Alpha Trauma Novel (Completed) - Chapter 101. Side Story 3. Guardian (3)

Wooyeon, sitting by the cafe window, exuded the full atmosphere of summer. His clear nape, the T-shirt stained with Alpha pheromones, wide-legged shorts, and a watch of the same design as Dohyun’s.

Dohyun thought his usual attire was particularly bothersome today. Was it because his legs, visible below his shorts, were so pale, or because his neck area was as clean as a blank canvas? Either way, his nerves were on edge.

[You lost your phone?]

It felt like an English listening test. Dohyun recalled his uninspired thoughts and reached for the drink on the table. It wasn’t particularly hot, but his thirst hadn’t gone away for a while. As he pushed aside the paper straw with his index finger and put the glass to his lips, Wooyeon glanced at him.

[Yeah, I finally found it, but the police couldn’t speak English…]

The man sitting opposite showed no interest in Dohyun. He just fixed his clear blue eyes on Wooyeon and smiled with a beaming face. Then, the man grinned, revealing his teeth, and spoke in an excited voice.

[Then I contacted you.]

Clink, the ice in the coffee rattled as he set it down. It was a rather annoying sound, but the man didn’t care and was busy recounting his recent activities. Dohyun silently observed the man, tracing the moisture on the surface of the cup.

[I was really relieved.]

Dull, dark blonde hair, and gentle, dog-like eyes. He was shorter than him, but his build was intimidatingly large. Unlike his appearance, which could easily be a quarterback in football, his impression was incredibly innocent.

*’So this is that ‘Danny’.’ *

Dohyun had been facing him, who would normally have no connection to him, for 10 minutes already. Although Dohyun was looking at him, and he was looking at Wooyeon, anyway.

The reason for their awkward meeting dated back about an hour.

An hour ago, Dohyun, who had just washed Wooyeon clean, was drying his wet hair and contemplating meal options. Shouldn’t he give him something nourishing on such a hot day? He was worrying about Wooyeon, who would always be drained after sex (a fact Wooyeon would be dumbfounded to hear), when suddenly Wooyeon let out a bewildered gasp.

‘Oh?’

His half-closed eyes widened. On the phone, which Seongyu had given him, was a name Dohyun had heard often. Wooyeon immediately pressed the call button and abruptly questioned the person on the other end of the line.

‘Danny? Are you in Korea?’

That question was the starting point of the whole situation. Starting with the excuse that he couldn’t answer the phone because he was busy, Wooyeon then looked around nervously, saying he couldn’t go out right now. The call was in English, which Dohyun could understand perfectly, and Dohyun, stroking his still damp head, played the role of a generous lover.

‘If he wants to meet, I’ll take you.’

In fact, it was a bit of a test. Half a desire for Wooyeon not to go, half a stubbornness to see ‘Danny’ once. It was also a question he was confident Wooyeon would refuse, as he was completely drained of energy.

‘…Can I?’

But Wooyeon immediately nodded, his face eager. Seeing his eyes filled with anticipation, Dohyun couldn’t bring himself to say ‘no’. He just silently grabbed his car keys and made Wooyeon wear a T-shirt heavily scented with his pheromones.

So, the two of them, dragging their tired bodies, headed to the meeting place with ‘Danny’. He wanted to feed him first, but Wooyeon had no appetite, so he gave up. I’ll at least make him eat some cake at the cafe, Dohyun thought, as Wooyeon, oblivious, started talking about ‘Danny’.

‘Danny can’t speak Korean…’

‘When I was discriminated against, Danny…’

‘Danny brought me suppressants then…’

Danny, Danny, and more Danny.

Dohyun, who had been listening quietly, smiled with an exceptionally gentle face around the time ‘Danny’ mentioned helping him with his first heat cycle. Then he tapped the steering wheel and asked softly.

‘By the way… is Danny an Omega?’

Fortunately, ‘Danny’ was a Beta. Dohyun, relieved that he couldn’t feel pheromones, belatedly realized the T-shirt he had made Wooyeon wear and clicked his tongue. He couldn’t feel pheromones. It was a relief, and yet not a relief.

‘I think that’s him.’

The meeting place was a famous franchise cafe that also existed in America. It had a wooden sign, and the inside customers were clearly visible through the large glass walls. Dohyun spotted a foreigner wearing sunglasses and parked his car on the side of the road.

‘I’ll wait nearby, so call me when you part ways with your friend.’

‘Oh…’

Even though he personally unbuckled his seatbelt, Wooyeon didn’t get out of the car, instead shifting his gaze ambiguously. Seeing his hesitant demeanor, Dohyun feigned a disappointed expression and looked back at Wooyeon. Inside, he was wishing, Come over, come over.

‘…Do you want to come with me?’

When Wooyeon said that, Dohyun truly wanted to cheer. But he couldn’t show it too eagerly, so he just caressed his pale cheek and gently curved his eyes.

‘It’s been a while since you saw your friend, it might be awkward if I join.’

He didn’t mean it. Precisely because it was a friend he hadn’t seen in a long time, he needed to observe what kind of person he was.

“It’s okay. He’s not the type to care about that.”

Wooyeon, being good-natured, tilted his head and rubbed his face against him. Before, he used to be shy, but now he was accustomed to physical contact like a well-trained small animal.

He slowly raised his eyes and suggested in a plain voice.

“Let’s meet together.”

In the end, Dohyun reluctantly got out of the car. Before entering the cafe, he didn’t forget to ask for ‘Danny’s’ full name as a courtesy. Wooyeon told him his name was ‘Daniel Conner’ and added that he could call him anything he liked.

And so, now. The three of them were busy catching up over three drinks. Daniel was mostly talking, Wooyeon was responding and asking questions, and Dohyun was silent. Daniel, after shaking hands with Dohyun at first (he was very happy but didn’t even ask who he was), hadn’t even glanced at him since.

[No wonder you didn’t answer the phone…]

Wooyeon mumbled, and Dohyun looked at him sideways. You called? That was his intention, but unfortunately, it didn’t reach Wooyeon. Well, what’s the big deal about calling a friend?

[Call? You called me?]

But for Daniel, it seemed to be quite a big deal. Seeing his eyes widen and his face become somewhat moved. In contrast, Wooyeon shook his head as if it was nothing.

[I called because there was an article then. I said I probably couldn’t let you stay at my place.]

[Oh, right.]

Daniel’s face immediately fell, and he pouted. He shrugged, as if to say, I knew it.

[Of course. You wouldn’t call me without a reason… No, wait. You said you probably couldn’t let me stay?]

He looked like he had heard devastating news. His bright blue eyes wavered aimlessly.

[Then what about me?]

[That’s why you should have stated the exact date.]

Dohyun thought Wooyeon was incredibly unfamiliar being so cold. He occasionally showed indifference, but he was fundamentally soft-hearted. This was the first time he had drawn such a clear line.

[Wooyeon… I’m really starting to feel hurt. Are we the kind of friends who have to make appointments to meet?]

[As I always say, we are that kind of relationship…]

‘He’s a friend, but it’s a bit ambiguous.’

So that’s what he meant.

Dohyun felt a distant sensation and looked at Wooyeon’s profile. A betrayed expression flashed through his mind, and his deeply disappointed eyes clearly came to mind.

If he hadn’t been able to catch Wooyeon then. If that had happened, he too would have become someone not much different from Daniel. An ambiguous relationship where he wouldn’t even care if they contacted each other or not.

‘…I can’t trust you, Teacher.’

His vision went dark. The thought that he almost never saw his dark hair, his occasionally visible forehead, his sharp nose, and his beautiful lips again was dizzying.

“…Hyung?”

Dohyun, as if possessed, reached out and stroked the back of Wooyeon’s head. As he stroked his nape, his round earlobes turned red.

“Why…”

He had done countless more explicit things, yet his face was flushed just from a touch. He had touched him quite intimately, but hadn’t he familiarized himself by rubbing his cheek against his palm earlier?

“Is there a problem with your friend?”

Dohyun naturally pulled his hand away and glanced at Daniel. Wooyeon, still like a ripe apple, covered his ear with his palm.

“Well… I was originally going to let Danny stay at my place. But now I don’t have a house…”

“Really? In that case, my house is fine too.”

Only then did Daniel look at Dohyun. Dohyun, with a pleasant smile, met Daniel’s gaze.

“There are spare rooms too. You won’t be uncomfortable.”

“Why would you do that, Hyung?”

Wooyeon shook his head as if to say, What are you talking about? Seeing his deeply furrowed brow, he seemed to think it was unnecessary. Daniel, who had a subtle expression for a moment, glanced at Dohyun.

[But this person… just a friend?]

Pfft, a scoff escaped him. It was obvious he was a lover. The intention of deliberately calling him ‘friend’ was transparent. And the way he subtly pretended he wasn’t there, and the way he looked him up and down when they first met. His already sensitive instincts buzzed with warning signals.

[No.]

But those warning signals didn’t last long and lost their power. Wooyeon, who had already composed his expression, fidgeted with his wristwatch and blurted out.

[Lover.]

Ah, he was so adorable. Really.

[…Lover?]

[Yeah, lover.]

It wasn’t a boastful tone. It was just that he held his neck stiffly and fidgeted his hands meaninglessly. And the words he added, not missing the opportunity.

[It hasn’t been long. About three months.]

Dohyun couldn’t suppress his smile and covered his mouth. Thanks to a light cough, his movements weren’t too unnatural. He had thought Wooyeon brought him because he would be jealous, but thinking about it, Wooyeon wasn’t that perceptive of a lover.

[Today marks 78 days.]

‘So cute, anyway…’

It was exactly like someone who had just started dating. Counting the days they had met, and subtly boasting about their lover. It wasn’t a situation where he was introducing Daniel to him, but rather showing himself to Daniel. Dohyun, thinking that far, swallowed his laughter.

‘I guess I’ll have to celebrate their 100th day.’