Alpha Trauma Novel (Completed) - Chapter 116. Side Story 18. Outsider (8)
When Dohyun was adopted, he was only fourteen. When he tutored Wooyeon, he was twenty, the same age as Wooyeon now. No matter when he thought of it, he was always so young, so how much effort must he have put into being mature?
“He’s not acting like a stranger.”
Wooyeon muttered that and faced Jinah. Jinah, with her hand on the soju glass, was looking at Wooyeon without drinking. Her blank gaze seemed somehow bewildered.
“He’s scared of becoming a stranger.”
Her front teeth gnawed at her tightly closed lips. Jinah, whose lips were bruised enough to leave teeth marks, turned her head and drank. Wooyeon watched Jinah’s actions without refilling her glass or looking away.
Jinah drank two more glasses of soju, scooped up some soybean paste stew, and then put down her spoon.
“…I know.”
A sigh-like voice settled on the table. The meat on the grill had already burned to a crisp.
“Actually, I understand it all intellectually. It’s just that I’m still upset.”
The last part sounded very self-deprecating. Jinah, who had smiled bitterly while talking about Dohyun, this time spoke with a truly spiritless face.
“Oppa being like that is partly Mom and Dad’s fault too…”
“Mom and Dad?”
“It’s just… they have a lot of money, but they’re also very greedy, so people flocked to them. Bringing Oppa in… No, never mind that.”
Wooyeon unconsciously made a surprised expression. It was hard to believe that Jinah also knew that. Jinah chuckled, perhaps interpreting his expression.
“Oppa doesn’t seem to have any secrets from you.”
“…”
He awkwardly tried to drink water, but oil was floating on top of it. As Wooyeon subtly put down the water glass, Jinah had a staff member bring a new cup.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.”
Jinah casually cleared away the burnt meat and put the last remaining strip on the grill. Wooyeon hadn’t eaten a single bite, so Jinah was eating two servings by herself. Jinah must have known that, but she didn’t specifically urge him to eat.
“When I was little, I thought Mom and Dad did well. I liked having an older brother, and it was good that he also earned a lot of money, so I thought that way.”
Jinah paused briefly and sighed. But it’s strange now that I’m older, she added, her voice tinged with annoyance.
“Sometimes it gives me goosebumps, thinking I would have grown up the same way if it weren’t for Oppa.”
Wooyeon recalled meeting Dohyun when he was in junior high. In that suffocating space, he was the only one who allowed Wooyeon to breathe. If it hadn’t been for his teacher, Wooyeon wouldn’t have been as stable as he was now.
“Just so you don’t misunderstand, Mom and Dad still care about Oppa. I mean, how could they dislike a son who does so well? That’s why those cheapskates bought him a car and an apartment.”
He habitually fiddled with the watch on his wrist. The excessively expensive item for a student was a gift from Dohyun for Wooyeon’s birthday.
‘Well, should I call it the price of a good son?’
There are many ways to express affection, and sometimes those methods don’t convey complete affection. People usually give the form of affection they want to give, not the form the other person wants to receive.
“What do you like about Oppa?”
Jinah abruptly asked Wooyeon. Wooyeon couldn’t answer immediately and twitched his cheek.
“…Why suddenly?”
“I’ve been curious. People usually like him for his money and looks, so I wondered if it was the same for you.”
While the former was unknown, the latter couldn’t be denied, so Wooyeon ambiguously averted his gaze. He tried to appear as calm as possible, but his ears were already flushed red.
“I just… like everything.”
“Oh, come on, there’s no such thing. Then just tell me three good things.”
Jinah spread out three fingers. And then she firmly added, “Exclude money and looks.” Since he hadn’t intended to mention money anyway, Wooyeon rolled his eyes and parted his lips.
“He’s kind.”
It was a common reason. Jinah actually nodded, agreeing greatly.
“Oppa is kind, indeed.”
“And gentle…”
“Pass. Kind and gentle are the same thing. Let’s combine them and call it personality.”
One finger folded. Looking at her outstretched index and middle fingers, Wooyeon unconsciously thought of Dohyun’s face.
“His smile…”
Dohyun was the most beautifully smiling man Wooyeon knew. When he smiled brightly, his eyes gently crinkling, he sometimes sparkled so much it felt like he was seeing things.
“His smile?”
“…is pretty.”
Wooyeon answered in a small voice and took a sip of water. It was to cool his flushed face, but it didn’t seem to have much effect. Jinah, who he expected to immediately object with ‘that’s his face,’ folded another finger without a word.
“Lastly?”
What should he say for the last one? A common answer would be his voice, but he didn’t want to focus only on Dohyun’s external qualities. Wooyeon didn’t like him just for those reasons.
“Hmm…”
Wooyeon slowly recalled the days he spent with Dohyun. Their first meeting when he couldn’t adapt to school, the gentle words he spoke to him, and the various sides he showed after entering university.
Dohyun was too precious a being to him to be simply attributed to the uniqueness of the situation. He could confidently say that no matter when or where he had met him, Wooyeon would have fallen deeply for Kim Dohyun. The reason for that feeling was something too vast to be called a single factor.
“…I can’t choose.”
“Wow, are you rubbing it in right now?”
Jinah shivered but didn’t seem to intend to probe further. She picked up her chopsticks with her outstretched hand and took a well-cooked piece of meat. Chewing the meat, she winked.
“I thought you’d say something like pheromones. You’re an Omega, right?”
“Yes.”
Winking his left eye was one of Dohyun’s old habits. His younger sibling is the same. As Wooyeon thought that and drank water, Jinah spoke in an indifferent tone.
“So you didn’t just like each other for your looks.”
“…How can you only like someone for their looks?”
“Why not? It’s possible. I only like people for their looks.”
Jinah retorted proudly and pointed at Wooyeon with her chopsticks. Wooyeon blinked blankly at the sudden pointing.
“You’re really handsome too. I think you’re the second most handsome person I’ve ever seen. Oh, the first isn’t Oppa, so keep that a secret.”
“Yes, well…”
He nodded quietly. He was curious who the first was, but not enough to ask. Jinah ate another piece of meat and poured the remaining soju into her water glass.
“But Oppa must really like you. He’s so prideful, but he even apologized first after breaking up.”
“That prideful person apologizes to his younger sibling every time, doesn’t he?”
“…”
She looked taken aback. Jinah, who had slightly bitten her tongue, gulped down the alcohol in her water glass. Thus, the motion of putting it down was rough.
“Drinking like that…”
“By the way, how old are you?”
Wooyeon swallowed his words about drinking moderately and faced Jinah. Jinah, shaking her head, tilted her chin.
“Twenty? Twenty-one? I saw your ID earlier, so you’re not a high school student.”
“…I’m twenty.”
“Wow, really? You’re the same age as me.”
Her smiling face looked innocent. Wooyeon finally understood why she resembled Dohyun.
“Your name is Yeon-i? What’s your family name?”
“It’s Seon Wooyeon. Family name Seon, given name Wooyeon.”
“Yeon-i is a nickname, then. Your name is pretty.”
Every one of Jinah’s expressions resembled Dohyun’s. Her smiling face, her frowning eyes, and even her quick-witted attentiveness to Wooyeon. As if to prove they grew up in the same house, their small habits were similar.
“I’m…”
“I know, Kim Jinah.”
“Right. You called out Kim Jinah, Kim Jinah, several times earlier.”
They were definitely family. Younger sibling, older brother. The bond, stronger than that between Soohyang and himself, felt close even to Wooyeon.
“Speak comfortably. It’s weird to use honorifics when we’re the same age.”
Jinah said that and extended her soju glass. It was the first toast she offered at this drinking session. Wooyeon silently raised his glass and clinked it against Jinah’s with a cheerful sound.
After that, they exchanged words and had a proper drinking session. Wooyeon, who couldn’t even touch the meat at first, started eating little by little when Jinah chose and grilled suitable pieces for him. He awkwardly laughed at her playful grumbling about his refined palate.
“My major really doesn’t suit me. I’m thinking of retaking the entrance exam. But then Mom and Dad will scold me again…”
Jinah said she was on a leave of absence right after her first semester of university. She also mentioned that she didn’t want to be at home because her parents scolded her, telling her to be at least half as good as her older brother. Wooyeon didn’t have siblings, but he knew how painful it was to be compared to someone.
“Oh, right. Do you know what the tattoo on Oppa’s back means?”
Jinah, now flushed with alcohol, lowered her voice conspiratorially. Wooyeon held his soju glass with both hands and slowly shook his head. Jinah, with unfocused eyes, playfully parted her lips.
“That is…”
The autumn weather brought chilly winds at night. While it was warm enough to wear short sleeves during the day, it felt cold without a coat after sunset.
Wooyeon put one hand in his hoodie pocket and brought his phone to his ear. Ringing, the dial tone stopped after a short while.
“Hello?”
—…
He waited for a long time, but no answer came from the other side. Noisy sounds flowed from the restaurant behind him. Wooyeon took his phone away, confirmed the call hadn’t ended, and tapped the floor with the toe of his shoe.
“Hyung, please come pick me up.”
—…
“I’m at the three-layered meat place at that intersection…”
—…
“…You’ll come, right?”
Haa, a low sigh was heard. Wooyeon swallowed his apology and counted the cigarette butts on the ground. One, two, three. When he counted about four, a gentle voice came through the phone.
—It’s cold, so wait inside the restaurant.
The call ended immediately, so Wooyeon couldn’t say anything and put his phone away. The sky, with a crescent moon, was thickly clouded. He knew perfectly well what clothes he was wearing, yet he was worried about him being cold even in this situation.
‘This is why I like him.’
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