Alpha Trauma Novel - Chapter 39. Spring Breeze (2)

Wooyeon gazed blankly at the passing scenery outside the car window. The weather was clear, the wind wasn’t cold, and aside from it being near sunset, it was perfect for a date. Of course, it wasn’t a date, but it looked like one from the outside, so whatever.

“…”

However, on this beautiful day, Wooyeon couldn’t fully enjoy his time with Dohyun. What Garam had told him earlier, while he waited for Dohyun, kept coming to mind.

‘Kim Dohyun has a dating philosophy.’

Should he call it a dating philosophy? Wooyeon didn’t have such a thing. He had liked his “teacher” even before the concept of ‘dating’ formed, and naturally, all his standards revolved around Dohyun. Ideal type or anything else, for Wooyeon, everything related to love was Kim Dohyun.

‘He absolutely never dates anyone he meets at university, work, or part-time jobs.’

He was a former student, and now a junior in the same department. While he hadn’t expected a relationship with Dohyun, the fact that he was excluded from consideration from the start was heartbreaking. It felt like a possibility he hadn’t even dreamt of had been instantly uprooted.

“What are you thinking so hard about?”

Dohyun, who had been driving for a while, quietly asked. The movie theater building they needed to go to was now visible not far away. Wooyeon turned his gaze from the window and answered in a calm tone.

“Because the weather’s nice.”

He didn’t know how that conversation had come up, but Garam’s words were definitely poison. Even if it didn’t hurt now, it would surely eat away at Wooyeon over time. Or perhaps, it was the right time to correct things before his expectations grew too high.

“The weather’s nice, but…”

Dohyun slowly began to speak as he drove into the parking lot. Since it was Friday afternoon, there weren’t many parking spaces. He parked the car close to the exit, then rested his hand on the passenger seat and tilted his head.

“Why has your mood gotten worse?”

“…”

Even while upset, Wooyeon admired Dohyun’s face from the side. The angle that highlighted his neck and the bridge of his nose made his sculpted features look three times more handsome. He often thought about it, but Dohyun was a bit unfair in moments like this.

“Do you want to watch the movie later?”

“No!”

Wooyeon answered reflexively, shaking his head. Dohyun narrowed his eyes and carefully scrutinized Wooyeon’s face. Soon, he smiled widely and unbuckled his seatbelt.

“I wasn’t going to anyway.”

It was a playful remark, but it didn’t feel like a joke. Wooyeon followed him out of the car, trying hard to shake off what Garam had said.

People are so fickle; even if you don’t want something, if you can’t have it, you start to covet it. Even if he wasn’t a university junior, there probably wouldn’t have been any chance of things working out with Dohyun anyway.

“…”

No, was that too pathetic?

As expected, a large crowd had gathered inside the building. Before even getting on the elevator, the two encountered a problem; after letting two packed elevators go, they changed their route. Dohyun led the stunned Wooyeon towards the escalator in the center of the building.

“Is it usually this crowded?”

Wooyeon’s mouth gaped open as he ascended the escalator. Dohyun, standing one step below Wooyeon, held the handrail and looked out.

“It’s always crowded, but today is exceptionally so.”

“Wow…”

He hated bustling places, but as a first-timer in this space, it felt new. The swarms of people getting into one elevator, shrinking like ants below the escalator, and looking so joyful—it all felt strangely different.

“What floor is the movie theater on?”

“8th floor. We have quite a way to go up.”

Dohyun once again let Wooyeon go first onto the next escalator. Wooyeon, who had been distractedly looking around, suddenly collected himself and composed his expression. Ahem, ahem, he cleared his throat, and Dohyun tilted his head.

“Is it surprising how many people there are?”

Aren’t there many people in department stores too? At the question, Wooyeon awkwardly touched his earlobe. When he went with his mother, the department store was usually emptied out for them, so this was his first time in the thick of a crowd. The university was also quite bustling, but a place like this felt different again.

Wooyeon soon turned his eyes around once more. His eyes widened significantly, almost popping out, especially when they passed the arcade on the 6th floor. Various machines were placed under blue and red lights. Among them, what caught his attention the most was a machine filled with crudely made dolls.

“Is that a claw machine?”

At this point, Dohyun openly watched Wooyeon. Wooyeon watched the outside, and Dohyun watched Wooyeon. As Wooyeon’s clear eyes fixated on the claw machine, Dohyun asked casually.

“Want me to get one for you?”

“Really?”

Wooyeon unconsciously brightened, his eyes sparkling. He had often encountered claw machines, but since he didn’t carry cash, he couldn’t try them. And operating the machine alone on the street felt somehow embarrassing.

“…Do you like dolls?”

Dohyun frowned, seemingly surprised by such an enthusiastic reaction, and checked. Wooyeon shook his head without any hesitation.

“No, it’s just fascinating.”

If he liked dolls, he would have bought so many that his house would be overflowing. Dolls weren’t a big deal; he could even have a machine equipped at home. The reason he didn’t was that Wooyeon’s interest was only just that much.

“How big is the screening room?”

“It varies by screening room, but it’s smaller than your house.”

“Oh, really? I thought it would be huge.”

“That’s pretty big for a screening room.”

Wooyeon nodded and turned his body towards Dohyun. Since they were standing on different steps, in their facing position, Wooyeon’s eye level was slightly higher. Wooyeon subtly smiled with his eyes at the fact that he was looking down at Dohyun, whom he always looked up to.

“I can see your crown, Sunbae.”

Dohyun looked at Wooyeon’s face with blank eyes. He seemed a little dazed, or perhaps lost in thought. After a long moment of silence, Dohyun ruffled Wooyeon’s hair only after their eye level returned to normal.

“I can see your crown too.”

“…”

The sensation of the long fingers touching him was too vivid. Wooyeon followed Dohyun, moving a beat later. “I still have a bump,” he protested, but Dohyun merely smiled faintly.

Upon arriving at the movie theater, they first issued their tickets. They could have entered with their phones, but Wooyeon was curious about the physical tickets. The printed tickets turned out to be no different from receipts, but the automated ticketing machine was much more fascinating than he expected.

“I saw somewhere that this movie is so scary that popcorn flies everywhere.”

“You even saw that?”

He had noticed it since morning, but Dohyun made a ticklish laugh every time he said something. The smile that curved his eyes and lifted the corners of his lips made his heart pound so much he wanted to scratch it. Because of it, Wooyeon kept saying silly things, marveling at Dohyun’s amused reactions.

“What drink do you want?”

The snack bar, selling food, was also ridiculously crowded. Hot dogs, squid, nachos… Wooyeon, who had been blankly looking at the menu, answered belatedly.

“I’ll have blueberries… no, orange?”

As soon as Wooyeon answered, it was their turn to order. Dohyun ordered a large popcorn and one blueberry ade and one orange ade. He paid with a card, the same card Wooyeon had once been sent on an errand with.

Wooyeon’s eyes widened as he watched the employee. The employee inserted a paper divider into a large popcorn tub, then filled it with caramel and cheese flavored popcorn and handed it to Wooyeon. Since he ordered a large size, the popcorn tub was bigger than his head.

“Who’s going to eat all of this?”

Even before dinner, the quantity was excessive. Dohyun would surely only pick at it, so it would be impossible for Wooyeon to eat it all by himself. Dohyun looked at Wooyeon, who was holding the popcorn tub, and suddenly laughed out loud.

“If we spill it while watching the movie, the people around us will eat it.”

His low laugh sounded like he found Wooyeon cute. Instead of holding the popcorn, Dohyun carried the two drinks and began to walk. Then, he suddenly turned back to Wooyeon and smiled as if he would melt.

“Why are you holding it so preciously?”

“…”

He felt both cheeks flush red. Wooyeon, who had unconsciously clutched the popcorn tub to his chest, awkwardly lowered one hand. Into his lost right hand, Dohyun placed one ade.

“Here, hold this.”

“I don’t have a free hand like this.”

“Your hands are with me, aren’t they?”

Whatever he found so amusing, Dohyun was continuously smiling. He was usually someone who smiled a lot, but this was the first time he’d been so cheerfully beaming. Dohyun tore open the straws, put them in both drinks, and offered the drink he was holding to Wooyeon’s mouth.

“Try it. See which one tastes better.”

Wooyeon reflexively bit the straw, then averted his gaze when his eyes met Dohyun’s. He knew being fed a drink was nothing special. But because the other person was Dohyun, he felt shy. Surely, Dohyun had only fed him because he had no free hands.

“Which one tastes better?”

“I think blueberry is better.”

“Really?”

Dohyun casually took the straw Wooyeon had bitten into his own mouth. As he drank the orange ade like that, Wooyeon lightly bit the tip of his tongue with his front teeth. His mouth felt entirely sweet, and he couldn’t distinguish whether it was because of the drink or because of Dohyun.

“Which popcorn tastes better?”

“…Sunbae, are you teasing me?”

He hadn’t even been able to try it because his hands were full, yet Dohyun was asking which tasted better. When Wooyeon glared at him with a wronged expression, Dohyun said it was a joke and held up the drink for him. For Wooyeon, who secretly wished he’d feed him popcorn too, it was quite a disappointment.

“Caramel popcorn is delicious.”

“Is cheese not good?”

“It’s okay, but… Would you like to try some?”

Wooyeon offered the popcorn he had picked up for himself to Dohyun’s mouth. It was an act done halfway hoping to surprise him, but Dohyun calmly lowered his head. As he took what Wooyeon offered, his fingertips brushed against soft lips.

“…”

“Not bad.”