Alpha Trauma Novel - Chapter 36. Rock (5)

Junseong, his face now pale, clapped a hand over his mouth and frowned. As a Recessive, he would be slow to even perceive pheromones, but Wooyeon was an Alpha so dominant he could overwhelm all of that. If Wooyeon released all his pheromones right now, Junseong would surely vomit everything he had eaten.

“Why? You were so confident when you were playing dirty tricks behind my back, but now that it’s happening to you, it feels like shit?”

His vision seemed to darken completely. His head felt cool, and conversely, his chest grew hot. Wooyeon himself felt dizzy from the surging pheromones, so there was no way Junseong could be fine.

“Gasp…!”

Junseong was now barely breathing. His intermittent gasps made it seem like he might faint any moment. Wooyeon gradually lessened the amount of pheromones and loosened his grip on Junseong’s collar.

“You asked me, didn’t you? Why I hated you so much.”

“……Ugh, ack.”

Junseong’s limp body collapsed weakly to the floor. Remarkably, he was still conscious enough to fall away from the stairs.

Wooyeon, looking down at him from right in front of Junseong’s nose, spoke in a low, subdued voice.

“After all that, how could you not recognize me?”

“……!”

Junseong’s eyes widened, looking up at Wooyeon, as if he had just realized something. His roughly heaving shoulders still struggled to breathe.

Wooyeon managed to calm his pheromones and traced back a memory from six years ago.

“Middle school.”

At fourteen, Wooyeon met Kang Junseong for the first time at the school he had just enrolled in. He became friends with him on their first encounter, and exactly one month later, he was ostracized.

“First grade Class 1, second grade Class 3, and third grade Class 5.”

“Ugh…”

“You ostracized me for three whole years.”

Their persistent connection was unbelievable even now that he thought about it. Whether God had abandoned Wooyeon, or the school had abandoned Wooyeon. One of them clearly disliked Wooyeon.

“Me ignoring you and removing your name from the group assignment?”

Wooyeon let out a hollow laugh, pressing his fingernail into his palm. If he didn’t do this, all sorts of messy emotions seemed like they would mix together.

“Honestly, that’s nothing.”

“Hmph…”

“Compared to what you did to me, that’s nothing, you bastard.”

His gradually intensifying emotions surged again through his pheromones. The wildly flowing pheromones pressured Junseong as if they would burst him. His wildly trembling eyes became dull as he felt Wooyeon’s pheromones.

“Hmph…”

Junseong crawled on the floor, drool dripping from his mouth. He had only been grabbed by the collar once, but to anyone looking, he seemed to have been thoroughly beaten. Wooyeon, even in that moment, saw Junseong’s crotch swell and made a truly disgusted face.

‘Alphas…’

To feel pheromones and get aroused even in this situation. The trait was more animalistic the more he learned about it. If it were the opposite case, Omegas might be the same, but Wooyeon didn’t think that far.

“Just so you don’t misunderstand, it’s not some grand revenge or anything. You were the one who started playing dirty tricks in the first place…”

The irritation that had been welling up surpassed its limit. Being angry at Junseong, or continuing to speak here, all felt pointless.

“Please, let’s just act like strangers.”

Wooyeon made the request with as much sincerity as possible. Junseong didn’t seem to have properly heard him, but it didn’t matter. He had let him know that he was ‘that’ Seon Wooyeon, and that alone would prevent Junseong from finding a reason for his own actions.

It was then, just as Wooyeon passed him and was about to go down the stairs. He found the pheromones clinging to his entire body cumbersome when a familiar voice came from the top of the stairs.

“……Wooyeon?”

Wooyeon quickened his steps, feeling intensely awkward. The person walking beside him seemed perfectly normal, but Wooyeon found that even more peculiar. His jet-black hair and pale skin, for some reason, felt particularly distant today.

“To meet you there of all places.”

A moment ago, the person he encountered on the stairs was Wooyeon’s department TA, whom he often saw. Today too, he had a neat appearance, and a strong Alpha pheromone clung to him. Wooyeon, flustered by the TA’s sudden appearance, was somehow walking with him to the club room.

“But what brings you to that building? A general elective?”

“Yes… I’m taking Global Leadership.”

“Ah, that professor is nice.”

The TA nodded and added in a small voice. It would be great if there were no group assignments, he said, and Wooyeon let out a wry laugh. Since this whole mess had happened precisely because of that group assignment, it was an undeniable truth.

“What were you there for, TA?”

“Running an errand for the professor. Don’t even think about going to grad school, let alone being a TA.”

It was advice given with genuine sincerity. Wooyeon suddenly recalled Dohyun’s reaction during the course correction period, how he would run away at the mere mention of “grad school.”

“……Um, TA.”

The TA just turned his eyes to look at Wooyeon without answering. His jet-black eyes, like a black hole, felt different from Dohyun’s. If Dohyun was soft and gentle, the TA had a colder hue.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?”

At Wooyeon’s words, the TA ambiguously averted his gaze. He seemed to have fully understood what Wooyeon was asking. He hesitated for a long time, then opened his mouth with a slightly embarrassed expression.

“Actually, I heard some things from above.”

“……”

“I wasn’t trying to eavesdrop, but it just happened.”

When the TA spoke earlier, Junseong was sprawled at his feet. The TA ignored him with his usual expression and suggested Wooyeon accompany him to the club room. He didn’t worry about Junseong collapsed on the floor, nor did he scold Wooyeon for what he had done.

“Now that we’re talking about it, you shouldn’t be releasing pheromones in the hallway.”

His casual tone was excessively indifferent. It wasn’t that he was holding back questions; he truly seemed to have no curious points. When Seongyu had said, ‘I don’t think the TA knows my name,’ Wooyeon had replied that couldn’t be true, but now he belatedly wondered if it might be possible.

“I’ll be careful.”

Wooyeon didn’t press further and ended the conversation. The TA also concluded by saying, “There’s no need to be that careful.” Silence fell again, but this time it wasn’t as awkward as before.

In the club room, Garam and Seongyu looked anxious. Dohyun was nowhere to be seen; they said he had gone out for a cigarette, leaving them restless. Wooyeon felt a pang of disappointment that the face he most wanted to see wasn’t there, then instinctively recoiled as Garam approached him menacingly.

“Your pheromones…”

Garam’s slit eyes, without double eyelids, glinted particularly sharply. He scanned Wooyeon up and down, then his face hardened severely. Instead of Wooyeon, who was awkwardly avoiding his gaze, the TA stepped inside and spoke.

“They won’t allow the pub this festival.”

“……What?”

“Selling alcohol is completely forbidden.”

Garam’s face immediately turned blank. His mouth agape, he stared at the TA and let out a shrill scream.

“No way! Then what are we supposed to do for the festival?”

Wooyeon seized the opportunity to quietly slip out of Garam’s sight. Seongyu looked at Wooyeon, but Wooyeon gestured that he was just stepping out for a moment, and Seongyu pretended not to notice.

Only after carefully closing the club room door did Wooyeon sigh and lean against the wall, crouching down.

“Ah… I’m tired.”

Perhaps it was due to the release of tension, but fatigue washed over him abruptly. He knew he had to tell them the results of the group assignment, but for now, he wanted to do nothing. Moreover, Garam had felt his pheromones, so he might even have to explain the scuffle with Junseong.

‘I miss my teacher.’

Wooyeon thought, rubbing the corner of his eye. When he leaned his head against the wall, he felt a fierce pain that almost brought tears to his eyes. Startled, he touched the back of his head, and sure enough, a prominent bump had risen.

“Ugh…”

A groan escaped him. It hurt this much with just a slight touch; he felt like he would die when washing his hair. He really should have hit Junseong back. Now, he felt a late regret.

“Ah, it hurts too much.”

Wooyeon buried his face in his knees and gently massaged the back of his head. It felt quite large even with a rough touch, so he imagined it would look quite impressive if he saw it in a mirror. Should he ask Seongyu to take a picture later? He could just make up some story about bumping into something…

“Stay still.”

Whoosh, pheromones wafted over. They weren’t Wooyeon’s, nor were they Junseong’s. A refreshing and crisp scent, like an autumn breeze, gently circled near Wooyeon. Wooyeon stiffened his neck, his fingers twitching.

“Let me see…”

The owner of the pheromones gently caressed Wooyeon’s head. Softly, he parted his hair and cautiously explored the area around the bump. When Wooyeon squirmed and flinched, he asked with utmost tenderness.

“Does it hurt?”

“……A little.”

Wooyeon tightened his core and bit his lip. He felt a sweet sensation, as if his palate was tingling, as if he hadn’t been tired moments ago. Meanwhile, having roughly gauged the size of the bump, the other person slowly withdrew his hand.

“Should I ask, or should I not ask?”

At the gentle question, Wooyeon slowly lifted his head. His gaze traveled past the straight legs to where Dohyun, the person he had so desperately wanted to see, was standing. Dohyun, still bent at the waist, looked at Wooyeon, who was crouching, and spoke.

“I’ll do as you wish.”

His expression indicated that if Wooyeon wished him not to ask, he would readily comply. His eyes held a hint of worry, but he was someone who would endure if Wooyeon desired it. Wooyeon, intoxicated by his concern and kindness, grabbed a piece of his clothing like a child.

“Then hug me.”

Dohyun silently lowered his gaze. His glistening eyes held a slight hesitation. Wooyeon pulled at his clothing a little harder, softly urging Dohyun almost imperceptibly.

“You said you’d do as I wish.”

“……”

As if under a spell, Dohyun moved slowly. He extended his arms to help Wooyeon up, then carefully embraced his shoulders. Wooyeon, enveloped by the gently wafting pheromones, let his tense body relax.

“Being spoiled, aren’t we?”

Wooyeon didn’t answer, burying his face in Dohyun’s embrace. He wanted to extend his arms and hug him back, but he couldn’t muster the courage. Thump, thump, the sound of a heartbeat in his ear, somehow felt similar to his own.