Alpha Trauma Novel (Completed) - Chapter 74. Fox Star (9)

It had been four years since he reunited with Suhyang. During that time, they hadn’t even contacted each other, let alone asked about each other’s well-being, and naturally, they didn’t know anything about each other’s recent lives. Even if he had heard from an employee that he had left his house, he shouldn’t have known where he was staying.

Yet, Suhyang referred to Dohyun as ‘that child’s house.’ It was too many steps to jump to such a conclusion based solely on a shirt. Naturally, everything led to one conclusion.

“…Did you have someone follow me?”

There was no answer, but that was as good as one. Ha, Wooyeon let out a hollow laugh and muttered in a self-deprecating voice.

“Right, you’re not someone who would just let things go.”

He had clearly been dreaming for a moment. He knew Suhyang wasn’t someone who would just stand by, but he had pretended not to know. He had only looked straight ahead, without even looking around, at the thought of seeing his teacher when he entered university.

“Aren’t you tired of it?”

Wooyeon’s personal doctor, the employees who managed his house, the chef who cooked for him, and even his tutor when he was young. Wooyeon had always, always lived within Suhyang’s fence. A life where every move was reported in detail was already sickeningly familiar.

But that was only if the person was merely an ’employee.’

“I thought Daniel was the end of it…”

Suhyang looked up at Wooyeon. The quiet silence was, again, an affirmation. After a long silence, she finally spoke calmly.

“Come home. I have nothing more to say.”

With that, Suhyang stood up. Her act of tidying her clothes signaled that the conversation was over. Wooyeon clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

“…I’m not going in.”

“Seon Wooyeon.”

“No matter what you say, I won’t go in.”

He had no intention of doing as Suhyang wished. Whether reporters flocked or he lost his residence, it was better than entering that prison-like house. He’d rather walk freely through the wilderness than be trapped behind high walls.

“Every day I spent in that house was hell.”

Wooyeon glared at Suhyang with eyes full of malice. No tears welled up, but he somehow looked like he was crying.

“Before I went to America, I didn’t live like a human for a single day.”

“…”

“Even in America, where I went, I did as you wished, Mom.”

He realized Daniel was Suhyang’s person from a very minor detail. The fact that Daniel, whom he met without any connection, cared excessively about Wooyeon. The fact that he knew Wooyeon’s eating habits and brought him suppressants whenever his heat cycle came.

Wooyeon was sensitive to manufactured kindness. From childhood until now, Wooyeon’s surroundings had always been full of pretense. It was an environment where he couldn’t help but keenly discern what the other person wanted and for what purpose they approached him.

‘Danny, go tell Mom. The suppressants you brought last time are too weak, so ask for a stronger one.’

When Wooyeon first said that, Daniel didn’t panic and smiled. He even put his arm around Wooyeon’s shoulder, acting as if he had known everything. That smile wasn’t a lie, and Wooyeon considered him a friend even knowing everything.

Even his first friend started at his mother’s hands. So what about these new relationships he met in college?

“Who is it this time?”

A few faces flashed through his mind. The images of them comforting him, cherishing him, and treating him kindly still remained in his memory. But what if all of that was fabricated? How could he endure a situation where even the mere assumption made his stomach churn?

“Who did you set up for me this time?”

Suhyang’s expression was unreadable. She seemed angry, yet also nonchalant. She seemed a little sorry, but that was likely Wooyeon’s misconception.

“How far do you have to go to be satisfied?”

“To protect you…”

Suhyang hesitated for a long time before slowly opening her mouth. It was the reason Wooyeon had always heard.

“To protect you.”

A self-deprecating laugh escaped him. Even though it was completely inappropriate for the situation, Wooyeon asked innocently.

“Like my deceased mother?”

Suhyang’s pheromones sharpened. Heavy and toxic, a scent perfectly suited for an Alpha. His lungs were flattened, and his skin was painfully shredded. His breath caught in his throat, but he didn’t stop speaking.

“Like the person Mom obsessed over, and eventually caused to die?”

Wooyeon had another mother besides Suhyang. A mother with a different nature, personality, and family background, who married Suhyang and gave birth to Wooyeon. A pitiful Omega who slowly withered away and died under Suhyang’s protection.

“That’s not protection.”

“…”

“It’s surveillance.”

Suhyang’s eyes flickered with anger. Even the slight trembling of her eyelids was a remnant of unexpressed emotion. She slowly blinked and turned her head slightly.

“I don’t know what you’re trying to achieve by provoking me, but if it’s just to vent your anger, go do it somewhere else.”

Her face, now cold, showed no trace of the earlier bewilderment. Only the overflowing pheromones surged unsteadily. She hardened her mouth and spoke in a chilling voice.

“If you noticed Daniel Corner, you should have known he wasn’t the first.”

His mind went blank. His vision turned dark, and the flickering pheromones suddenly cut off. To Wooyeon, who was blankly parting his lips, the cold voice spoke again.

“If you didn’t know, that’s regrettable.”

“…”

“I thought you liked him even knowing.”

That was the end of it. As if to say nothing more, Suhyang passed Wooyeon and left the office. Bang, the sound of the door closing was louder than ever.

In the car on the way home, Wooyeon stared out the window like someone whose soul had left their body. Driver Yoon didn’t speak, and only the rapidly passing scenery blurred before his eyes.

‘His name is… Seon Wooyeon?’

From the first time he met him until now, every scene passed like a panorama. Their neat and mature first meeting, all the memories of him always being gentle and kind.

‘Please take care of me, Yeon-ah.’

Come to think of it, there were more than a few strange things. His mother, who always brought in top-tier tutors, brought in an ordinary college student. And Dohyun, who was simply a tutor, was excessively interested in him.

‘You said you were home alone, so I was worried.’

How on earth did he know Wooyeon was alone? On the day his phone broke, he couldn’t contact Dohyun at all. Wooyeon himself had only realized later that the house was empty.

In the end, it was the same pattern as with Daniel. Dohyun showed him affection and interest, but he didn’t tell him what it was based on. Even if his kindness wasn’t a pretense, it was unknown whether its origin was out of his own free will.

‘It’s not a very good memory.’

“Ha, damn it…”

Nausea surged. His chest tightened, making it difficult to breathe. He leaned his forehead against the car window, but the transparent glass quickly turned lukewarm.

‘I tried to draw a line, but it wasn’t easy. At first, I was concerned, then I felt sorry. I knew I shouldn’t, but I liked that he liked me so much.’

He realized too late the reason for the words “I did it because I felt sorry.” The parts he had casually overlooked came back to Wooyeon like arrows. He wanted to deny it, but no matter what he thought, the conclusion remained unchanged.

‘I’m anxious too, Yeon-ah.’

‘That you might be disappointed in me.’

‘So… that you might say you don’t like me anymore.’

Perhaps he had subconsciously felt it even then. In that moment when he couldn’t say he wouldn’t be disappointed, Wooyeon instinctively realized.

Something disappointing might happen. All of this, like a fox star, might disappear.

“Young master, we’ve arrived.”

“…Don’t go back, wait here.”

Wooyeon always walked towards Dohyun without looking back. Even though he knew Dohyun was hiding something, he ignored it, intoxicated by a fleeting sweetness. He didn’t know that all that would eventually come back to him like this.

When Wooyeon rang the doorbell, Dohyun opened the door without making him wait long. He held his phone and car keys in one hand, and he was still in his going-out clothes. As soon as he saw Wooyeon, his gentle eyes curved into a smile.

“You came quickly. I was about to go pick you up.”

For a brief moment, he had that thought. The thought that if he pretended not to know, he could act as if nothing had happened. The absurd hope that he could maintain this relationship.

But that thought didn’t last long. The moment his eyes met Dohyun’s, a wave of sorrow washed over him. Blink, he closed and opened his eyes, and a tear dropped.

“…”

Dohyun’s expression changed. Whatever he felt, his pheromones were also unusual. Wooyeon looked up at Dohyun and barely managed to open his mouth.

“…Why did you do that?”

His voice was heavy and choked. Even the words he forced out seemed to be swallowed by overwhelming emotion. Tears streamed down his pale cheeks, leaving marks.

“Why did you do that to me?”

Dohyun said nothing. He didn’t ask what he meant, nor did he wipe away Wooyeon’s tears. He just bit his lip and silently lowered his gaze.

Then, Dohyun let out a shallow breath and uttered a short syllable.

“I’m sorry.”

It wasn’t a denial. Instead of the answer Wooyeon hoped for, the story he absolutely didn’t want to hear came out.

“I didn’t do it on purpose.”

“…You’re not denying it?”

His stomach churned violently. His vision turned black, and the thread of his reason snapped. The unsettlingly flickering air reflected Wooyeon’s feelings exactly.

“You’re not even making excuses, saying it’s not like that?”

Wooyeon glared at Dohyun with resentful eyes. His tear-stained face was hot and damp. Wooyeon gasped a few times and bit out,

“I don’t understand you, Senior.”

With that, Wooyeon turned and walked out the front door. If Dohyun hadn’t reached out, he had no intention of ever looking back. Dohyun grabbed Wooyeon and urgently blurted out,

“I’ll tell you everything.”

He was uncharacteristically anxious. Unstable pheromones transmitted along where they touched.

“What happened, I’ll explain until you understand…”

His desperate plea was something he had fallen for once before. Just like in the club room, his heart swayed in the breeze.

“No.”

However, Wooyeon shook off Dohyun’s hand instead of looking at him. Thwack, his hand was pushed away and moved weakly.

“I don’t want to hear it.”

It was a lie to think it was okay if he didn’t reveal his true feelings. Betrayal, anger. Even putting those aside, the greatest feeling was the unfairness of not having known until now.

“That’s not telling me; that’s being caught.”