Choi Iwon had never gone long without being in a relationship.
He was a dominant Alpha blessed with both exceptional looks and an outstanding family background, not to mention an easygoing personality. People naturally gravitated toward him without him having to do anything. On top of that, Iwon always said he planned to marry a dominant Omega of equal standing as soon as he graduated from university. Seonwoo had already seen more of Iwon's lovers than he could count on both hands.
There was no reason to be surprised every time a new one came along.
Even if he'd spent nearly ten years secretly in love with Iwon, watching it all unfold from right beside him.
Of course, every once in a while, an inexplicable anxiety would creep up on him without warning and keep him awake all night.
Whenever that happened, he'd comfort himself by clinging to one of Iwon's favorite sayings.
It's still okay.
Someone who matched the Myeonghyeon Group in status while also being a dominant Omega wasn't easy to find.
After all, out of everyone Iwon had dated so far, there hadn't been a single person who met both conditions.
But then...
The tangled, shabby feelings he'd buried deep inside gradually swelled larger and larger, until a dull ache settled in his chest, accompanied by the faint urge to throw up.
Frowning, Seonwoo tossed back the shot in front of him in one gulp and stood.
"Noona, I'm going out for a smoke. I'll be right back, so pour me another."
"You've already had a lot to drink. You sure you're okay?"
"Of course."
He waved her off with a grin, but the truth was that the world was spinning.
He couldn't even remember how long he'd been at the bar or how much he'd drunk. Judging by the gaps in his memory, he'd poured away a frightening amount.
He scrubbed a hand roughly over his face.
It did nothing to sober him up.
He wandered into the alley beside the bar and hurriedly slipped a cigarette between his lips. With the filter hanging from the corner of his mouth, he searched his pockets.
Empty.
He'd apparently left his lighter inside.
"Ah, shit... What a pain."
Should he go back in and borrow one?
It wasn't far, but his drunk body felt impossibly heavy as he sat on the guardrail.
He remained there absentmindedly with the unlit cigarette between his lips when something bumped into his back.
Turning around, he heard a quiet voice through the slightly opened emergency exit door.
"The door..."
"Oh. Sorry."
Realizing he had been blocking the exit, Seonwoo quickly stood and stepped aside.
The man who came out walked past him without a word.
He stopped a short distance away and answered a phone call. Unlike the person on the other end—who talked nonstop loudly enough for Seonwoo to hear—the man himself barely responded at all.
Seonwoo found himself staring at the back of the figure, half-hidden in the shadows.
He was just about to tuck the cigarette away and head back inside when the man's presence drew near again. Apparently the call had ended.
Glancing at the shoes entering his field of vision, Seonwoo casually asked while holding his cigarette pack,
"Do you happen to have a lighter?"
The man, who had been about to reenter through the emergency exit, paused.
"...I do."
"Mind if I borrow it?"
Without replying, the man reached into his pocket.
The edge of a student ID stuck out carelessly, catching Seonwoo's eye.
His eyebrows lifted.
"Korea University?"
"Yes."
"So am I. What department are you in?"
As he spoke, Seonwoo finally lifted his head to properly look at the man's face.
The cigarette slipped from his parted lips before he even realized it.
The man instinctively reached out and caught it.
Completely oblivious to the fallen cigarette, Seonwoo murmured blankly,
"...Wow. You're beautiful."
"...What?"
Soft, light-colored hair.
Long, delicate eyelashes.
Full, perfectly shaped lips.
Wide eyes opening slightly in surprise.
Everything about him was exactly Seonwoo's type.
No...
It would probably be harder to find someone who wouldn't think he was beautiful.
Even the slightly flustered voice asking him to repeat himself sounded pleasant.
Standing outside a bar he'd come to with very specific intentions, thoroughly drunk on top of it all, Seonwoo had absolutely no reason to hesitate.
"How old are you?"
"..."
"Want me to guess? Twenty-four? Twenty-three? You're not older than that, are you?"
"...Twenty-one."
"You're younger than I expected. I'm twenty-four. Mind if I speak casually?"
The man nodded.
Unable to take his eyes off that face, Seonwoo muttered,
"Our school's huge, but there's no way I would've missed a face like yours."
It was something he often said out of politeness.
This time, though, he meant every word.
How have I never seen him before?
Someone with a face like this should've been famous all over campus.
It wasn't even about sexual attraction anymore.
Pure curiosity had taken over.
"So what department are you in? I'm in Business."
"..."
"Guess you don't want to tell me."
Then, glancing toward the door the man had come out of, Seonwoo asked,
"Did you come here for a drink?"
Instead of answering, the man—who had stayed silent until now—said something completely unexpected.
"Why are you using formal speech again...?"
"Hm? Formal speech? Oh... I figured you didn't want to answer."
The man looked down at the cigarette he was still holding and slowly shook his head.
Seeing him remain stubbornly silent yet again, Seonwoo figured he was just incredibly shy.
"That's a relief, then."
He smiled.
"Want to come inside with me? I'll buy you a drink."
"I have something I need to take care of."
Exactly the answer he'd expected.
Grinning helplessly, Seonwoo said,
"Honestly, I figured you'd turn me down, but I'm still disappointed."
"...If you can wait an hour, I'll be back."
"Does that count as a yes? Then should I wait?"
"One hour."
The man repeated it once more, as if making sure Seonwoo understood, before hurrying away.
Watching the emergency exit slam shut in front of him, Seonwoo unconsciously licked his dry lips.
That was such a beautiful face...
Yet, little by little, it began fading from his drunken mind.
Rubbing his blurry eyes, he suddenly muttered,
"Ah... I never even asked his name."
He'd spent so much effort pretending to be perfectly composed in front of someone that beautiful that the exhaustion hit him all at once afterward.
He reached for another cigarette, only to remember he'd never actually borrowed the lighter.
With a sigh, he shoved it back into his pocket.
Still feeling disappointed, Seonwoo returned to his seat.
The bartender immediately walked over with wide eyes.
"Oh? You're back? I heard you were outside talking to a gorgeous guy, so I figured you weren't coming back."
They'd only exchanged a few words in the corner of an alley, yet somehow rumors had already spread.
Seonwoo let out a helpless laugh and shook his head.
"I got rejected. He ran off like he had a curfew."
"Seriously? What happened? Did he have a boyfriend? Or was he an Alpha too?"
The bartender looked genuinely intrigued.
After all, it wasn't every day Nam Seonwoo got turned down.
Seonwoo frowned, searching his memory.
"Alpha...?"
What secondary gender had he been?
He instinctively sniffed the air, but the man's scent had long since disappeared.
"I honestly don't remember. I didn't really notice any pheromones... Maybe he was a Beta."
"Hahaha. You were way too drunk, Seonwoo."
He drained the liquor that had long since gone warm.
For some reason, it tasted even more bitter than before.
As he slid the empty glass forward, the bartender returned from somewhere and leaned in with a quiet smile.
"If you're going to keep drinking, how about not looking so pathetic all by yourself? Drink with someone."
"I told you—I got rejected."
"Not him."
The bartender discreetly slid over a napkin with a phone number written on it.
A rich, alluring pheromone clung to the paper.
Following the bartender's gaze, Seonwoo turned and saw a man giving him a subtle look.
He was attractive.
Exactly Seonwoo's type.
The vibe wasn't bad either.
But...
For some reason, he wasn't interested.
He shook his head.
"No. I'm tired today."
"I'll drink alone."
"You said there was something new in stock, right?"
"Open it."
"You should have some too, noona."
"I won't complain, but what's gotten into Nam Seonwoo? It's been so long since you've been out—I thought you'd definitely leave with somebody."
"It's nothing."
He emptied his glass in one shot and murmured,
"I guess... I just feel like getting drunk today."
In the end, every corner of his mind was still occupied by Choi Iwon.
* * *
A groan escaped him as he woke up in bed.
Sunlight stretched all the way across the mattress.
Judging by that alone, it had to be well past morning.
"...What time is it?"
His voice came out horribly hoarse.
Without even opening his eyes, he fumbled beside him for his phone.
Dead.
He buried his face in the blanket and struggled to remember the night before.
He remembered finishing a bottle with Sejin noona.
He remembered opening another one.
Everything after that was a blank.
He couldn't even remember how he'd gotten home.
At least he was alone in his spacious bed, which probably meant he'd made it back without causing too much trouble.
...Probably.
After lying there for quite a while, he finally dragged himself out of bed.
He tossed the clothes scattered everywhere into the laundry basket, washed his face, drank some water, and by then his phone had finally powered on.
Out of habit, he checked his messenger and call history to see if he'd done anything stupid while drunk.
One unfamiliar number caught his eye.
Was that Omega from yesterday?
Raising an eyebrow, Seonwoo tried to remember.
Then his eyes landed on another entry just above it.
A call with Choi Iwon.
Made at dawn.
Just over two minutes long.
His heart dropped.
Shit.
Don't tell me Iwon brought me home.
...I didn't say anything stupid, did I?
He immediately called Iwon.
Absentmindedly picking at the bedsheet with nervous fingers, he prayed nothing had happened.
The ringing seemed endless before the call finally connected.
"Hello? Choi Iwon?"
"...Haa..."
The exhausted sigh that answered him sent a chill through his body.
Then came Iwon's worried scolding.
"Just how much did you drink? You got home all right, didn't you?"
"Yeah. I'm home."
"...I didn't say anything weird yesterday, did I?"
"What are you talking about? You called me and didn't say a single word. You had me worried sick. I was going to come check on you, but I was with Heejun..."
Relief washed over Seonwoo.
Right behind it came bitterness.
So once again... I couldn't say anything.
Pathetic.
Would anything have changed if he had?
Even after borrowing courage from alcohol, he hadn't been able to utter a single word.
What exactly had he been expecting?
Letting out a silent sigh, Seonwoo brushed off Iwon's questions about where he'd been drinking and how much he'd had before ending the call.
"I seriously need to quit drinking."
The statement contained less than a gram of sincerity.
Closing his eyes again, the unfamiliar number in his call history had already vanished completely from his mind.