Alpha Trauma

“The motivation section, I mean. To be honest, even people who like English classics can’t usually write them down properly.”

Garam pointed at the section Wooyeon had just filled in, where his flowing cursive handwriting stood out. Unlike her messy hangul, his English cursive was clean and neat.

“There aren’t many classics people can write in English.

,

,

, maybe?”

“

isn’t in English, though.”

“If it’s written in the alphabet, that’s good enough.”

Dohyeon, who had been quietly listening, let out a short laugh.

“That’s ridiculous.”

Despite his muttered comment, Garam wasn’t bothered in the least.

“Some people come here just to see his face without even wanting to join the club. So, we at least want them to put in minimal effort.”

Wooyeon’s expression shifted subtly. His eyes narrowed, and he bit his lip, making Garam’s eyes sparkle with excitement. Garam leaned in closer, whispering expectantly.

“Annoying, right?”

“Yeah.”

“…”

Even Dohyeon fell silent this time, awkwardly averting his gaze. After a brief pause, he offered a small excuse.

“I didn’t start it. It was already like that when I got back from the military.”

“Who started it, then?”

If it had happened while Dohyeon was in the army, then the condition wasn’t originally created for him. There must have been someone before him that it was aimed at.

“That’s a great question.”

Garam adjusted her posture, preparing to explain. As he removed his earmuffs and set them on the table, she glanced between Wooyeon and the earmuffs, then mischievously scooted closer.

“Wooyeon, aren’t these cute? When you fold them, they look like macarons.”

“Uh, yeah…”

Wooyeon’s face tensed with caution. His instincts were sending warning signals. Sure enough, Garam seized the opportunity and slipped the earmuffs onto him.

“…”

Wooyeon’s face twisted into a scowl. He was about to take them off when he met Dohyeon’s eyes and hesitated. Meanwhile, Garam burst into laughter, clapping her hands.

“Oh my god, so cute! Hey, even you have to admit it’s cute, right?”

Dohyeon, who had been watching Wooyeon steadily, smiled faintly. In an instant, Wooyeon’s face turned bright red.

“I guess so.”

“….”

Wooyeon quickly yanked off the earmuffs and covered his ears. He tried to keep a straight face, but his flushed cheeks were already as red as a ripe tomato. Garam swiftly caught the discarded earmuffs.

“Why’d you take them off? They looked great on you!”

“I… I’m not joining the club.”

“Aw, come on, I was just kidding!”

Though Wooyeon was serious, he didn’t say so. His pounding heart was making his blood run hot. Garam, noticing his reaction, stifled her laughter and waved her hand in dismissal.

“Anyway, our club has a legend.”

“…What’s that?”

Wooyeon asked, frowning as he fixed his hair. Suddenly, the heating seemed too strong, and he wondered if the warmth was making him feel flushed.

“It all started four years ago.”

Garam’s voice took on a serious tone, setting the scene for the story. Four years ago—that was also when Wooyeon met Dohyeon. It seemed like something unlucky had happened that year.

“Our

club barely had ten members back then.”

Garam looked as solemn as a warrior recounting an epic tale. Even when Dohyeon interjected, saying, “You weren’t even in the club back then,” Garam ignored him.

“The club president at the time brought in a savior to revive the dying club.”

For some reason, Dohyeon frowned in annoyance, shaking his head with a scoff. Lowering her voice, Garam continued, more serious than ever.

“A guy so legendary, they called him the ‘God of Business.’”

“….”

Wooyeon’s face scrunched up worse than when Garam had put the earmuffs on him.

He couldn’t even bring himself to ask. Luckily, Dohyeon offered an explanation.

“That was his nickname—‘God of Business.’”

“…Really?”

Wooyeon’s skin crawled, goosebumps forming on his arms. What kind of childish nickname was that? Despite the warmth of the room, he shivered. As he rubbed his arms with a disgusted look on his face, Garam grinned widely.

“But I’m serious, the guy looked like an actual god. Wooyeon, you have to see him for yourself. His face literally shines.”

“How can a face shine?”

Though Wooyeon scoffed at the absurdity of it, he couldn’t help but think of Dohyeon. Come to think of it, back when Dohyeon was tutoring him, Wooyeon had never been able to look at his face properly. During that time, it really had seemed like Dohyeon’s smile could light up the room.

“Really, next time ask the TA oppa to show you a picture.”

“The TA?”

“Yeah, they’re dating.”

The owner of the pheromones lingering on the TA must have been the ‘Management God’ mentioned in the story. The ring on their finger was probably a couple ring with him.

“Anyway, after that

joined, everyone applied like crazy, but since he wasn’t active, they all dropped out. That’s when they started requiring a title for the application motivation section. That’s when I joined too.”

Garam pointed to herself with a shy expression. She wasn’t part of the crowd that left, but one of the ones who stayed in the club.

“Back then, Kim Dohyeon wasn’t around yet, but after he was discharged…”

In the middle of his speech, Garam tilted her head. He tilted it a few more times before her face hardened slightly. Her voice suddenly dropped into an eerie tone.

“Wooyeon.”

“Yes?”

“By any chance…”

Seeing Garam’s sharp gaze flickering, Wooyeon’s face stiffened. With each blink, the intensity in Garam’s eyes deepened. Something flashed through Wooyeon’s mind.

He had forgotten to control his pheromones. At some point, without realizing it, Wooyeon had begun leaking them. The dominant omega pheromones filled the room, finally provoking a reaction from Garam.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Wooyeon raised his hand calmly and awkwardly stood up. Since it would be hard to deal with the situation while sitting, he thought it best to put some distance between them. But Garam, already overwhelmed by her instincts, didn’t listen to a word. Grabbing Wooyeon’s wrist, Garam’s thick alpha pheromones engulfed him.

“So you’re dominant—”

Bang!

A loud noise split them apart. Startled, Wooyeon turned his head to see Dohyeon, his expression hardened. With his hand still pressed against the table he’d slammed, Dohyeon spoke in a low voice.

“Hey.”

Wooyeon hesitated, unsure who Dohyeon was talking to. His gaze wasn’t on Wooyeon or Garam, but fixed on the wrist that Garam was gripping. His eyes finally shifted, locking onto Garam.

“Open the window.”

“…Oh.”

Garam snapped out of it and stood up, rushing to open the window. Cold air flooded into the room. Dohyeon, still composed, spoke to Wooyeon.

“You must be cold. Put on your clothes.”

Like he was in a trance, Wooyeon put on his outerwear. When Dohyeon asked if he needed a coat, Wooyeon accepted it without a word and draped it over himself. He could probably feel the pheromones too, but unlike Garam, Dohyeon remained completely unaffected.

“Does this happen often?”

Dohyeon’s soft voice posed the question to Wooyeon. His tone was gentle, as if he were speaking to a child, likely trying not to startle Wooyeon.

“…Why?”

But Wooyeon didn’t lower his guard, asking back in a wary tone. Dohyeon blinked a couple of times, as though carefully choosing his words, and then added in an even tone.

“You seem familiar with it.”

“……”

He wasn’t wrong. Wooyeon had gone through this several times since his secondary gender manifested. At school, on the streets. Being a dominant omega, a trait he found utterly unnecessary, occasionally caused him problems.

“That’s just how dominant ones are.”

Alphas and omegas make up less than 30% of the population. Among them, dominants are even rarer. The fact that there were two dominants in the room was something of a miracle.

Even though the chances of encountering an alpha were low, Wooyeon was always cautious with his pheromones. Being a dominant omega, it wasn’t easy to control them, but he repressed them as much as possible. Usually, he concealed them like any other omega, but when he was around alphas, he was even more careful. Yes, he had always been cautious.

“Today, I just slipped up a bit…”

Under normal circumstances, the clubroom wouldn’t have been filled with pheromones. If only he hadn’t reacted to Dohyeon. If only he hadn’t let his guard down so much. There were two alphas in this enclosed space (one of them being a dominant), and he had been far too careless.

“It doesn’t happen often.”

Wooyeon lied smoothly. He didn’t want to bring up bad memories in a place like this. Dohyeon frowned slightly but didn’t press further, instead calling out to Garam.

“Hey, if you’ve come to your senses, come over and apologize.”

At his words, Garam quickly approached, her pheromones already swept away by the cold air from outside. She lowered his head in embarrassment, unable to meet Wooyeon’s eyes as she spoke.

“I’m about to go into rut soon, so…”

“Stop making excuses and just apologize.”

“…Sorry.”

Wooyeon looked between the two, feeling awkward. Similar situations had happened before, but it was the first time the person involved had apologized to him. As Wooyeon struggled to figure out what to say, Dohyeon offered an alternative.

“You don’t have to accept it.”

Even with Garam right in front of him, Dohyeon didn’t hesitate. His gaze, directed solely at Wooyeon, was more serious than ever.

“It’s his fault, so there’s no reason for you to accept his apology.”

It was a textbook statement. What was amusing was that Garam didn’t seem to disagree. Looking as dejected as if he were the guilty one, Wooyeon wrinkled his nose.

“…What are you apologizing for?”

Their eyes met. Dohyeon looked at Wooyeon, while Wooyeon looked at Garam. His slightly furrowed brow reflected Wooyeon’s inner feelings.

“No, it’s not that…”

Wooyeon trailed off, ruffling his hair. His brightly dyed hair became tousled. After a brief pause, a monotonous voice emerged.

“You’re not going to stop just by saying sorry, are you?”

It wasn’t accusatory, but neither was it friendly. Garam’s eyes widened in surprise at Wooyeon’s flat tone.

“If I can’t control my pheromones again, the same thing will happen. Will you apologize then too?”

Wooyeon didn’t expect much from alphas. It wasn’t that he sympathized with them; he simply ignored them. As a dominant omega, and someone who had lived among alphas his whole life, he never held any expectations for them.

“I’m not that surprised. Stuff like this happens a lot—or, well, sometimes. I’m used to it.”

The truth was, he wasn’t moved by these incidents anymore. For something to upset him, there needed to be some level of surprise. It’s not like he could get angry at every little ant bite, right? Besides, Garam couldn’t actually do anything to him.

“Just don’t grab my wrist. I don’t like being touched.”

Now, Wooyeon’s face truly showed his displeasure. More than anything, that fact seemed to bother him the most. Garam, who had been nervously moving her lips, muttered weakly.

“…Sorry. I’ll be careful next time.”

In reality, Wooyeon didn’t care at all. Garam had snapped out of it quickly and hadn’t actually tried to do anything to him. Reaching for pheromones was simply an alpha’s instinct.

But Wooyeon didn’t feel charitable enough to say it was fine. He could act unaffected, but he wasn’t generous enough to forgive. So, Wooyeon ended the conversation by standing up.

“I’ve submitted my application, so I’ll get going.”

He placed the coat he had been covering himself with to the side. Someone had said something was spilled on it earlier, but there was nothing visible to the naked eye. Well, if there was a problem, he’d hear about it later. With that thought, Wooyeon gathered his bag and padded jacket.

“…Why?”

Before Wooyeon knew it, Dohyeon had taken his “hostage.” The bag Wooyeon had carelessly let go of was now once again slung over Dohyeon’s shoulder. With the coat in his other hand, Dohyeon calmly walked ahead of him.

“Let’s go.”

They headed toward a parking lot tucked away in a corner of the campus. Following Dohyeon to retrieve his bag, Wooyeon stopped in front of the backseat. Dohyeon, about to get into the driver’s seat after putting the bag in the back, paused and asked.

“Not getting in?”

“Where are we going?”

“We need to eat lunch.”

His tone was as if asking why Wooyeon would even question something so obvious. Momentarily at a loss for words, Wooyeon stood there blinking. By then, Dohyeon had already come over and opened the passenger door for him.

“Get in. I promised to buy you something nice, didn’t I?”

Wooyeon had thought that promise had naturally faded away. After all, it was one-sided, and he hadn’t agreed to it. Maybe Dohyeon was trying to make up for what happened in the club room with Garam. Even as he got into the car, Wooyeon was still feeling confused.

“Do you live far from here?”

“No, it’s close.”

He couldn’t bring himself to ask why Dohyeon had driven, though. As soon as he realized the car was filled with pheromones, Dohyeon suddenly leaned toward him. Wooyeon froze, staring wide-eyed at Dohyeon, who had come closer.

“…”

A chill ran down Wooyeon’s spine as their eyes met. Holding his breath, his eyes opened wide, and just then, Dohyeon stopped his movements. With a slightly awkward look, Dohyeon averted his gaze and moved back to widen the distance.

“Buckle up.”

It was only then that Wooyeon realized he had been trying to help him fasten his seatbelt. His heart pounded heavily in his chest, his face flushing red. Dohyeon, as if nothing had happened, started the car and rolled down the window halfway.

“If it gets cold, I’ll turn on the heater.”

What good would the heater do in this situation? Still, if not for that, Wooyeon wouldn’t have been able to cool his flushed face.

“Anything you don’t eat?”

“No… nothing.”

Wooyeon awkwardly clutched his seatbelt, while the breeze from the window tickled his cheek. Even though it was a little chilly, it was better than letting his state get noticed.

“Anything you don’t like?”

“Nothing like that either.”

“Then I’ll have to give you a multiple-choice question.”

Dohyeon replied in a soft tone as he turned the wheel, his gaze still focused ahead.

“Pick one: Western, Korean, Japanese, or street food.”

It was like having a ‘driving teacher’ beside him. It was a side of Dohyeon Wooyeon had never seen, and didn’t expect to ever see. Sitting upright and looking straight ahead, his posture had a different charm from when he was solving problems.

“Pasta.”

“Then noodles, meat, or rice?”

“Meat?”

“Between pork, beef, and chicken?”

“I can’t eat chicken.”

“Ah, so there is something you can’t eat.”

His gentle eyes curved softly. Maybe it was because Wooyeon was looking at him from the side, but his eyelashes seemed quite long. Dohyeon lightly tapped the steering wheel and raised the corner of his lips.

“Want some beef?”

He looked like he was having a lot of fun. It was just a simple question and answer, but why did it seem like he was so excited? Even though it might have been Wooyeon’s imagination, his smile didn’t seem forced.

“I don’t eat cheap stuff.”

Wooyeon intentionally answered with a touch of snobbery. Despite the blatantly rude reply, Dohyeon laughed pleasantly.

“See, there

things you don’t eat.”

Whether it was four years ago when he was tutoring him or now, as just another junior, Dohyeon’s kindness hadn’t changed. His warmth was, without a doubt, extended to everyone.

“As long as it’s not cheap, right?”

Wooyeon didn’t reply, but Dohyeon turned the car without further prompting. The scenery passing by outside felt like memories flying by from the past.

* * *

In the end, Wooyeon was satisfied with the meal. The sweet sauce on the hamburger steak and the fresh salad were even to his picky taste. His claim about not eating cheap food wasn’t a lie, but Dohyeon’s confidence made sense now.

“…Thank you for the meal.”

Even food that wasn’t expensive could taste good. Wooyeon had learned something new. He imagined Dohyeon would find it absurd if he knew that Wooyeon had considered the price “not cheap.”

“Try something else next time. All the other dishes here are good too.”

If it sounded like Dohyeon was suggesting they come again, was that just Wooyeon’s imagination? Wooyeon almost asked if he came here often, but stopped himself. The clean exterior and cozy interior made the place look like an obvious date spot.

“Is this where you came with your girlfriend?”

“Just, you know.”

He had changed the question, but the answer was unhelpful. With a playful smile, Dohyeon avoided giving a straight answer and opened the door for Wooyeon. Once again, it was second nature for him to be considerate.

Throughout the meal, Dohyeon had been meticulously attentive to Wooyeon. He inserted a straw into his drink, pushed the food closer to him, and even wiped the sauce he spilled. These were things a guardian might do for a child, but also not too different from how one might treat a romantic partner.

There’s that saying that people with only one double eyelid are flirts. With his popularity and good looks, Wooyeon could only imagine how many secrets from Dohyeon’s past he didn’t know about. That’s probably why he tried to help him with the seatbelt earlier.

“I’ll just head back to school now…”

Wooyeon was about to say, suddenly irritated for some reason. He was caught off guard by his own frustration when Dohyeon casually made a suggestion.

“Want some dessert?”

Wooyeon had no intention of saying yes. He didn’t want to stick around for dessert with Dohyeon. But Dohyeon’s gentle and persuasive voice slowly coaxed him.

“There’s a dessert place nearby, and I heard their strawberry cake is really good. Lots of strawberries, and it’s not too heavy.”

The smile playing on his lips was tempting.

“It’s not cheap either.”

His playful voice was full of mischief. Wooyeon, whose cheeks had turned slightly red, glanced away.

“…Okay, I’ll eat.”