Alpha Trauma Novel (Completed) - Chapter 108. Side Story 10. Guardian (10)

The next day, the three of them embarked on a full-fledged sightseeing tour early in the morning. This was because Daniel, who had woken up at the crack of dawn, had knocked on their door, wanting to go to various places. Wooyeon grumbled with a tired face, but in the end, the victory went to the foreigner who loved Korea.

Before going out, Dohyun put a hat on Wooyeon and dressed him in his own t-shirt. He couldn’t change Wooyeon’s knee-length shorts, but Wooyeon’s mood brightened when he came out holding two watches. It was a bit rude to Wooyeon, but it looked like a dog bringing its leash when going for a walk.

“So, where do you want to go?”

Daniel was more interested in trivial amusements than commonly visited tourist spots. For example, movie theaters, fast-food restaurants, and street food stalls. Dohyun first reserved three seats for a horror movie Wooyeon liked and then took the two immature boys to a burger joint.

“Oh, the taste is really different from America.”

“I told you. It’s subtly different.”

One of them was clearly Korean, but both reacted similarly. In fact, Daniel, who quietly ate well, seemed more Korean. Perhaps due to his past experience of indigestion, Wooyeon couldn’t swallow his hamburger, and Dohyun fed him a milkshake while Wooyeon made a disgusted face.

After finishing their hamburgers, they went to see the horror movie they had reserved. The movie, which had an eerie atmosphere from its poster, was a box office hit, ranking first in summer ticket sales. Wooyeon watched it with a calm expression, but surprisingly, Daniel showed a weak side.

“Why on earth! Why pick up such an ugly doll? It clearly looks cursed! There are so many cute dolls in the world!”

Was the problem that he chose a movie in English? He screamed and wailed throughout the movie, and only covered his ears after startlingly calmly watching Wooyeon three times. Dohyun watched him as if watching a fire across the river, secretly intertwining his fingers with Wooyeon’s.

“How come neither of you gets scared? Aren’t you scared of that doll?”

“You were scarier than the doll, Danny…”

Wooyeon, who didn’t get scared by anything in the movie, was terrified by Daniel’s jumping. No wonder his fingers twitched. He must have been scared without realizing it.

“More than that, weren’t the subtitles weird?”

“Yeah, there were a lot of mistranslations.”

They cursed the strange subtitles and headed to the arcade. It was a place they hadn’t visited during Dohyun’s last date with Wooyeon. Daniel wasted his money on a machine with dog dolls, and surprisingly, Wooyeon did well in the basketball throwing game. Dohyun won two small keychains through shooting and gave one to Wooyeon and one to Daniel.

It felt like today was compensating for yesterday, which had been idly spent. They walked down the street side by side, bought cheap soft-serve ice cream, and then found a street food stall to satisfy their sudden hunger. Since both Daniel and Wooyeon were experiencing many things for the first time, the ordinary schedule was never boring.

“Where do you want to go tomorrow?”

So, on the way home, Dohyun readily asked Daniel. They liked it so much, he thought, he should take them both to a hanok tomorrow. He thought that to himself.

Whether he knew what Dohyun was thinking or not, Daniel smiled brightly and replied, “I’m flying out tomorrow.”

The airport at dawn was bustling with people carrying suitcases. There were a few foreigners who couldn’t speak the language, a few flight attendants walking in a line, and many people excitedly preparing for their trips. Among the few who didn’t belong to any of these groups, Dohyun silently watched the two people going through departure procedures.

“Didn’t you leave anything behind?”

“No, I packed everything.”

“Passport and phone too?”

“Of course.”

Daniel, who had abruptly announced his departure yesterday, started packing his bags, leaving the two flustered. He had reunited with Wooyeon for one day, drank at the university for one day, and enjoyed casual sightseeing for another day. Since he only stayed for about three days, he didn’t have much luggage unpacked.

‘…Already going back?’

Wooyeon tried to stop Daniel several times, telling him to stay longer. He said it wasn’t difficult to postpone the flight, and wouldn’t it be a shame to leave like this? His face was full of regret as he asked. But Daniel just shook his head with a rather firm expression.

‘If I stay longer, I’ll feel too sorry for your boyfriend.’

Since when did he care about such things? It seemed he had developed some sense of decency in just a few days. Dohyun, unable to bear it, said it was fine, but it still didn’t work.

“It’ll be morning when you arrive.”

“Yeah, I’ll sleep on the plane.”

So, as soon as morning broke, they headed to the airport to see Daniel off. Dohyun put a hat and mask on Wooyeon and made full preparations for any potential reporters. Wooyeon quietly watched Dohyun’s actions and simply said, with a playful seriousness, “You look like an airport thief.”

“Thank you for everything. Thanks for the seat too, Wooyeon.”

The original economy class seat had been upgraded to first class by Wooyeon. Daniel, who was startled and declined, shut up when he heard, “How can you, with your build, fly economy?” Unbeknownst to them, his journey to Korea must have been quite difficult.

“I should probably go in soon.”

Daniel, who had been staring at Wooyeon, shrugged his shoulders. There was still a long time until takeoff.

“Isn’t there still a lot of time until your flight?”

“I’m going to look around the duty-free shop. This is the biggest airport in Korea, right?”

Daniel replied, pointing to the ceiling. Dohyun, who had unconsciously followed his fingertip, found a screen on the wall and fixed his gaze on it. Just then, an advertisement for Seonjeong’s newly launched phone was playing on the screen. Dohyun casually averted his gaze and said to Daniel, “Go safely. I’ll let you stay again next time you come.”

His dog-like gentle eyes held a wide smile. Dohyun thought he liked the offer of a place to stay, but an unexpected reaction came back.

“But you’re really good at English.”

Dohyun had once studied conversation with the possibility of being adopted abroad in mind. After being adopted, he attended a foreign language high school to live up to his parents’ expectations. He was naturally intelligent and had traveled occasionally, so it would have been strange if he wasn’t good at English.

“Did you study abroad or something?”

Had this fact suddenly become important after they had been talking for three whole days? He’s really unique, Dohyun thought, and winked.

“Everyone does this well if they get public education.”

“Wow, really?”

It was a lie. Daniel didn’t believe him either.

“Anyway… thank you. For everything.”

With that, Daniel shook the keychain in his hand. It was a small, fluffy trinket Dohyun had won from the shooting game. It would have been fine if he had thrown it away immediately, but surprisingly, both of them liked it.

“Wooyeon, you eat well and sleep well too. Don’t do anything like Cannabis for no reason.”

“Cannabis is illegal in Korea.”

Cannabis, for Wooyeon who couldn’t even smoke cigarettes, was an unnecessary worry.

“Danny, you’re not my guardian anymore.”

Wooyeon replied with a sullen face. Since he had already taken off his mask, his sulky face was clearly visible. Daniel looked at Wooyeon, then pulled the corners of his mouth into a smile and asked, “Then what am I to you?”

“What?”

His expression seemed to ask what he meant. Judging by his raised eyebrows, he seemed a bit embarrassed. Wooyeon quietly lowered his gaze and fiddled with his earlobe.

“That’s…”

He was slow in choosing his words. The sudden question seemed too difficult for Wooyeon. Wooyeon glanced up at Daniel and spoke with deliberate nonchalance, “You’re my friend.”

At that moment, Dohyun clearly saw Daniel’s expression change. His two blue eyes, holding the clear sky, wavered with an unknown emotion. Soon, he smiled like warm sunlight and nodded with a gentle face.

“Yes, that’s right.”

Perhaps that was the word he most wanted to hear. Nothing more, nothing less, just the acknowledgment of being a friend. What was so difficult about that, that he had come all the way to Korea?

“Take care, Wooyeon.”

Wooyeon wasn’t the only one saddened by the farewell. Daniel’s voice, now much softer, overtly revealed his longing for Wooyeon. Daniel blinked once, twice, then glanced at Dohyun and hugged Wooyeon.

“…I’ll miss you.”

Perhaps because he spoke in ‘Korean,’ or perhaps because the sudden physical contact was unfamiliar, Wooyeon remained unresponsive for a long time. However, after a long while, he finally mumbled with his face buried in Daniel’s embrace, “Next time…”

“…”

“I’ll come see you.”

His tone was normal, but his movements were not. Seeing him raise his arms to hug Daniel back, Dohyun deliberately averted his gaze. He wanted to separate them if he kept watching, so it was Dohyun’s best evasion.

“Then I’m really going now.”

His farewell was full of lingering feelings, but the parting itself was remarkably simple. Daniel turned his back immediately after letting go of Wooyeon. Wooyeon, who had been staring blankly, called out to Daniel just before he took a step.

“Danny.”

Daniel’s gaze slowly returned. Dohyun felt Wooyeon grab his hand and looked at him. Wooyeon slowly spoke, extending their intertwined hands, “I really wanted to show you the person I’m dating.”

It was a sudden remark. Just like Daniel complimenting Dohyun’s English skills. Wooyeon continued in a calm voice, unconcerned by Daniel’s puzzled expression, “It’s the teacher.”

Very slowly, Daniel’s eyes widened. His face was filled with shock, and his bright blue eyes wavered aimlessly. Daniel, who also confirmed Dohyun’s ambiguous averted gaze, let out a soft, hollow laugh.

“Huh…”

It was a feeling difficult to describe. Should he call it an apology, or embarrassment? What should he say if Daniel pressed him about why he hadn’t told him sooner?

Despite such worries, Daniel was generously happy.

“That’s a relief. That you’re with the teacher.”

Wooyeon nodded with a pleased expression. He even shyly crinkled his eyes at the words “stay together for a long time.” Dohyun said nothing, and this time, Daniel waved his hand and headed towards the departure gate.

Even after Daniel left, the two of them walked around the airport for a long time, chatting about trivial things. Below the arched ceiling, the clear blue sky was visible. Like the contrails left by a flying airplane, it was a meeting that would be remembered for a long time.