During the meal, I felt completely dazed the entire time. Well, actually, I’d been confused even before this situation started, but it was getting more and more surreal.
What was going on?
I just blankly watched Lucien and Brad chatting loudly in the back seat of my car. Ever since they sat there, they’d been endlessly excited and talking. It was so surprising I wondered when they had become so close.
More than that, did Lucien talk this much?
When he was with me, his tone was always calm and quiet, so I hadn’t noticed. No, before, he hadn’t spoken to anyone but me. But now, what was this? He was talking more than I was, pulling Brad and even Emilio into the conversation.
That didn’t mean he was ignoring me. Occasionally, he’d toss in phrases like “Right?” or “What about you?” so I wouldn’t be forgotten. In short, Lucien was leading the conversation. He seemed so skilled and comfortable that even Brad was laughing hard, grabbing Lucien’s shoulder and shaking his body.
Just then, Brad cracked a ridiculous joke, and I laughed without thinking. Emilio, sitting next to me, accidentally made eye contact, and he smiled at me even more.
“How’s practice lately? It’s tough, right? You’re busy preparing for college as an 11th grader, aren’t you?”
His words sounded light but laced with concern. I answered casually.
“It’s okay, I’ve got plenty of time.”
“Aren’t you preparing for college?”
Brad butted in. I didn’t want to say I had no intention of going to college, so I gave a vague answer.
“I’ll start next semester or something.”
“If you fail, you’ll cry blood.”
Brad smirked. He was also in 11th grade and not in a position to judge. Emilio quietly joined in.
“Any colleges in mind? Any majors you want?”
“Not really, yet.”
I answered vaguely again.
“I’ll think about it while preparing. I don’t really have a definite plan yet.”
Right now, all I wanted was to look at cute Emilio as much as possible. If I could, I’d want to hold him once, but I had no intention of actually doing it.
Ah, so cute.
When I smiled unconsciously at Emilio’s tilted head as if understanding, I suddenly met his steady gaze. Emilio was still smiling, but somehow looked dazed. It was the first time I’d seen him look at me like that.
...Emi?
My heart suddenly thumped and raced wildly. Emilio looked at me like he wanted to say something, making me feel like we were the only two people in the world. If only for a day, I’d gladly sell my soul to the devil. His smile completely captivated me. Just as I thought his eyes narrowed even more with that smile, I swallowed dryly without realizing it.
“Ah, hot!”
Suddenly, a burning pain spread across my thigh. Screaming, I jumped up and widened my eyes when I saw one leg stained brown. Lucien, who had gotten up right after me, hurriedly said,
“Sorry, Dilly. I spilled coffee. Does it hurt? Did you get burned?”
Seeing him frantically tapping my thigh with a napkin, I finally came to my senses.
“I’m, I’m fine, Russ. Stop it.”
I barely managed to push away the apologetic Lucien and gave a bitter smile.
“Calm down now, really, I’m fine. Sit down.”
After several coaxings, Lucien, pale-faced, looked up at me and reluctantly sat down. I looked at Emilio and Brad, who were watching me with surprised eyes, and said,
“I’ll just go to the bathroom for a moment.”
Pretending not to care, I left the table, but as soon as I was alone, the burning pain caught up with me. In the private bathroom, I pulled down my pants and checked my thigh—it was red and inflamed. It wasn’t bad enough to leave a scar, so I sighed, fixed my clothes, and stepped out. While patting my thigh with a paper towel soaked in water, Brad suddenly came in. He glanced me up and down and said,
“You okay? That coffee was really hot.”
“Yeah, it’ll cool down.”
I didn’t say much and kept patting my thigh. Brad clicked his tongue softly, then stood at the urinal and unzipped. He spoke after washing his hands at the sink.
“What’s up with that guy?”
“What?”
I threw away the messy paper towel, tore a new one, and asked. Brad continued while washing his hands.
“Did something happen? Don’t tell me his brain got messed up because of pheromones.”
“What are you talking about? This is just an accident.”
My tone sharpened involuntarily, irritated. But Brad ignored it and kept babbling.
“Even if that’s true, he changed way too much. Before, he was so gloomy it was scary, but now he’s so bright it’s creepy.”
He chuckled and added,
“Anyway, he’s a creepy guy no matter what.”
Seeing him shake his head, I got annoyed. After pretending to be all friendly and laughing with Lucien, he came behind and said that? I blocked the sink entrance with my hand and splashed water toward Brad.
“Hey, cold—hey!”
Brad cursed and splashed water back at me, muttering insults. I wiped my face and hands roughly with paper towels and snapped irritatedly.
“Can you drop those prejudices? Last time you complained Lucien was uncooperative, now you say he’s weird for being too close.”
“He changed too much.”
Brad frowned and continued.
“How can someone change so much in just a few months? Sure, height’s one thing — some grow over ten inches a month — but personality change is weird.”
“Aren’t you embarrassed saying that after laughing and joking with Russ all this time?”
“I’m just naturally sociable.”
Brad shamelessly praised himself, grinning.
“Well, I don’t mind Russ acting like this. He’s more interesting than I thought. It’s fascinating.”
“Stop treating Russ like some spectacle.”
I warned him sternly. Brad looked shocked and asked,
“How can he not be? He’s an Extreme Alpha!”
Without another word, I left. I thought it was pointless to argue more. But right after turning the corner, I stopped dead in my tracks. There was Lucien leaning against the wall.
When did he get here?
Frozen without a reaction, Lucien put his second finger to his lips, signaling me to be quiet.
Are you okay?
He asked with his mouth. Probably worried about me, he had followed. Embarrassed, I nodded. Lucien smiled as if that was enough, then passed me and went straight into the bathroom.
“Hey, Russ.”
I heard Brad call out, trying to get my attention. They exchanged a few words, then Brad left. Brad had seen me standing there but didn’t seem to think much, and went back to his place. I was left standing alone, and shortly after, Lucien came out, startled to see me.
“You’re still here?”
“Russ.”
I just called his name but couldn’t speak. Seeing me hesitate, he smiled again and said,
“It’s okay, let’s go.”
Ah.
Watching his back as he turned and left, I finally realized. I should’ve hit Brad earlier.
On the way back, I barely said a word. Emilio sat beside me, but my attention was on Lucien laughing and chatting with Brad in the back seat. Nothing else came to mind.
“Did something happen?”
Lucien asked suddenly as we entered the dormitory path, just the two of us. I flinched and looked up a little instead of straight ahead. A skinny, tall boy was frowning at me. Embarrassed that I’d been so obvious, I was annoyed with my own clumsiness but knew it was unavoidable. Scratching my head, I honestly confessed.
“At the bathroom earlier, Brad said something weird. You heard it too, right?”
Unlike usual, Lucien hesitated to answer. Seeing his reaction, I regretted speaking up.
“Sorry.”
“For what?”
Lucien asked, puzzled. I voiced what I’d been thinking.
“When I heard that, I should’ve hit him. At least gotten angry...”
I knew the truth too. I had just avoided the situation. I thought talking wouldn’t help, but deep down, I just didn’t want to get involved in trouble.
I never thought Russ would hear that.
Watching for his reaction, I expected anger, but Lucien looked confused instead.
“Hit Brad? Why?”
“What do you mean...?”
Suddenly confused, I wondered if I’d been overthinking. I hesitated, then finally spoke.
“He said you’d gone strange... said you were amazing, like some kind of spectacle.”
“Ah...”
Lucien finally made a hollow sound like he got it. I regretted bringing it up, but he spoke softly as usual.
“Was Brad the one who doubted me because of Lilith?”
“Uh, yeah…”
Caught off guard by the question, I nodded unconsciously. I’d forgotten, but Lucien hadn’t. Of course, since he was involved.
Lucien looked down and fell silent. He seemed lost in thought, so I waited quietly for his response. Then, lifting his head, he said something different.
“How was it with Emi? You seemed okay today?”
“Huh?”
Startled by the topic, I realized I’d completely forgotten about Emilio until then. Damn, Lucien had even created an opportunity.
“Uh, no... sorry, I forgot.”
I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. Lucien smiled and pinched my cheek.
“Were you too excited?”
I frowned unconsciously, then suddenly caught a sweet scent. I felt a little at ease with the now familiar fragrance. I let my guard down and confessed.
“I was distracted today. Suddenly, all that happened…”
Lucien lowered his head and whispered near my ear like revealing a secret.
“Distracted? Because of me?”
“What?”
Startled, I stepped back as if to jump, but Lucien smiled as if it was nothing.
“Just kidding.”
“Uh... yeah, of course.”
I covered my burning ears and stammered. Why am I like this? My cheeks heated up, and my heart raced. I used to feel this way around Emilio, so why with a friend? If Lucien noticed, he’d be dumbfounded.
Embarrassed and flustered, I didn’t know what to do, but Lucien was calm. Of course — I was the only one with weird thoughts. When I despised myself again, Lucien spoke.
“So what will you do from now on? Just keep watching? Until graduation?”
“Uh, yeah…”
Dizzy again, my mouth opened involuntarily as if confessing.
“The boat order will be decided soon.”
“Right.”
Lucien nodded obediently. A slow voice escaped my lips.
“I’m currently 5th… but since they said they’ll adjust order by skill, I’m aiming to move up to 8th.”
“8th.”
Lucien briefly thought and narrowed his eyes.
“Right in front of the coxswain.”
“Yeah.”
My mouth fell open without meaning to. Sitting opposite Emilio in the boat—I thought no matter how hard I rowed, it wouldn’t feel exhausting. My cheeks heated again, and rubbing my neck awkwardly, Lucien silently watched me.
“Alright, you’ve been thinking about that.”
He said in a voice somehow gentler than usual. I looked up absentmindedly; Lucien was still smiling down at me. Blinking unconsciously, he spoke again.
“I’ll never give up.”
“Huh? Give up what?”
Confused by the sudden words, I blinked, and he was silent for a moment before grinning.
“Rowing, of course.”
I was startled and asked,
“You too?”
Lucien nodded.
“I want to compete as a player if possible.”
His answer was simple. He continued.
“If I’ve practiced this much, I should compete. If I didn’t think that way, I wouldn’t have bought a rowing machine and practiced.”
“Yeah, that’s true.”
I nodded obediently. I understood now. So even Lucien Hearst had a competitive spirit. Surprised by this new side of the usually lethargic Lucien, I felt amazed but also happy.
“Right, it’s more fun to compete.”
I agreed, and Lucien grinned.
“Alright, enough. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I’m heading in.”
I waved and turned, but suddenly Lucien called me from behind. Seeing him again, he wore a bitter expression.
“Sorry about earlier. Be sure to ice it before bed.”
“I’m fine, don’t worry.”
Still concerned, he apologized again, but I laughed louder than usual and shook my head. Lucien glanced at me briefly then turned to his dorm building. That day, back in my room, I set the shower to the coldest and spent a long time icing my thigh until I fell asleep.
About two weeks later, summer vacation arrived.