“Hyung. I’m sorry about that time.”
After all the lectures were finished, we met Seo Hee-gyeom in the cafeteria. He offered an apology to both me and Do Jihoon.
“It had been such a long time since I’d seen you, Yuri hyung. And you’re not someone who would normally worry about what others think….”
That made me flinch. It seemed Yeon Yuri had definitely been both sensitive and violent in the past.
“I thought you and sunbae didn’t get along. I’m sorry again.”
“……”
Seo Hee-gyeom seemed to have a better head on his shoulders than I’d expected. About a week after we started exchanging messages, he had already apologized to me through messenger. He said he was sorry for hugging me without permission. It seemed he’d really been quite excited that day.
But Do Jihoon didn’t respond.
He stood there with his arms crossed, staring blankly at Seo Hee-gyeom before frowning. I started worrying that he might be in a bad mood.
Then he suddenly reached out and lightly ruffled Seo Hee-gyeom’s hair.
“??? What exactly are you doing?”
I stared at Do Jihoon in shock.
“Nothing. You said it yourself sometimes—I can be impulsive.”
Seeing the warmth in Do Jihoon’s eyes made me feel jealous of Seo Hee-gyeom, even though he was an alpha. I guess I really was a petty omega.
Seo Hee-gyeom quietly looked at Do Jihoon before speaking to him.
“Sunbae. Can I call you hyung?”
“……Do whatever you want.”
“Hyung. Is it okay if I get your number?”
“Sure. I’ll give it to you.”
Right in front of my eyes, these two were exchanging numbers like it was nothing. I watched Seo Hee-gyeom’s flirting with the feeling that my nose was getting stolen right in front of my face.
This bastard Do Jihoon didn’t care about other people at all, so why was he being so nice to Seo Hee-gyeom?
After we finished lunch and were heading back to our apartment, I asked him why he’d been so nice to Seo Hee-gyeom.
Do Jihoon answered that it reminded him of himself when he was younger.
***
A bright afternoon.
I was sprawled across the wide sofa like a lump of slime. Do Jihoon sat near my head working on an assignment. He was wearing round gold glasses—the pair he always used when studying.
Do Jihoon had monolids and slightly upturned eyes, which usually gave him a sharp impression. But whenever he wore those glasses, his entire vibe changed.
He suddenly looked restrained and intellectual.
And it was incredibly sexy.
I squirmed a bit and placed my head on his thigh. His thighs were thick and firm, so they weren’t exactly the most comfortable pillow.
I was turning my head around trying to find the most comfortable position when—
“Yuri.”
Do Jihoon took off his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh. I could clearly hear his breathing beside my ear. When I shifted my gaze upward, Do Jihoon’s ridiculously handsome face—good enough to rival the statue of David—came into view.
“Doji, when you wear glasses you look insanely sexy.”
“……Thanks for the compliment, but stop wriggling. I can’t concentrate.”
“Alright, alright. Your legs are just too firm to use as a pillow. Lose some muscle—…actually don’t. I’ll just move down.”
I shifted my body and slid down again. As soon as I did, Do Jihoon reached over and roughly ruffled my hair. Then he immediately returned his attention to his assignment.
While Do Jihoon worked, I decided to organize my thoughts. Various situations and worries were floating around in my head, crashing into each other and making everything feel messy.
I got up from the sofa, sat down properly, and turned on my laptop.
Then I wrote down the problems I was currently facing.
Love and Relationships, Ki Tae-young
Love and Relationships, Ha Min-young
Seo Hee-gyeom
“……”
There was no clear answer. It felt like a tangled ball of thread—I had no idea where to even start unraveling it. Still, writing them down like this made it easier to see everything at once.
First, Ki Tae-young.
I’d thought that after our encounter during the first semester, I’d never have any reason to meet him again.
That had been a huge miscalculation.
Why did he have to sign up for that class of all things? And why did the course format have to change this year of all years?
The syllabus for Love and Relationships looked roughly like this:
Write an essay on whether differences exist according to sex and traits. Plan a date course based on mutual understanding. Go on the date. Write a report after the date.
We would have to meet at least once every two weeks to complete the reports.
A sigh escaped me. I scrunched up my face and muttered quietly.
“At this rate, by midterms and finals they might end up liking each other even if they didn’t before.”
“What did you say, Yuri?”
“Nothing. Just keep doing what you were doing.”
“……Alright.”
Do Jihoon looked at me suspiciously but returned his gaze to his laptop.
As I blankly stared at his handsome profile, I felt both jealous and irritated imagining Ha Min-young going on a date with this pretty bastard.
Right.
Ha Min-young.
Today I was definitely going to ask what kind of relationship he and Do Jihoon actually had. Up until now, I’d never really cornered him and asked about it in detail. I’d been worried he might hate it if I seemed too obsessive.
“Doji.”
Looking at him, I called his name seriously.
He took off the glasses he’d just put back on and turned to look at me.
“What is it, Yuri? Something you want to say?”
“Yeah. I’m about to say something really serious.”
“What is it? Go ahead.”
“You can’t get mad. Promise me first.”
“Let me hear it first.”
This bastard. Would it kill him to say he wouldn’t get mad even if it was just empty words?
Pouting slightly, I carefully spoke.
“……Are you still seeing Ha Min-young?”
“Ah. That.”
Do Jihoon nodded.
“We do see each other. Our lectures overlap.”
“……How many times a week?”
I knew asking something like this made me look incredibly petty.
But I couldn’t stop my mouth.
I was genuinely curious.
“Once? Maybe twice? I don’t really remember.”
“Really?”
His eyes looked indifferent.
Seeing that reaction from Do Jihoon made me feel reassured, and the tension drained from my body all at once. A relieved sigh slipped out.
Do Jihoon quietly looked at me and reached out.
He grabbed my shoulder and pulled me closer. Before I knew it, I was sitting there with my head resting against his shoulder.
Being this close made his pheromone scent stronger.
Maybe because I recognized him as my lover, the faint pheromones drifting from him calmed me down. They always did. My mind gradually settled into a peaceful quiet.
“Are you jealous, Yuri?”
“……I told you last time. I am.”
“Right. You did.”
Do Jihoon smiled pleasantly.
This bastard was smiling when his boyfriend was saying he was jealous. I glared at him while releasing my pheromones sharply. He just smiled brightly and kissed me.
“You little—”
I quickly turned my head away, refusing his kiss.
Then he buried his face into my neck. He kept chuckling, and his breath tickled the back of my neck. The embarrassment only made me more annoyed. I could feel heat rising to my face.
“Is it funny? Huh?”
“No. It’s just that you…”
He trailed off.
His strong arms wrapped around my waist. I twisted my body, trying to escape his embrace.
“Let go. Or explain in detail what kind of relationship you have with Ha Min-young. Then I’ll stay here quietly.”
“Ha Min-young and I are classmates. Not even friends. Just acquaintances.”
Do Jihoon answered firmly.
“……Really?”
“Yeah.”
“……Honestly, I don’t really get it. How you can just face him normally and get along. Just thinking about it makes my blood boil.”
“……Strictly speaking, we don’t ‘get along.’ I don’t really have any connection with him. I’m in Class A and Ha Min-young is in Class B, so we hardly share classes. Don’t worry too much.”
To be honest, it wasn’t worry—it was jealousy.
But whenever I grumbled about Ha Min-young, Do Jihoon patiently explained the situation without showing any annoyance. His straightforward words reassured me.
“Doji. Give me a kiss.”
“……”
With a faint smile, he pressed his lips against mine, lightly touching before pulling away.
That alone made me happy, and a silly grin slipped out.
“Oh, right. Seo Hee-gyeom.”
“Seo Hee-gyeom?”
“Yeah. You gave him your number. Right in front of me. So confidently giving your number to someone else, huh?”
“……He’s an alpha.”
“Still. So do you keep in contact with him?”
