Alpha Trauma Novel - Chapter 11. Black Knight (2)

“See? I told you it’s not that spicy here!”

Garam, full of excitement, pushed the tteokbokki towards Wooyeon. He even wore a proud expression, as if to say he’d buy it anytime Wooyeon wanted. Only then did Dohyun move his chopsticks and smile gently.

“Eat a lot.”

The elective class in the afternoon wasn’t far from the club room. Wooyeon sent a message related to tteokbokki to Daniel and sat in the lecture hall. Thanks to Garam buying him a drink after the meal, he also had a cup of hot chocolate.

‘You’re coming to the MT, right?’

That was Seongyu’s question before leaving the club room. The date was next weekend, and Garam and Dohyun also said they would attend. Wooyeon, who had hesitated at the mention of staying overnight, answered that he would go the moment his eyes met Dohyun’s. It was a reaction he couldn’t even understand himself.

“Alright, I’ll call attendance.”

The professor on the podium looked around the lecture hall. This mandatory elective was a class Dohyun had managed to secure for him on his laptop the moment a spot opened up. The professor was kind, and there were many students, so the grade cutoff was lenient.

“Kang Junseong.”

Wooyeon, who had been lost in thought, suddenly snapped to attention. The three syllables piercing his ears were excessively familiar. He instinctively looked around the classroom, but the student called ‘Kang Junseong’ did not answer.

“Kang Junseong?”

The professor called out again. Still, no answer. He briefly looked puzzled, then let out a light sigh of realization.

“Right, he said he was hospitalized.”

Murmuring this, the professor made a mark on the attendance sheet. Wooyeon held the hot chocolate in his hand as he listened to the names called afterwards. The warm paper cup against his hand seemed to calm his churning stomach a little.

‘It can’t be.’

There were plenty of people with the same name. Just because a name overlapped, he didn’t think it would be the same person. However, he couldn’t ignore the creeping anxiety that still welled up.

“Seon Wooyeon.”

“……”

“Seon Wooyeon?”

“……Yes!”

Wooyeon raised one hand and answered, letting out a silent sigh. The voice that called him, ‘Hey, Pig,’ seemed to echo in his ears.

The days passed quickly. The student named Kang Junseong didn’t come to school for two consecutive weeks. He heard he’d been in a car accident, and it was clear he wouldn’t be able to come for at least a month. Wooyeon was torn between anxiety at not being able to confirm his identity and a sense of relief.

Then, on the day of the MT, Wooyeon arrived at the pension by bus chartered by the school. Students with afternoon classes said they would come later with seniors who had cars. Dohyun was among the ‘seniors with cars.’

“Didn’t anyone invite me to the group chat? Seriously, that’s too much.”

“Right? I didn’t see you, so I thought you left because the kids were too noisy.”

“At this rate, isn’t Kwon Seongyu unqualified to be the class rep?”

Before Dohyun arrived, Wooyeon used Seongyu as an excuse to break the ice with his classmates. He had seen them at the orientation last time, but it had been chaotic then, so this was their first time having a conversation in their right minds.

Fortunately, there was only one Alpha among his classmates, and only two Omegas, including Wooyeon.

“Hey, if it weren’t for me, you guys wouldn’t have even greeted him. Wooyeon didn’t even know there was an MT.”

“Ehh, really?”

His classmates looked pitiful but also found the situation amusing. It was absurd and regrettable, but also a little sorry, so they clearly couldn’t bring themselves to laugh. Sure enough, when Wooyeon said with a resigned tone to just laugh, laughter immediately erupted.

“First-years over there, the second group has arrived, so stop playing and come out and carry the luggage.”

Bang, the pension door burst open, and a senior on a leave of absence poked his head out. He must have taken a long break from school, as he was at least five years ahead of Wooyeon. He was similar in height to Wooyeon but had a bulky build due to his weight, making him intimidating.

“Ah, Wooyeon, you don’t have to come out.”

And he was an Alpha whom Wooyeon found extremely uncomfortable.

“Huh, Senior, why are you discriminating against Wooyeon?”

“You’re interested in Wooyeon!”

“Quiet, you brats. Hurry up and get out, now!”

There were two main reasons he was uncomfortable. One was that he exuded pheromones despite being recessive, and the other was that he openly showed interest in Wooyeon. Since when did he know him, calling him ‘Wooyeon, Wooyeon’ and acting close? From the moment Wooyeon got off the bus and met him, it had felt utterly off-putting.

“I said you can stay inside!”

“No, everyone else is working, so I’ll work too.”

“Aw, but you look like you can’t even lift anything.”

“I’m strong.”

Wooyeon replied indifferently and walked past the senior. The senior, unable to stop Wooyeon, needlessly picked a fight with another freshman. Seongyu, who quickly followed Wooyeon, complained annoyingly.

“Why is that senior like that? He’s so overbearing.”

Seongyu explained that the senior had been bothering freshmen at all the drinking parties. He hadn’t been able to make it to the orientation due to circumstances, but he’d persistently attended every other event. Originally, he had targeted another freshman, but when that person got a lover, he started searching for a new target.

“It’s like he’s thinking, ‘Just one person, please.'”

“No wonder, he was just spreading pheromones everywhere.”

“Ugh, and he’s an Alpha?”

Seongyu shivered and put his arm around Wooyeon’s shoulder. Wooyeon didn’t push him away, instead putting his hands in his coat pockets. He wasn’t an Alpha anyway, so he didn’t feel the need to be particularly sensitive.

“You said you’re an Omega, right? Be careful. He might do something with his pheromones.”

“It’s okay. I’m a dominant, so that senior can’t do anything to me.”

“Still, he’s twice your size, so you should be careful. What is he, a bear?”

“I’m from America…”

Wooyeon, who was about to finish his sentence, suddenly clamped his mouth shut. Dohyun, surrounded by juniors in the distance, came into view. Dohyun was talking to one of the juniors, smiling warmly.

“Senior, why are you so late!”

“Do you know how long we waited?”

“Were you waiting for me, or for the alcohol?”

His gently curved eyes were kind. The corners of his mouth, turned up, were also soft and tender. He looked as kind as ever, but for some reason, Wooyeon felt he was acting fake.

“Hyung! We’ll help move the luggage too!”

The teacher Wooyeon knew didn’t smile like that. He showed a warmer, sunnier smile, like spring. That manufactured expression, as if he were wearing a mask, was completely different from what Wooyeon remembered.

“Oh, Seongyu…”

Their eyes briefly met. Dohyun sent an unreadable gaze towards them, who were standing close together. He trailed off, his mouth hardening, then smiled naturally again.

“You guys were waiting for alcohol too?”

“Aw, of course, we were waiting for you, Hyung!”

Seongyu let go of Wooyeon and ran to Dohyun. Wooyeon stood still, his lips tightly sealed. Dohyun, dressed in comfortable clothes and athletic wear, exuded a more approachable aura than usual.

“Why is there so much alcohol?”

“You’re going to drink it all.”

“I’m going to sue you.”

That’s why the kids like him. Usually, he had a mature image that made him hard to approach, but now he seemed gentle, as if he’d accept anything they said.

“Wooyeon.”

Dohyun called Wooyeon, who was standing some distance away. He waved one hand gently, accompanied by a bright smile. At that moment, Wooyeon recalled a memory he had almost forgotten.

“What are you doing there?”

It was when he first met the teacher, and Wooyeon had not yet fully let down his guard. He was talking to an employee, and Wooyeon observed Dohyun through a crack in the door. When their eyes met, Dohyun greeted him with an incredibly bright face.

‘Hello.’

He remembered the gently smiling face. He also remembered closing the door without a word because of the dazzling smile. Dohyun didn’t seem offended at all and knocked on Wooyeon’s door after a slight pause.

‘Yeon-ah, it’s your teacher.’

“……”

Wooyeon quickly turned his back to Dohyun. He thought if their eyes met, his flushed face would be exposed. Just then, one of his classmates grunted, carrying luggage past him.

“I’ll carry that.”

“Oh… it’s heavy.”

Wooyeon abruptly took the luggage from his classmate’s hand. It seemed to contain drinks, so it was quite heavy, but not unbearable. When Wooyeon easily carried two bags, his classmate felt needlessly embarrassed.

“Then let’s carry it together.”

“No, you go move something else.”

Wooyeon walked towards the pension without hesitation. Meanwhile, Garam, who had gotten out of the passenger seat, stumbled through the crowd. His face was pale, as if he had gotten carsick on the way.

“Ah, you finicky bastard.”

Garam’s voice was also subdued. Wooyeon deliberately slowed his steps as soon as he heard that. And then, he abruptly asked the staggering Garam.

“Why is he a finicky bastard?”

“Oh my, you scared me. My heart almost dropped… Why are you carrying such heavy things by yourself?”

Garam, startled, snatched one of the bags. Wooyeon handed over the lighter one and hugged the bag with the drinks. It was actually a bit heavy, so it worked out well.

“Don’t even get me started. I was already dying from carsickness, and he threw a fit just because I sat in the passenger seat. What’s wrong with him?”

“Sen…, Dohyun sunbae?”

“Yeah, he gave me a hard time with a smile, you know? But the kids in the back thought it was a joke and said Dohyun sunbae was so kind…”

Garam, who was speaking, suddenly remembered something and moved aside. The awkward distance between them was clearly a sign of his carefulness, even to Wooyeon. Left with no choice, Wooyeon decided to show Garam a little mercy.

“I’m really okay.”

After seeing that annoying senior, Garam was nothing. He disliked that he was an Alpha, but being conscious of it was also uncomfortable. Since they were in the same club, they couldn’t keep going on like this, could they?

“…I was really sorry then. I truly didn’t mean to, Wooyeon.”

“I know. You haven’t done it since.”

Wooyeon replied casually and adjusted the luggage he was carrying. Fortunately, Garam’s face looked a little more relaxed than before. Still standing a step away, Wooyeon asked subtly.

“But why does he get angry about someone sitting in the passenger seat?”

“What, Kim Dohyun?”

Garam powerfully kicked the pension entrance. “Hey, door!” he shouted, and those inside opened the door. He let Wooyeon in first, then slumped onto the entrance floor without even taking off his shoes.

“He hates having anyone in his passenger seat.”