Chapter 23
Just then, his phone vibrated, and with perfect timing, Kang Yuhan had sent Igeon a message through private chat rather than the group chat.
– It was nice meeting you today. Thank you so much for helping me in various ways.
What a truly kind person.
– It’s nothing, Sunbae. I look forward to working with you. Please understand if we fall short.
– No, you were very kind and nice. So um… I just remembered, have we met before?
Huh? Wait a minute. Igeon’s heart started pounding heavily again. He quickly gripped his phone tightly.
– I feel like I’ve seen you somewhere before. Not on TV or in videos.
Should I tell him? Would that be okay?
– Ah, that… I saw you during the selection tournament. We bumped into each other.
– Ah!! That’s right!! I remember now! In front of the gym where Taekyung was being tested, right?
It seems he remembered. Igeon was truly overjoyed.
– Yes, that’s right. So you do remember.
– I’m sorry. I didn’t remember right away.
– It’s fine. I was the one at fault back then.
– No, I wasn’t looking properly either. I’m really sorry.
– I’m glad I met you again and could apologize like this. I’ll apologize again when I see you next week.
– No. I didn’t say that to hear an apology. I feel a bit more comfortable now. I was worried things might be awkward, but since I’ve encountered both you and Taekyung before, I think we can have a good time.
– Me too, Sunbae.
– I look forward to working with you.
– Yes, I look forward to working with you too.
After even exchanging ‘good night’ messages, Seo Igeon felt all the strength leave his body. He must have tensed his shoulders so much while typing that his shoulders and neck felt stiff. Nevertheless, he kept reading their conversation over and over again. So this is what it feels like to have butterflies. He regretted his past days of living as someone completely clueless about romance. If he had dated even a little, he would know how to approach and what to do in this situation, but now he knew nothing… The only people around who could give him advice were Han Taekyung and Kim Gyeongsu, but Kim Gyeongsu was at a different school, and Han Taekyung had become his rival in love.
“Sigh. I used to mock people who learned about dating on the internet.”
Igeon looked up at the sky with a hollow laugh, never imagining he would become one of those people. I’ll have to work hard.
â—†
“Who’s your assigned senior?”
After finishing training, classmates gathered to eat and started talking about the psychology counseling students they had each met recently.
“Ours is Kang Yuhan.”
“What? Kang Yuhan?? Senior Kang Yuhan?!”
The faces of their classmates suddenly turned toward Han Taekyung and Seo Igeon.
“Really?”
“Yeah, that’s right. Why?”
“Hey, that senior is the top among sports psychology students. Both in grades and looks.”
“Ah, I thought he was pretty,”
When Igeon casually mentioned this, his classmates’ eyes sparkled even more. Then, one or two of them approached with unpleasant smiles and grabbed Igeon’s neck tightly.
“This, this, this! Do you have feelings for Senior Kang Yuhan?”
“Ah, no, you guys!!”
“No way!! You look way too interested?”
“Ugh- neck, neck! I can’t breathe!”
You bastards, do you know how strong you are? Do you know what kind of beings you are! You’re physical education students, and if you strangle like that-
“Stop it. Igeon is struggling.”
Han Taekyung quickly placed his hand on the arm that was choking Igeon and spoke.
“What about you, Han Taekyung~ You’ll be lonely if Seo Igeon starts dating.”
“Why would I be lonely?”
“This guy Seo Igeon, you can tell just by looking at him that if he gets an omega, he’ll abandon his friends and go all-in on that omega. When someone who’s never dated before falls for someone, there’s no answer, right? Then all his friends will be left high and dry. And the biggest abandoned one will be Han Taekyung.”
“Hey, am I such a bad person?”
After hearing that, they’re making me out to be someone who would betray friends for love. As Igeon grumbled in displeasure, the other classmates agreed with “You’re exactly like that” and “Yeah, you seem like that type,” which made him feel strange. Do I really come across as such an unpleasant person? I’ve wasted my life.
“Han Taekyung, don’t listen to those guys. You know me. I’m definitely not that kind of person.”
When Igeon spoke to Han Taekyung with a look that said, “You at least should take my side,” Taekyung smiled and ruffled Igeon’s hair.
“But Senior Kang Yuhan, really. That senior is kind and nice, so he’s popular… I heard a lot of alphas approach him, but he rejects them each time.”
“Yeah, I heard that rumor too. What are you going to do, Seo Igeon? You might be popular, but compared to Senior Kang Yuhan…”
“You guys, stop before I throw those mouths into the Han River today.”
Only when Igeon got genuinely angry did his classmates change the subject. As he drank a glass of water, Igeon felt a bit unsettled. Taekyung was already a handful, and now the senior turned out to be a popular person. Thinking that even his first love wouldn’t be easy, Igeon sighed deeply.
And two days later, on Thursday, he was set to meet the senior.
Having arrived first, he was sitting in the cafe, busily writing something on his laptop. His profile was so beautiful that Igeon was lost in watching him for a while, before hurriedly rushing into the cafe, afraid of being late for their appointment.
“Hello, Sunbae.”
“Ah, hello.”
“Sorry I’m late.”
At Igeon’s words, Kang Yuhan looked at the clock on his laptop.
“Hmm? It’s still five minutes before our scheduled time? But why are you alone?”
“Ah, Taekyung said he had something to discuss with the coach. He’ll be here shortly.”
“I see. Please, sit down.”
“Um, Sunbae. May I buy you a coffee?”
“Huh? I already ordered and am drinking coffee.”
Kang Yuhan pointed to the coffee cup he was drinking from. Ah, why didn’t I notice that?
“But, but I still want to buy you one. I’ll be troubling you a lot.”
“…Alright. Thank you.”
As if accepting Igeon’s goodwill, Kang Yuhan nodded. He chose a vanilla latte, and Seo Igeon ordered the same. Shortly after, Han Taekyung entered the cafe and stood behind Igeon, who was ordering.
“Are you buying?”
“Yeah. Do you want something too?”
“Will you buy it for me?”
“Why wouldn’t I? What do you want to drink?”
“Whatever you’re having.”
Saying that, Han Taekyung went to the table where the senior was sitting. The senior smiled brightly and stood up when he saw Taekyung, but Taekyung just gave a slight nod as a greeting and sat across from him. When the ordered coffees came out, all three had the same vanilla latte. He usually only drank cheap iced americanos, so when he tried a sip of this different menu item, he was surprised by how sweet it was.
“The vanilla latte here is delicious.”
So this is what’s considered delicious.
“Sunbae, do you like vanilla lattes?”
“Yes, I like them. I can’t drink plain americanos because they’re too bitter.”
“I see.”
The senior looked so pretty while smiling and drinking coffee. His long eyelashes, red lips, and neat nails captivated attention. So this is what it feels like to learn what someone you like enjoys. I should try to like vanilla lattes from now on. Igeon hummed inwardly as he took a sip. Just then, he noticed Han Taekyung who had taken one sip and was now frowning intensely, which made him laugh. Fortunately, Taekyung didn’t tell the senior that it wasn’t to his taste. He just didn’t bring the cup to his lips after that.
“Today, I want to hear about what your daily routines are like, and what the most memorable thing of the week was for you.”
The senior asked with a serious face. Igeon seriously thought about what had happened today and what the most memorable thing of the week was. Thinking about what happened during the day was easy. But to talk about the most memorable thing of the week… hmm…. Igeon pondered deeply. Every day was the same routine. Training, attending lectures, training again, falling asleep exhausted, waking up early to jog, exercising, eating, somehow he didn’t want to tell the senior about this boring daily life. If he had to mention one memorable thing from this repetitive routine…
“Meeting you last week, Sunbae.”
“Huh?”
“That’s the one thing I remember most from the past week. Meeting you last week.”
“Huh?”
“Ah, is last Thursday not included?”
“Ah, no. That’s not it. Thank you. I’m happy you said that.”
The senior typed busily, and his eyelashes fluttered as he slightly lowered his head. He’s really pretty. So pretty that I want to keep looking at him.
“Then what about you, Taekyung?”
“My daily routine is the same as Seo Igeon’s. Since we’re almost always together, it’s identical.”
“I see. Then what’s the most memorable thing for you from the past week?”
“Since my daily routine is almost identical, there’s nothing particularly memorable.”
I knew he would say something like this. Is he really the one who said we should compete for the senior? How can he seem so halfhearted? Is this his way of playing hard to get?
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
