Alpha Trauma

“Ha… damn, I don’t care anymore.”

Wooyeon was startled to hear such crude words come from Dohyeon. It was a common curse that many used, but it was the first time he’d ever heard Dohyeon say it. While Wooyeon was briefly dazed, Dohyeon moved closer and grabbed his wrist.

“Let go.”

Wooyeon obediently removed his hand. There was a reckless trust that Dohyeon would do something about this. Dohyeon reached toward Wooyeon’s lower half and ran his hand over it, as if gauging its size.

“Ah…!”

It was just a touch over his underwear, yet a sharp jolt of pleasure shot through him. It was incomparable to the awkward fumbling Wooyeon had done on his own. Dohyeon moved his hand over Wooyeon’s underwear a few more times, then hooked his fingers into the waistband and pulled it down.

“Ugh…”

Even amidst the haze, Wooyeon instinctively pressed his thighs together. His exposed member in the open air felt unbearably embarrassing. Wooyeon’s pale, sparse pubic hair and lightly colored member fit perfectly in Dohyeon’s hand.

“No… we shouldn’t.”

“…Why?”

“It’s embarrassing…”

With a soft, “Is that so?” Dohyeon wrapped his hand around Wooyeon’s member. Stroking it up and down, Wooyeon doubled over, burying his face in his chest.

“Haa, ah… ahh…”

“Didn’t you say you were embarrassed, Wooyeon?”

The sensation of dry skin rubbing together was vivid. Pre-cum dripped from the tip, becoming slick under Dohyeon’s thumb as he rubbed it, then slid his hand along the shaft.

“Haa…!”

Wooyeon collapsed into Dohyeon’s embrace, trembling. The pheromones that had stopped earlier were now slowly seeping out again. The heat from Dohyeon’s scent was overwhelming, consuming Wooyeon from the inside out.

“You’re this sensitive and yet can’t even finish…”

Dohyeon continued stroking him, soothing Wooyeon with his touch and pheromones. He also gently rubbed Wooyeon’s back with his other hand. Whenever Wooyeon clutched at his shirt and curled up, Dohyeon would rub the most sensitive spots, leaving him weak.

“No… no… we can’t…”

“What can’t we do?”

Wooyeon’s mind felt like it was going to break. It was only Dohyeon’s hand, yet the stimulation was overwhelming. If it hadn’t been for the alcohol slowing him down, Wooyeon would have climaxed a long time ago.

“…You’re slow because you’ve been drinking.”

Dohyeon whispered softly as he traced his fingers along Wooyeon’s back, from his shoulder blades down his spine, and up to the back of his neck. Every touch was equally stimulating.

“It feels… too strange… ugh…”

Wooyeon’s toes curled, and his shoulders shook. At some point, tears had begun to gather at the corners of his eyes. His previously pale cheeks were now flushed, and the tears shimmered as they fell.

“Haa…”

When Wooyeon tilted his head back, Dohyeon’s gaze followed his face. Wooyeon’s heated eyes looked like they were about to lose focus. Desperately, Wooyeon wrapped his arms around Dohyeon’s neck and pulled him closer.

“Mmm, feels good, ugh…”

“…”

Their lips almost touched as the distance between them shrank. The pheromones filling the room had become so mixed that it was impossible to tell whose was whose. As Wooyeon felt Dohyeon’s breath against his nose, sweet and warm, he tilted his head slightly.

“…”

“…”

Dohyeon’s eyes lowered slowly. Their gazes tangled in the air, hotter than ever before. His rational mind seemed to still linger as his eyes repeatedly scanned Wooyeon’s face. For some reason, he hesitated, even stopping his hand on Wooyeon’s member.

“Hurry… please, more…”

Wooyeon’s voice trembled with urgency. His moist tone carried a sultry edge as it wrapped around Dohyeon’s ears. Wooyeon leaned forward in an attempt to kiss him, but his lips missed and brushed against Dohyeon’s jaw instead.

“Please…”

“Sigh…”

Dohyeon growled low in his throat and resumed moving his hand. The sensation of his palm rubbing against the sensitive tip sent a wave of pleasure like nothing Wooyeon had ever felt before. His voice rose in pitch as sharp gasps filled the room.

“Ah…!”

Wooyeon’s body tensed, signaling the impending climax. Dohyeon’s fingers tightened around him, squeezing gently with each stroke, making the tension in Wooyeon’s lower abdomen peak.

Wooyeon clutched Dohyeon’s collar, his chest heaving as his thighs trembled and his ears rang. His pheromones, more intense than ever, poured out as though they were devouring Dohyeon.

“Haa…”

Finally, Wooyeon climaxed into Dohyeon’s palm, his member twitching as it released thick streams of cum. As Wooyeon shuddered in Dohyeon’s arms, Dohyeon caught every drop in his hand.

“…Ah.”

Dohyeon’s lips parted slowly. Whether it was Wooyeon’s name or just a quiet sigh, something slipped out of his mouth. In that fleeting moment, Wooyeon also let out a soft, thin moan.

“Ah… teacher…”

Wooyeon fell into a deep, peaceful sleep for the first time in a while. He didn’t have any nightmares, nor did he wake up in the middle of the night as usual. After sinking into the soft, warm sheets, he drifted into an endless, unconscious slumber.

What woke Wooyeon was the sound of vibrating near his head. The buzzing, insistent vibration was enough to annoy even someone in as deep a sleep as Wooyeon. At first, he tried to ignore it, but the buzzing persisted.

“Ugh…”

Groaning, Wooyeon fumbled for his phone. Without even checking the screen, he raised it to his ear, only to hear a voice far too energetic for the early morning. It was a voice Wooyeon knew he couldn’t mistake.

—[Wooyeon!]

Wooyeon blinked and checked the screen before responding. The name “Danny” was displayed, with the time showing 9 AM. Of course, his friend must not have known what time it was in Korea.

[Danny… Do you know what time it is here?]

[And you still called?]

Wooyeon sighed in disbelief as he cleared his throat. After a few coughs, his hoarse voice improved slightly, though his still-heavy eyelids showed no sign of shaking off the remnants of sleep.

[It’s 9 a.m. on a Saturday… Most people are still asleep.]

Wooyeon mumbled his response, holding the phone to his ear while lowering his hand. With his eyes closed, he was back in the perfect environment to fall asleep again. If Daniel hadn’t kept talking, Wooyeon might have drifted off.

[Just tell me… I’m listening.]

Even though Daniel was right, Wooyeon didn’t let it show. After Wooyeon insisted that he was really listening a couple of times, Daniel finally spoke in his usual bright tone.

[…Summer?]

Summer was at least three months away. So much for “important news.” It didn’t seem worth interrupting his sleep for. Sensing Wooyeon’s lackluster reaction, Daniel grumbled.

[You’re coming to see me? Not just traveling?]

[Let’s just go with that.]

Wooyeon let out a faint laugh, signaling he’d play along. In response, Daniel emphasized “really” three times, just as Wooyeon had earlier.

[At my house? Not booking a hotel?]

[Well… that’s not too hard.]

Wooyeon’s home was far from an “ordinary Korean home,” but Daniel had no way of knowing that. With a shrug, Wooyeon told him to let him know once the flight was booked.

[I’ll try… Anyway, I’m hanging up. I’m still sleepy.]

Before Daniel could respond, Wooyeon ended the call. He flipped the phone over and closed his eyes again, ready for the drowsiness to take over. But, once again, sleep eluded him.

“Going back to sleep?”

“…”

A familiar voice instantly wiped away any traces of sleepiness. It was different from when Daniel called—now, Wooyeon’s mind felt sharp and clear. He quickly sat up from the bed.

“Sunbae…?”

Dohyeon stood by the door, arms crossed. He was dressed in a plain white T-shirt, athletic pants, and had a towel draped over his shoulder. As Wooyeon stared at him, wide-eyed, he frantically glanced around.

“…”

An unfamiliar ceiling, an unfamiliar bed. Strange furniture, and the unmistakable presence of Dohyeon’s pheromones lingering in the air.

A series of events flashed through Wooyeon’s mind like a panorama: drinking the soju and beer that Minjung had mixed, Dohyeon going out for a smoke, and then at some point, calling Minjung “Noona.”

“…!”

Wooyeon’s mouth hung open as he clutched his head. It didn’t take much thinking to realize what had happened. He understood why he was in Dohyeon’s bed.

“Uh…”

His clear eyes darted around anxiously. He managed to open his mouth, but no further words came out. Seeing Wooyeon at a loss for words, Dohyeon smirked slightly.

“Do you remember?”

Wooyeon couldn’t respond immediately, his mouth shutting tightly. The sheets he had been lying on were as much of a mess as his head. A mixture of embarrassment, shame, and even a bit of guilt swirled within him. After struggling, he finally managed to say one word.

“…No.”

His pale face was now flushed all the way to his neck. His once fair skin was tinged with pink, as though he had been splashed with watercolor. Dohyeon ran a hand through his hair as if accepting the situation.

“Go wash up. You need to sober up.”

With that, Dohyeon left the room. Wooyeon, left alone on the bed, silently screamed into his hands, too ashamed to even face him.

***

Wooyeon went straight home as soon as he regained his senses. He had a group project to work on since midterms were over, and he couldn’t bring himself to face Dohyeon. Although Dohyeon offered him breakfast before he left, Wooyeon turned him down with every excuse he could think of. Dohyeon, watching Wooyeon’s flustered behavior, chuckled with a slightly crooked smile.

Once home, Wooyeon quickly washed up to clear his mind. It was bad enough that he couldn’t remember anything after drinking during the MT trip, but now, he had woken up in Dohyeon’s bed. He felt a strange mix of satisfaction from having visited his professor’s house and regret for drinking in the first place. The shame that kept bubbling up made it impossible for him to lift his head.

“…I need to pull myself together.”

Wooyeon forced himself to clear his mind as he stepped out of the bathroom. Despite the whirlwind of thoughts inside his head, now wasn’t the time to dwell on them. Dohyeon hadn’t mentioned anything in particular, so for now, Wooyeon decided to focus on what needed to be done.

First, he checked the group project chatroom. The conversation had stopped after the day of their idea meeting, and only Wooyeon’s notes from the meeting were posted. He had also included an email address, asking someone to send him the PowerPoint, but he didn’t have high hopes for a reply.

“I guess I’ll have to start gathering materials.”

There were only five days left before the presentation for his elective class. With so little time left to prepare, the chances of receiving the PowerPoint from his group members were close to zero. This was further confirmed by the fact that no one had even read the messages in the group chat.

Honestly, this situation wasn’t all that unfamiliar. Even back in middle school, Wooyeon had always handled group projects on his own—research, creating the PowerPoint, and presenting. Even if he wasn’t paired with Junseong, other students, wary of him, would blatantly ignore Wooyeon.

The teachers, aware that the work was entirely Wooyeon’s, would still pretend not to notice and hand out equal grades to everyone. It was clear that they thought it was better to sacrifice the quiet Wooyeon than to deal with complaints from the other students. Since Wooyeon didn’t protest, it all appeared peaceful on the surface.

“I’ll just do it myself.”

His hand moved swiftly on the mouse. He outlined the project, gathered various sources, and created a neat template. After years of making PowerPoints throughout middle school, this level of work was practically second nature. There wasn’t enough time to create an actual prototype of an invention, but if he made the presentation look good enough, he could at least secure a B grade.

It would be a lie to say he wasn’t upset, but it wasn’t unexpected. From the moment the groups were assigned, Wooyeon had a feeling he would end up doing everything. That’s why he hadn’t been too proactive, and that’s why he didn’t bother blaming the unmotivated group members.

“I was kind of curious about the teacher’s house, though…”

As he clicked the mouse, his thoughts drifted to Dohyeon. It had been his first time visiting his place, but he hadn’t had the chance to look around, too focused on making a hasty escape. Dohyeon had brought food too, but Wooyeon hadn’t eaten any of it. And where had Dohyeon slept after letting him sleep in his bed?

His thoughts spiraled from one question to another, eventually circling back to the morning when he had woken up. Wooyeon suddenly blushed and shook his head vigorously. To think he had been lounging around and making phone calls as if it were his own house after imposing on Dohyeon. If Wooyeon had been in Dohyeon’s shoes, he would have been speechless.

About five hours later, Wooyeon’s phone rang. Startled out of his increasingly relaxed posture, he quickly grabbed the phone. He wondered if it was the teacher calling, but the screen showed an unfamiliar name.

“Why is he calling me?”

It was one of Wooyeon’s group members, a guy with the last name “Kwon.” He was the one who had spoken up at the café, saying they had no ideas anyway. They hadn’t been in touch since exchanging numbers to create the group chat, but an ominous feeling crept up inside Wooyeon.

***

Wooyeon headed to the clubroom early. The weather wasn’t too bad, but his eyes were sore from staring at his laptop for so long.

Fatigue, irritation, and stress. His mind was a mess, and from time to time, a sense of unresolved frustration bubbled up inside him.

“Hey, Wooyeon… did you get the PowerPoint?”

The group member who had called him two days ago spoke cautiously. Though his message was simple, Wooyeon’s feelings were anything but. The more the group member spoke, the deeper Wooyeon sank into despair.

“So, actually, last Wednesday we all met up to work on the PowerPoint without you.”

Up to that point, Wooyeon tried to stay calm. As long as the final PowerPoint was delivered properly, he didn’t mind too much, since he was the presenter anyway. But the next part of the conversation left him completely baffled.

“But then Kang Junseong said if we just sent him the research materials, he would make the PowerPoint and send it to you.”

“I was going to send you the materials that day… but when I thought about it, it seemed like maybe they were planning to leave your name out.”

“Honestly, I don’t care much about grades, but I thought you might misunderstand, so I wanted to let you know. We’ve already finished all the research.”

Of course, Junseong was up to his usual tricks. Trying to leave him out the moment something didn’t sit right with him. Wooyeon wasn’t sure what Junseong’s exact plan was, but it was clear that he was trying to mess with him.

The group member ended the call, asking Wooyeon to keep their conversation a secret. He seemed worried about getting caught up in trouble, but Wooyeon didn’t even have the energy to care. He simply left another message in the group chat, saying he hadn’t received the PowerPoint yet. Despite the frustration rising in his throat, there was nothing he could do but keep going.

And so, today, there was still no contact from anyone. Even the group member who had called Wooyeon was silent, as if his part was done. As Wooyeon stared at the disappearing numbers in the group chat, he once again felt the weight of silence.

“Maybe I betrayed my country in a past life.”

With that thought, Wooyeon reached for the clubroom door handle. He half-expected it to be locked, but to his relief, it wasn’t. He figured Garam must have arrived early and pushed the door open.

“…”

“…”

Their eyes met. Wooyeon froze in place, surprised, while the other person, who had just arrived and was about to open a window, looked at him with a puzzled expression.

“Why are you here so early?”

Looking at Dohyeon’s gentle eyes, Wooyeon immediately revised his earlier thoughts. He hadn’t betrayed his country in a past life—he must have saved it. Otherwise, there was no way Dohyeon would appear before him at such a perfect moment.

“What’s wrong?”

Dohyeon slowly approached Wooyeon, his eyes filled with concern, noticing something off about his expression. Wooyeon, his face slightly twisted in confusion, stammered out a response.

“Aren’t you off today?”

Wooyeon knew that Dohyeon had no classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, so there was no reason for him to be in the clubroom this early, especially with such perfect timing.

“I needed to submit something for the club,” Dohyeon answered casually, leaning in slightly. As he adjusted his gaze to meet Wooyeon’s eye level, Wooyeon felt a sudden sweetness fill his mouth. Dohyeon squinted slightly, speaking in a soft, gentle tone.

“You look tired. Your eyes are red.”

Instinctively, Wooyeon took a step back. Rubbing the corners of his eyes with his fingertips, he suddenly became aware of how sore they felt. He had noticed his pale complexion in the mirror earlier, but he hadn’t realized how bad it still was.

“Ah, I’ve been staring at my laptop for too long.”

“Laptop?”

“Because of a group project.”

Dohyeon frowned slightly, his double-lidded eyes narrowing. He turned his back to Wooyeon and approached the window again. As he opened it, a cool breeze swept into the room.

“You’re preparing for a presentation?”

“Yeah, sort of…”

Wooyeon gave a vague response as he moved further into the room. The spring breeze wafted in through the window, but the pheromones carried on it felt as crisp as autumn. Every time the dry scent lingered in the air, Wooyeon’s stomach seemed to grow uncomfortably warm.

“Then you should’ve slept more. Why are you here so early? You don’t have any Monday classes either.”

“I couldn’t sleep, and I couldn’t focus at home.”

Trying to seem nonchalant, Wooyeon sat on the sofa and rummaged through his bag. As he pulled out his laptop and wireless mouse, Dohyeon had already moved closer. Wooyeon inhaled sharply as the scent of Dohyeon’s pheromones suddenly filled the space between them.

“Show me the PPT. I’ll give you some feedback.”

Wooyeon stiffened as he moved the mouse. After plugging in the USB and opening the file, Dohyeon lowered his gaze and focused on the screen. All of Wooyeon’s senses felt heightened, as if his entire being was attuned to Dohyeon.

“Sh-should I start?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

“….”

“Okay… next.”

The room was so quiet that Wooyeon felt like he could hear even his own breathing. The soft clicks of the mouse, the sound of Dohyeon saying “next,” and the occasional rustling of clothes—all these noises seemed amplified, making Wooyeon’s skin tingle.

“Good job.”

Dohyeon gave a brief compliment and took the mouse from Wooyeon’s hand. He went through the slides again, methodically reviewing the presentation. Without looking at Wooyeon, he asked,

“What about the script?”

“Here.”

Wooyeon pulled out a notebook from his bag and handed it over, opened to a section where he had roughly outlined the presentation. Dohyeon glanced over the neatly written English text and nodded in approval.

“You wrote this well too. How long is the presentation supposed to be?”

“Five minutes.”

“Have you timed it?”

“No, I haven’t done that yet.”

Wooyeon’s heart pounded loudly in his chest. He wanted to press his hand against his chest to calm himself, but with Dohyeon nearby, he couldn’t. He silently hoped Dohyeon wouldn’t hear the sound of his heartbeat as Dohyeon leisurely flipped through the pages of the notebook.

“Everything looks good, but…”

The way Dohyeon drew out the end of his sentence sent a chill down Wooyeon’s spine—it was strangely alluring. Wooyeon hadn’t realized until now just how enticing Dohyeon’s languid, soft voice could be. As Wooyeon swallowed dryly, Dohyeon tilted his head slightly.

“Why are you doing this alone?”

“….”

Dohyeon’s dark eyes gazed intently at Wooyeon. His typically charming, gentle eyes now seemed unusually firm, almost stern.

Wooyeon blinked, feeling his mind go blank. It was a simple question, but for some reason, he found it difficult to answer. If he said it was because of certain circumstances, he feared Dohyeon might think he was foolish.

The silence stretched on uncomfortably. Although Dohyeon didn’t press him for a response, Wooyeon felt his anxiety growing. As Wooyeon slowly lowered his head, Dohyeon broke the silence with a casual tone.

“When professors assign group projects, they typically expect a few things—leadership, teamwork, that sort of stuff.”

Wooyeon raised his head to look at Dohyeon again. He wasn’t looking at Wooyeon anymore but instead at the laptop screen.

“Leadership, cooperation—things like that.”

Those were part of the evaluation criteria the professor had mentioned. Wooyeon had thought it was all nonsense, and he was sure everyone else in the class thought the same. Dohyeon let out a small, cynical laugh, as if he agreed.

“They don’t actually expect you to achieve those things.”

Dohyeon’s fingers tapped lightly on the laptop. Wooyeon reflexively glanced at the screen before turning his gaze back to Dohyeon.

“But if two groups submit projects of the same quality, the one where all the members contributed will get the higher grade.”

“….”

“In this professor’s case, from what I’ve heard, if you do everything on your own, the best you’ll get is a C+.”

Wooyeon’s face immediately fell. It wasn’t that Wooyeon wanted to do everything alone; he had no choice. Junseong was behaving like that, and the rest of the group had remained silent, so what else could he do?

Wooyeon knew that Dohyeon had no classes on Mondays and Tuesdays, so there was no reason for him to be in the club room this early in the morning. Especially not at such a precise time, as if it had all been planned.

“I had something to submit for the club,” Dohyeon answered casually, slightly bending at the waist. As he leaned in to match Wooyeon’s eye level, Wooyeon felt an odd sweetness spread in his mouth. Dohyeon narrowed his eyes, speaking softly.

“You must be tired. Your eyes are bloodshot.”

Wooyeon instinctively took a step back. When he rubbed his eyes with his fingers, he could suddenly feel how strained they were. He had noticed his complexion was off when he looked in the mirror this morning but hadn’t realized it was still that bad.

“Ah, it’s because I’ve been staring at my laptop for too long.”

“Laptop?”

“For a group project.”

Dohyeon’s eyes twitched slightly at the mention of the word, his brow furrowing. Without saying anything, he turned his back to Wooyeon and walked toward the window. As he opened it, a cool breeze rushed in.

“You’re preparing for a presentation?”

“Yeah, something like that…”

Wooyeon gave a vague reply as he moved deeper into the room. A spring breeze flowed in from outside, yet the pheromones it carried felt as clear as an autumn day. As the dry pheromones swirled around him, Wooyeon felt a heat building up in his stomach.

“Then you should have slept in. Why are you here so early? You don’t have classes on Mondays either.”

“I couldn’t sleep… And it’s hard to focus at home.”

Feigning nonchalance, Wooyeon sat on the sofa and rummaged through his bag. As he pulled out his laptop and wireless mouse, Dohyeon had already closed the distance, coming so close that Wooyeon involuntarily inhaled sharply, sensing his pheromones.

“Open the presentation. I’ll give you feedback.”

Wooyeon stiffened, his neck rigid, as he moved the mouse. Plugging in the USB and opening the file, Dohyeon lowered his gaze, focusing on the screen. All of Wooyeon’s senses seemed to be on high alert, tuned solely to Dohyeon.

“…Should I move to the next slide?”

“Go ahead.”

“…”

“Hmm… Next.”

The room was so quiet that Wooyeon felt like even his breathing might be heard. The sound of the mouse clicking, the soft “Next” from Dohyeon, the occasional rustle of clothing—every little noise felt unnervingly amplified to his hyper-aware senses.

“You did well.”

Dohyeon offered a brief compliment as he took the mouse from Wooyeon. He meticulously reviewed the presentation again, from start to finish, speaking without looking at him.

“What about the script?”

“Here.”

Wooyeon pulled a notebook from his bag and handed it over, opened to a section with notes outlining the presentation. As Dohyeon glanced at the neatly written English script, he nodded approvingly.

“You wrote this well too. How long is the presentation?”

“Five minutes.”

“Have you timed yourself?”

“No, I haven’t done that yet.”

Wooyeon’s heart was pounding loudly, the sound almost deafening in his chest. He wanted to place his hand over his heart to calm it, but he couldn’t risk doing that in front of Dohyeon. He silently wished that Dohyeon wouldn’t notice how fast it was beating, as Dohyeon casually flicked through the notebook.

“Well… it’s all good, but…”

The slow drawl of Dohyeon’s voice was so charming it sent a chill down Wooyeon’s spine. Wooyeon had never realized how enticing a relaxed, languid voice could sound until now. As he swallowed nervously, Dohyeon tilted his head slightly.

“Why are you doing all of this alone?”

“…”

Dohyeon’s dark eyes locked onto Wooyeon with quiet intensity. His attractive gaze, which usually had no sharpness to it, seemed to harden slightly.

Wooyeon blinked, feeling his mind go blank. It wasn’t a difficult question, but for some reason, it was hard to answer. He felt as if explaining that there were circumstances forcing him to work alone would make Dohyeon see him as foolish.

The silence stretched on. Although Dohyeon didn’t press him, Wooyeon could feel his growing anxiety. As Wooyeon slowly lowered his head, Dohyeon gently broke the silence.

“Usually… when professors assign group projects, they’re hoping to see certain things, even if it’s just nominally.”

Wooyeon lifted his gaze back to Dohyeon. He wasn’t looking at Wooyeon now but at the laptop screen.

“Things like leadership, teamwork, and so on.”

It was something the professor had mentioned as part of the grading criteria, though Wooyeon and the others had all dismissed it as nonsense. Judging by Dohyeon’s dry chuckle, he seemed to agree.

“They don’t actually expect you to achieve that.”

His fingers lightly tapped the laptop. Wooyeon’s eyes followed the motion before glancing back at Dohyeon.

“When two groups submit projects of equal quality, the group where all members participate will always score higher.”

“…”

“I’ve seen it happen. For this professor, no matter how well you do, you’re looking at a C+ at best if you go it alone.”

Wooyeon’s face immediately fell. It wasn’t that he wanted to do everything by himself; it was just that Junseong was uncooperative, and the rest of the group stayed silent. What else could he do?

“Do your team members know what you’re doing?”

“Why should they? Those mute idiots. Do you really think they care about grades?”

“They seem to care.”

Wooyeon deliberately replied in a quiet voice. Junseong, pretending not to hear, stuck a finger in his ear mockingly and sneered at Wooyeon.

“And what if they care? Are they going to run and tattle like kids? ‘Professor, he did this and that’?”

Junseong exaggerated his voice to mimic a tattling child, clearly not realizing how immature he sounded himself.

“Hey, with how many people are in this class, do you think the professor’s going to care?”

Junseong wasn’t entirely wrong. The professor likely didn’t care how they completed the group project. People talk about “process, process,” but in the end, it’s the results that matter. It was highly probable the professor would just divide up the grades without much attention, like in middle school.

“Kang Junseong.”

At this point, Wooyeon started feeling frustrated. What kind of twisted fate kept them entangled, even in university, after all these years? Four years had passed, yet Kang Junseong hadn’t changed one bit.

“Why do you hate me so much?”

With a slightly heavy heart, Wooyeon asked the question. He had never bothered to ask before, thinking it wasn’t worth the trouble. Unsurprisingly, Junseong snorted and shrugged mockingly.

“Wow… hearing that from you is hilarious.”

Junseong looked genuinely pleased with himself, and for a moment, Wooyeon found himself envious. If only he could be as simple as Junseong, satisfied with a petty sense of revenge, Wooyeon might have moved on from the past long ago. But Wooyeon was cursed with a complicated nature that now seemed to weigh him down.

“You know, I tried to be friendly at first, but you completely ignored me.”

“…”

“If you feel bad, apologize now. Then I’ll give you the script. You’re good at English, so you can translate it anyway.”

Junseong pulled out the script from between his textbooks and waved it in front of Wooyeon. He must have really thought Wooyeon would apologize and beg for it. Wooyeon simply stared at him and mumbled in a flat voice.

“You really… haven’t changed at all.”

“What?”

Junseong frowned as if he couldn’t understand what Wooyeon was getting at. His expression was a mixture of confusion and growing frustration. Wooyeon leaned on the desk with one hand and met Junseong’s eyes squarely.

“Do whatever you want.”

For a moment, Junseong’s pupils wavered. There was something about Wooyeon’s presence that felt intimidating. Holding his gaze firmly, Wooyeon spoke in a measured tone.

“Make the presentation, remove my name, score points with the material you made—do whatever you like.”

“…”

“But take responsibility for the consequences.”

“…What, you think I’ll back down because you said that?”

Junseong, briefly rattled, spat out the words with renewed aggression. Wooyeon straightened his posture, his face devoid of emotion. Junseong, seemingly interpreting this as more indifference, clenched his teeth.

“I didn’t say it to make you back down.”

“…”

“I just think it’s amazing how you live like this.”

Wooyeon really did find him remarkable. Someone who hated being ignored so much, yet seemed to revel in belittling others. Maybe it was all just a defense mechanism to look tough, or maybe he was just plain mean. Whatever the case, Wooyeon wanted nothing to do with him.

“Screw you, don’t come crying to me later…”

Junseong tried to retort angrily, but before he could finish, the professor entered the room. Wooyeon returned to his seat without even glancing back. The short distance made it easy to feel Junseong’s eyes burning holes into the back of his head.

“Today’s the day for midterm project presentations, right? As I said before, this will count significantly toward your grade…”

After the professor went over the instructions, he called for the teaching assistant. While the assistant set up the projector, Wooyeon retrieved the USB from his pencil case. Everything he had prepared over the last two days was stored on it.

“Alright, let’s begin with the first group. The presenter for Group 1, please come forward.”

Wooyeon half-expected Junseong to stand up immediately, but to his surprise, he stayed seated, watching what Wooyeon would do. It was almost as if he wanted to see him fail. Wooyeon calmly gathered his materials and walked to the front of the class.

“The presenter is… Seon Wooyeon?”

“Yes.”

“Let’s start by reviewing your report.”

Out of the corner of his eye, Wooyeon saw Junseong’s expression stiffen with uncertainty. There was no report for Wooyeon to submit, yet here he was handing a sheet of paper to the professor. Wooyeon inserted his USB into the professor’s laptop and opened the PowerPoint he had prepared.

Flawless English resonated through the classroom. Junseong stared at the projected screen with a pale face. It wasn’t as satisfying as Wooyeon had imagined.

“Here’s the plan.”

After hearing everything that day, Dohyeon had smiled slyly. He spoke in a calm, steady voice, slowly laying out his thoughts.

“I think Kang Junseong figured you’d eventually hear what he’s up to.”

Amazingly, Dohyeon’s assessment was almost identical to what Junseong had said today. With three group members and the project discussed in their group chat, it was impossible that none of them would mention anything to Wooyeon. Dohyeon had confidently predicted Junseong’s thinking.

“Even if no one says anything, he probably assumed you’d get anxious and reach out first. And he figured he’d withhold the PowerPoint until you said what he wanted to hear.”

Looking back, Dohyeon’s insight had been eerily accurate. How could he have understood so much about Junseong’s thought process without ever speaking to him?

“So until the day of the presentation, don’t contact him at all. Instead, reach out to the other group members and ask for any materials Junseong gave them. Then we’ll remake the PowerPoint with those by the day before the presentation.”

In a way, Wooyeon had to scrap all the hard work he’d done over the weekend. The research, the report—all of it had to be discarded.

“Tell the others you’ll guarantee them an A, as long as they stay quiet and you leave Junseong’s name out.”

“What if they tell him?”

“They won’t. From the way Junseong’s been acting, I’m sure they don’t like him much anyway. They’ll stick with whoever helps them get a good grade.”