"Heejun, wake up. It's time to go home."
"Hyung...? Huh...?"
As Seonwoo gently patted his back and gave him a light shake, Heejun gradually came to his senses. His eyes finally focused on Seonwoo.
It was painfully obvious he was startled that it wasn't Iwon.
Seonwoo kindly explained,
"Iwon asked me to see you home."
"Ah... Iwon hyung..."
"The driver called, so I answered. That's okay, right?"
"Yeah. I was supposed to call him... but I forgot..."
Now looking much more awake, Heejun smiled awkwardly.
"Hyung, thank you. Um... I didn't do anything embarrassing, did I?"
"You just fell asleep quietly. Nothing happened, so don't worry. Go home and get some rest."
The driver stopped the car and opened the door.
Supporting the still-unsteady Heejun, Seonwoo suddenly stiffened.
Perhaps because the tension had finally eased, a faint trace of Heejun's pheromones escaped.
"Hyung?"
"...Heejun, what time did you get to the welcome party today?"
"Me? I was a little late. My class ended late... I think I got there around eight. I missed the beginning."
"Oh. I see."
"Why?"
"It's nothing. Get home safely. Sleep well."
"Okay... Thank you!"
Seonwoo remained where he was, blankly watching the car disappear into the distance.
The pheromones he'd sensed in the club room that afternoon had definitely belonged to Iwon.
He knew them far too well to mistake them.
But the other scent...
It was completely different from Heejun's, the one he'd just smelled moments ago.
If it wasn't Jin Heejun... then who was it?
Did I somehow see it wrong?
Despite all of Iwon's relationships over the years, Seonwoo had never once known him to cheat.
At least, not as far as he knew.
Unable to sort through the confusion in his mind, Seonwoo was still standing there when Hyeonchae walked over carrying a convenience store bag.
Seeing him quietly waiting beside him, Seonwoo sighed.
"...You're not drunk at all, are you?"
Hyeonchae looked as though he genuinely considered the question before cautiously asking one of his own.
"If I were drunk... would you take me home too?"
"No."
"...Then I'm perfectly sober."
The shameless answer, delivered with such obedient sincerity, finally made Seonwoo burst into laughter.
After laughing for quite a while, he reached over and took the tightly gripped shopping bag from Hyeonchae's hand.
"Good. Then keep me company."
Back at Half Lounge, Seonwoo claimed an empty table before walking over to Hyeongjun.
Handing him the bag filled with chocolate milk and hangover remedies, he gestured toward the table where Hyeonchae was sitting.
"I'll pay for that table separately."
When he returned carrying four bottles of soju in each hand, Hyeonchae looked at him anxiously.
"You're not counting this as the drink you promised to buy me... are you?"
"...Of course not."
He's sharper than I expected.
I'd been planning to quietly count today as payment if he brought it up again.
As Seonwoo innocently shook his head, he noticed the faint smile forming on Hyeonchae's lips.
So he saw right through me.
"You...! I already told you, I don't buy drinks for Alphas."
"I'm your junior now."
"Even if you're my junior, you're still an Alpha."
"...Isn't that discrimination?"
"I'd rather call it sexual preference."
Answering lazily, Seonwoo tossed back a shot of soju.
Hyeonchae silently followed suit.
At first, Seonwoo had simply wanted a drink because seeing a side of Choi Iwon he'd never known had left him unsettled.
But perhaps because his quiet conversation with Eun Hyeonchae proved far more enjoyable than he'd expected, thoughts of Iwon gradually disappeared.
Before he knew it, only his curiosity toward the man sitting across from him remained.
Then again, maybe it had never been possible to think about anyone else while staring at a face like that.
"Right. What's your major?"
For the first time, a blush spread across the face that hadn't changed no matter how much alcohol he'd drunk.
"...I was wondering when you'd ask."
* * *
Through his blurry vision, he saw Iwon smiling as he spoke on the phone.
Warm sunlight streamed through the window.
The room was filled with the aroma of coffee.
And the first thing he saw after opening his eyes was Iwon's face.
It looked so perfect that it could have been a dream.
Smiling to himself, Seonwoo stretched.
Perhaps hearing the movement, Iwon turned around.
"Yeah, I'll call you back. Mm. Get inside. ...When did you wake up?"
"Just now. ...Heejun?"
"Why do you keep looking for Heejun since yesterday? Don't tell me you've fallen for him."
"Haha, don't be ridiculous. Then who was it?"
Without answering, Iwon walked over and sat on the arm of the sofa.
"Thanks for yesterday. I heard you took Heejun home. I should've done it myself."
"It wasn't a big deal. I just happened to run into him while I was drinking and handed him over to his driver."
"Nam Seonwoo. Since when do you go to places like that?"
Iwon lightly tapped the tip of Seonwoo's chin as he asked.
Closing his eyes, Seonwoo stayed silent for a moment.
Avoiding group drinking gatherings had practically become second nature to him, so it was only natural for Iwon to find it strange.
Was there criticism hidden beneath that casual question?
Or was it nothing more than curiosity?
With so many guilty thoughts swirling inside him, he couldn't tell.
"I heard Eun Hyeonchae was there too."
'Can I greet you every day from now on?'
'Do whatever you want. You're still not getting anywhere.'
"Yeah... He seemed pretty normal for someone from Simjin."
He didn't even know why he was lying to Iwon.
Keeping his eyes closed, he answered as casually as possible.
Apparently deciding it wasn't important, Iwon didn't press the matter any further.
"As much as possible, stay away from him."
"What reason would I ever have to get involved with him?"
Opening his eyes, Seonwoo looked up at Iwon.
Who had that person been yesterday?
And who had Iwon been talking to on the phone just now?
There were plenty of things Seonwoo wanted to ask after seeing this unfamiliar side of Iwon.
But, just as always, he kept his mouth shut.
"Stop that. You've been touching it this whole time."
Iwon reached over and pulled away Seonwoo's hand, which had once again wandered to his lips.
"...This whole time?"
"Yeah. They're really red."
* * *
But Iwon...
Even if I try not to get involved, what exactly am I supposed to do when this happens?
Scanning the classroom, Seonwoo spotted Hyeonchae noticing him.
The younger man immediately brightened and walked over.
Unable to help himself, Seonwoo laughed.
When he'd agreed to let him greet him every day, he hadn't expected him to take it so literally.
Hyeonchae naturally sat beside him and lowered his head politely.
"Hello."
"I didn't know you attended third-year electives."
"...I was interested."
Interested in the class...
Or in the person?
"I see. Good luck."
Letting out a dry laugh, Seonwoo figured the problem would solve itself once the lecture began and looked away.
But perhaps a handsome face really was a weapon.
Or maybe, in this day and age, the professor simply found such a beautiful young man auditing the class endearing.
Whatever the reason, Eun Hyeonchae wasn't kicked out.
Instead, the professor even remarked that although the department couldn't officially accommodate auditing students, it would be wonderful if the student sitting next to him could help him out.
Just like that, Hyeonchae had successfully attached himself to Seonwoo.
Rubbing his temple wearily, Seonwoo sighed.
"You're way too noticeable sitting next to me."
"...You're noticeable even when you're by yourself, senior."
For some reason, the way Hyeonchae feigned innocence wasn't irritating at all.
After the last class, Seonwoo walked slowly across campus.
Several steps behind him, another set of footsteps matched his pace perfectly.
"Why are you following me?"
"...Ha."
Every time Hyeonchae called himself his junior, he somehow looked just a little more justified, as though that title granted him unlimited immunity.
It was so absurd that Seonwoo couldn't even bring himself to complain.
Laughing helplessly, he decided this was probably the consequence of calling him an Alpha he didn't know.
Curling one finger, he beckoned him over.
Hyeonchae immediately caught up as though he'd been waiting.
"You don't have classes? How do you even know my schedule?"
"...Should I send you mine too?"
"No."
Feeling like seeing it would only make things more complicated, Seonwoo firmly refused again.
When Hyeonchae followed him all the way to the smoking area, Seonwoo asked,
"You don't smoke?"
Hyeonchae shook his head.
"If you don't smoke, why were you carrying a lighter?"
"A lot of people around me smoke."
"A lot of people around you..."
Normally, it would've sounded like an ordinary answer.
But hearing it from someone from Simjin gave it a completely different weight.
Smiling to himself, Seonwoo pulled out a cigarette.
"You're not leaving even if I tell you to, are you?"
"...Do you need a light?"
Although he had a lighter in his own pocket, Seonwoo merely tilted his head.
Hyeonchae stepped closer and lit the cigarette for him.
Drawing in a deep breath of smoke, Seonwoo quietly looked down at him.
He knew his own attitude was ambiguous.
But he couldn't accept him either.
If he kept letting Eun Hyeonchae tag along, Iwon wouldn't like it.
And upsetting Iwon was the last thing Seonwoo wanted.
Turning his head to the side, Seonwoo slowly exhaled a long stream of smoke.
"Are we going to see each other tomorrow too?"
Hyeonchae instantly looked up.
Seeing exactly what was written all over his face, Seonwoo smiled crookedly.
"What if I said I don't want to?"
"...Senior."
"You're not some Alpha I don't know anymore. You're a pretty junior. If you get arrested for stalking, your senior would feel bad too. What do you think?"
Looking quietly up at him, Hyeonchae answered in the same calm voice as always.
"Unless there's an injury or significant harm, stalking charges between two Alphas usually aren't recognized. Even if you report it, the police rarely investigate."
"You seem to know a lot about that."
"...I just happened to hear about it."
Perhaps sensing how suspicious that sounded, Hyeonchae quickly added that he'd never actually experienced it himself.
"I see. So I can't report you for stalking. Congratulations."
"..."
"Don't smile."
"...Okay."
I've been bitten by someone strange.
The problem is...
I don't actually mind.
Seonwoo deliberately turned his body toward Hyeonchae and slowly looked him over.
His lingering gaze traced every inch of Hyeonchae's face, shoulders, and body.
Yet Hyeonchae simply blinked those long lashes lazily and quietly met his eyes.
...If only he weren't an Alpha.
Then what?
Was it really just because he was an Alpha?
Or was it because he was Eun Hyeonchae?
Seonwoo couldn't decide.
After a long pause, he finally spoke.
"You probably already know this... but I don't have classes tomorrow, so I won't be on campus. You can't audit required major courses, so don't come and embarrass yourself."
"Okay."
He didn't dislike the way Hyeonchae's eyes sparkled as he looked at him.
Without thinking, Seonwoo reached out and gently ruffled Hyeonchae's hair.
Those pale eyes widened.
Watching the tips of Hyeonchae's ears quickly turn red, Seonwoo found himself wanting to bite them.
He stubbed out his cigarette.
Of course, how Eun Hyeonchae might feel about any of this never once entered Seonwoo's calculations.