliberately take Suppressants loosely, right?”
“Oh, so that’s why there’s so much talk about Suppressants these days? I mean, heat cycle is something you can’t control with willpower in the first place, so it’s a bit strange to tell individuals to take medicine and deal with it on their own. Shouldn’t it be more mandatory…?”
“Hey. And I heard that Switch (likely referring to a drug or substance)? That drug that’s been in the news a lot lately.”
Just then, a carol started playing, and I couldn’t hear what they said next. I thought I heard my name mentioned, but I didn’t want to ask.
It’s not like I’m the type to start trouble, and I had no intention of causing an accident in a place where Seo Baek-han was present.
Joo Tae-hyun looked at the sparkling tree decorations and decided to see this as an opportunity to practice. An opportunity to practice sculpting his expression delicately so that he could appear calm in front of others, no matter what happened.
“…”
How would Seo Baek-han handle this situation? Joo Tae-hyun pressed his forehead against the hollow just below his palm and swallowed a sigh.
…Should I not go to study abroad?
Should I just go to Pyongyang University?
I don’t know Seo Baek-han’s future plans, but I know that he wants to come to Jejungwon someday. But I don’t know when he’ll finish his doctorate, and there’s no guarantee that he’ll come back to Korea right away after getting his doctorate. Considering his career, it would be ideal for him to work at a foreign research institute or international organization for a few years.
So, if I want to make contact with him even a little, it would be better to go to a school in the West. If I go to the East, I might be able to meet him at a Korean gathering or something. Since I’m on the same American soil, at least the time difference will be less than in Korea.
But I hated the reality that even ‘that Seo Baek-han’ was being talked about like that behind his back just because he was an Alpha. I know that the only thing a bunch of stupid guys can do is gossip about that kind of topic. Even if Seo Baek-han wasn’t a Trait/Phenotype, they would have made fun of him with jealousy, mentioning his womanizing ways.
But right now, I couldn’t stand the fact that someone I liked so much was being treated unfairly because he was an Alpha.
The fact that I’m also an Alpha didn’t matter. Joo Tae-hyun thought that if he could be of help to Seo Baek-han, whether he was an Omega or a Beta, if there was even a sliver of a chance to give him strength in the future, he might have willingly gone to Pyongyang University just for that.
No, I’m sure of it.
Going to a school that is somewhat friendly to Trait/Phenotypes wouldn’t change anything. Joo Tae-hyun was still skeptical of the school community and hated people.
But the seventeen-year-old had the recklessness to endure anything and do everything with just one love.
This was a fighting spirit for his first love, who had seriously shared his beliefs with a child one summer night, saying that everyone should be equal in front of Trait/Phenotypes.
Joo Tae-hyun, looking up at the huge tree decorated with traditional ornaments such as Doturakdaenggi and small miscellaneous models, nodded his head without realizing it. As if reflecting his firm determination, the recoil of his nodding became more and more intense.
It was the first time he had made a decision alone without consulting his family, and it was also the first time he had decided to tell someone else first.
Looking at the clock, he wasn’t very relaxed. Minors were usually asked to leave around 9 p.m., so he had to meet Seo Baek-han before then.
First of all, he was going to go to all the places where Seo Baek-han was likely to be.
He might not be very interested in my future plans. No, he probably won’t be. He might laugh and say that there’s no need to be so dramatic about going to Pyongyang University.
But since I don’t want Seo Baek-han to understand the meaning anyway… I’m just changing the initial plan of getting career counseling lightly to asking about the atmosphere of the school since Hyung graduated from Pyongyang University.
Oh, it’s my first time living away from home, so it would be good to ask where is a good area to live alone in Pyongyang.
Come to think of it, where is Seo Baek-han’s main house? I know that Seo Honggyu (Assemblyman)’s district is Moran-gu, and I know that he lives near there, but… I don’t know exactly what neighborhood it is. Would he tell me if I asked him casually at this opportunity? Would it seem like I’m asking too many personal questions? But now I’m also going to be a junior at Pyongyang University, and I’m going to be a citizen of Pyongyang, not a citizen of Seoul-.
“…Baek-han, what do you think?”
Lost in such imaginations, Joo Tae-hyun’s steps, which had been heading towards the terrace, stopped abruptly.