Omega Complex Novel (Completed) - Chapter 35

Oops, I thought. Only then did I realize the error in my words. It was such a natural question that I had answered it without thinking.

“……”

Kim Minjeong, you… As I gave her that look, Minjeong shrugged.

“It’s oppa’s fault for falling for it.”

“Kim Dohyun confessed? Did you reject him? Why?”

The club room door burst open at that very moment. When I turned my gaze, I saw Kim Dohyun with a disgruntled expression. His timing was impeccable.

“……I could hear Sungjae hyung’s voice from the end of the hallway.”

Kim Dohyun spoke calmly and stepped inside. Even Minjeong hadn’t expected his appearance; the usually unperturbed guy showed signs of surprise. Of course, she wouldn’t have expected Kim Dohyun to come to the club room at this hour.

“I came in while you were talking about me, without tact, didn’t I?”

His shrug was utterly brazen. Aha! Minjeong waved her hand at Kim Dohyun.

“If you know, go out for 10 minutes.”

Kim Minjeong’s personality was something else. It was a very shameless reaction, but Kim Dohyun, as if accustomed to it, put down his bag and took a seat next to me. A few books, presumably for a first-year required major, came out of his bag.

“I’ll be quiet, so pretend I’m not here and talk. I came here to study too.”

The guy I hadn’t seen in a while looked paler than before. He wasn’t the type to carry much weight to begin with, but now he seemed to have lost a bit too much. Sensing my gaze, he spoke without looking at me.

“I know I’m handsome even from the side, but my face is haggard right now, so don’t look.”

“Did you really confess to Yoonwoo hyung?”

Anyway, Park Sungjae never knew how to hold back. Even if Kim Dohyun told them to talk as if he wasn’t there, to ask such a direct question. I was flustered and tried to stop him, but Kim Dohyun was faster.

“I was rejected.”

Park Sungjae’s mouth snapped shut. Minjeong pressed her brows together and sighed. Kim Dohyun looked at the two of them in turn, looking the most unperturbed.

“I didn’t confess on the day Yoonwoo sunbae was sick. I know how to read the room too.”

It was a truly awkward situation. Talking about the person in question right in front of them. I knew the latter part was much worse, but at least that one felt more comfortable.

“Sigh.”

Minjeong sighed briefly and tapped the table. Tap, tap, the sound made Kim Dohyun’s gaze shift to Minjeong.

“Yoonwoo oppa didn’t say anything. I probed him.”

“I know, Yoonwoo sunbae isn’t the type to talk about such things.”

Kim Dohyun immediately replied, then glanced at me. Perhaps because he was sitting right next to me, I could clearly feel him trying to read my expression.

“He probably even forgot I confessed.”

His words hit the nail on the head. Perhaps because I hadn’t acknowledged it, I constantly forgot that he liked me. In fact, I wasn’t even sure if he still liked me.

After that, an awkward atmosphere continued. Kim Dohyun seemed genuinely focused, Park Sungjae had his book taken away and was playing on his phone. Minjeong said nothing except occasionally pointing out important parts to me.

It was Kim Dohyun who finally broke the silence. Thud, he roughly closed his book and sharply turned his head to look at me.

“Sunbae.”

“……Why?”

His tone was very aggressive. It was almost enough to mistake it for picking a fight. Of course, the topic he brought up was far from an argument.

“It’s my first time being rejected after confessing.”

Our gazes met in the air. I could feel Park Sungjae and Minjeong watching us. He said to talk as if he wasn’t there, but did he mean he would pretend others weren’t there?

“I’m tall, an Alpha, and young…”

The guy speaking cut off his words. ‘Since he said he doesn’t like younger guys, I’ll leave that out.’ I heard him mumble.

“Anyway, I’m handsome, aren’t I?”

I stared at Kim Dohyun’s face. His moderately defined features, his kind-looking eyes. As he said, he was tall, a dominant Alpha, young, and handsome, so it made sense that he would be popular.

“That’s right.”

At my short answer, Kim Dohyun’s face turned blank. He must not have expected me to agree after he said it himself. He pursed his lips, looking flustered, and then frowned.

“……You agreed to everything?”

“Yeah. You’re handsome, tall, and a dominant Alpha, right?”

And young too. I twirled the pen I was holding as I answered. It wasn’t wrong, it was all true. I have eyes, so how could I not know that?

“But why…”

“Choi Taegyeom and I are childhood friends.”

Kim Dohyun crumpled his face. It was a reflexive reaction to the single phrase, ‘Choi Taegyeom.’

“He’s also handsome, tall, and a dominant Alpha.”

It was far too early to discuss looks in front of me. The face I had seen since birth was Choi Taegyeom’s. The first pheromone I felt after manifesting as an Omega was also Choi Taegyeom’s. Even if their heights were similar, Choi Taegyeom had the advantage in other areas. Excluding age, of course.

“If you understand, study.”

“Hyung, that was mean.”

Park Sungjae mumbled in a small voice. Did he even know that the sister-in-law who tries to stop a fight is more hated? Meanwhile, Minjeong was calmly asking Kim Dohyun.

“You’ve never confessed before, have you?”

Kim Dohyun’s eyes narrowed slightly. It was clearly an affirmative reaction. Minjeong flipped her phone face down on the table and picked up her pen.

“Dohyun, you’re the type who’s never liked anyone and only received confessions, so your nose naturally got high.”

“……”

I almost burst out laughing without realizing it. It wasn’t a mocking laugh, but Minjeong’s words sounded too much like a psychological test. Minjeong didn’t stop there and pointed her pen at Park Sungjae.

“Park Sungjae is the type who gets attached quickly and gets bored quickly. These kinds of people can’t maintain long relationships.”

“……What, I’m not that kind of person.”

This time, I couldn’t hold back and laughter escaped. As I chuckled, Park Sungjae, who had been vehemently denying it, looked at me with narrowed eyes. Yes, you are that type. No further confirmation was needed.

“Then what about Yoonwoo sunbae?”

Kim Dohyun asked grumbling, with his arms crossed. Minjeong, after subtly glancing at me, scratched her chin with her pen. Then she frowned and spoke.

“The clueless type?”

“Wow, that’s the correct answer. Seriously.”

As if he hadn’t just argued, Park Sungjae even clapped his hands, delighted. Kim Dohyun also seemed to agree, subtly. Only Minjeong, who had brought up the topic, shrugged and added.

“No interest in romance, doesn’t know who likes him, and forgets confessions quickly.”

“……”

“It’s best not to like this type.”

It was a rather harsh assessment. Both for me and for Kim Dohyun. I wondered why she started this word game, and it seemed she wanted to tell him not to like me.

“Then what about you?”

Clueless Park Sungjae asked, his eyes sparkling. As soon as the question was directed at her, Minjeong opened her book with a loss of interest.

“I’m the type who doesn’t date. Now, study.”

The short psychological test ended quickly. It was somewhat fun, which was a shame. Park Sungjae seemed to think similarly, trying to grab Minjeong’s attention by naming various club members.

“Ah, you’re just the annoying type. Be quiet.”

Of course, he was quickly rejected.

His sulky expression was cute. Perhaps because Park Sungjae’s eyes were pretty, when the corners of his eyes drooped like that, he looked less like a person and more like a character. Sort of like, Winnie the Pooh after his honey was taken away.

“So, Sunbae.”

Softly, Kim Dohyun began. His voice was quiet enough that the others, who were suddenly choosing lunch menus, wouldn’t hear him. Why? When I asked that, Kim Dohyun whispered his question.

“Is your body okay now?”

He said ‘body,’ but he probably meant my pheromones. Or perhaps the heat cycle. He was clearly being considerate so Park Sungjae and Minjeong wouldn’t hear.

“I’m fine, completely recovered.”

I couldn’t feel Kim Dohyun’s pheromones. It was partly because he was hiding them, but it was also proof that my heat cycle was almost over. I had been uncertain until morning, but seeing no reaction now, it seemed fine.

“And I told Choi Taegyeom.”

I glanced at the two of them. They were now discussing temperature differences and clothing. Didn’t they say they were studying? It was clear they had been like this the whole time before I arrived.

“……What?”

Kim Dohyun even turned his head, urging an answer. Fortunately, the two guys didn’t seem interested in us. Just then, Minjeong took out her phone and started explaining something to Park Sungjae.

“That I’m an Omega.”

“……”

“And I’m going to tell him the rest today.”

While suffering through the heat cycle, I had many thoughts. Kim Dohyun’s words were, in a way, a detonator for me. I had confessed to being an Omega, and I knew Choi Taegyeom liked me, so why delay any longer?

“I’m going to confess that I like him.”

“……”

“As you said, I can’t stand it anymore.”

Honestly, I wasn’t sure it would go well. He liked me before he knew I was an Omega. It was uncertain if he would still like me after feeling my Omega pheromones.

“So you should give up too.”

But I wanted to tell Kim Dohyun. The reaction Kim Dohyun showed me that day. And today, the way he looked at me.

“Everything I said today is true.”

The feelings he had for me were growing larger and larger.

The club room was quiet after the exam. I lay on the cot, replaying Kim Dohyun’s words. He hadn’t responded to my suggestion to not let his feelings grow, but as I was about to leave the club room, he spoke as if he couldn’t hold it in any longer.

‘Sunbae, you know you’re really mean, right?’

I recalled Park Sungjae and Minjeong looking uncomfortable at his words. What did they sense from his suppressed emotions, that even the clueless Park Sungjae fled the club room as if escaping?

‘Where do you get off getting revenge like this just because I told you to give up?’

He was right. In fact, this was a small retaliation against him, who had so easily told me to speak up if I was frustrated, or to give up if it didn’t work out.

‘……Sorry.’

Saying sorry was truly cowardly. With that one word, the heavy burden of my conscience was lightly shed. What else could be as appropriate as ‘sorry’ to cut off the anger the other person was showing?

‘……It’s fine.’

He ultimately couldn’t add anything more and closed his lips.

As soon as I left the club room, I could feel sorrowful pheromones beyond the firmly closed door. Of course, I didn’t want to be so inconsiderate as to acknowledge it.

Fortunately, the exam went without much difficulty. It was the result of roughly memorizing the summary file Minjeong gave me and abandoning content that seemed impossible to cram. Still, perhaps because I had diligently attended classes, I would probably get at least half right.

“Should I sleep a bit…”

The sun was coming in through the window, and the cot was quite cozy. Having woken up early in the morning, a heavy drowsiness crept over me. Wouldn’t it be okay to sleep a little before the others arrived? Honestly, I wanted to go home, but I had already promised to go drinking.

‘We have to drink to celebrate hyung getting better!’

What a good excuse. There was still so much time left until the exam. Minjeong was the only one who could stop Park Sungjae, but even Kim Minjeong was a slave to alcohol. This club was going to be ruined by alcohol. Even thinking that, there was no turning back.