Alpha Trauma

The café was close enough to walk to. After parking the car, the two of them arrived and stood in front of the cake display, debating for a while. Well, more accurately, it was just Wooyeon who was debating.

“……”

Chocolate, strawberry, cheesecake, cookies, and even some dazzling cakes with unknown ingredients. Wooyeon’s eyes sparkled as he scanned the display. Although he felt uneasy about the untested café, he was too captivated by the sight to focus.

“Just one…”

“You can pick as many as you want.”

Despite Dohyeon’s generous offer, Wooyeon couldn’t bring himself to look too happy. His round head drooped ever so slightly.

“If I eat too much, I’ll gain weight.”

Back in middle school, desserts were the main culprit that led to his weight gain. At that age, there was no drinking or smoking; the only way to relieve stress was through sweets, so it was no wonder he gained weight. His steadily increasing weight reached its peak when he turned sixteen.

“…Weight?”

Dohyeon glanced at Wooyeon, disbelief written all over his face. Though his expression showed how absurd he found the comment, Wooyeon, too focused on the cakes, didn’t notice. His small face, easily covered by one hand, looked more serious than ever.

“Then pick three. We can share, so it’ll be fine.”

Wooyeon’s face lit up at Dohyeon’s light-hearted suggestion. He had just been thinking that two cakes were too many, but if they split three between them, that was 1.5 each. That seemed like a reasonably moderate amount.

“Are you sure I can pick all three?”

Not realizing how eager he looked, Wooyeon stared at Dohyeon. His drooping eyes became as soft as Dohyeon’s. Seeing Wooyeon’s innocent expression, Dohyeon couldn’t help but laugh.

“You can even pick four.”

Dohyeon’s softly curving eyes were gentle. The way he covered his mouth with his hand made Wooyeon feel strangely flustered. Blushing, Wooyeon hurriedly pointed at the display, muttering, “That one, and that one, and that one.” Despite the vague order, Dohyeon understood perfectly.

The café was structured so that you selected cakes on the first floor and went up to the second floor to eat. After waiting for their cakes and drinks, the two found a secluded corner upstairs. The large windows all around made even the corner spot feel open.

“Thank you for the meal.”

With a small fork, Wooyeon carefully dug into the cake. He hesitated briefly before taking a bite of the strawberry on top of the whipped cream, but when Dohyeon didn’t comment, he boldly ate it. Dohyeon also handed over the decorated chocolates and cherries to Wooyeon without a word.

“You’re eating better than you did at lunch.”

Dohyeon’s voice was filled with wonder as he propped his chin on his hand and pushed the cakes toward Wooyeon. The cheesecake with cookie crumbs and the rich chocolate crepe looked sweet enough to melt on his tongue just by looking at them.

“Isn’t it too sweet?”

“It is sweet.”

Wooyeon answered promptly and grabbed his drink. For someone who just said it was sweet, even his drink was a sugary lemonade. Wooyeon rolled up the crepe, explaining that this kind of food was meant to be eaten sweet.

“Aren’t you going to eat?”

“I am.”

That was a lie. He barely took a tiny bite earlier and immediately put his fork down. Wooyeon had clearly seen him sipping only coffee (without any syrup) this whole time.

“Should I buy you another one?”

“No, this is enough.”

“How about some chocolate then?”

“…”

Wooyeon’s eyes sparkled instinctively. Wasn’t chocolate the ultimate sweet? Even though he was already eating cakes that were rich and sweet, the thought of more sugary food was tempting. It hadn’t even been 30 minutes since he said he couldn’t afford to gain weight, but his resolve wavered like paper in the wind.

“They sell handmade chocolates here. Someone like you who doesn’t eat cheap stuff would enjoy them.”

“That was a joke.”

“I’ll take it as one.”

With that casual reply, Dohyeon stood up. He rummaged through his coat, took out his wallet, and told Wooyeon to keep eating before heading down to the first floor. As Wooyeon watched Dohyeon’s figure disappear, he slowly put his fork down.

“…Why is he so nice to me?”

Now that he thought about it, Dohyeon had bought him chocolate before. Was it around the time of the final exams? When Wooyeon boasted about his improved English scores, Dohyeon had shown up with chocolate. The handmade chocolates tied with a white ribbon had tasted as good as something made by a professional pâtissier, and Dohyeon had promised to buy him more if he did well on the next test.

It had been such a short period. The seasons had changed once, and it hadn’t rained for even ten days. Yet in less than half a year, Wooyeon had fallen for him completely. How could such a brief encounter now lead to this renewed connection? Spending a day together with his former tutor now felt strangely surreal.

“Why weren’t you eating?”

Dohyeon soon returned to the second floor. Noticing that the cake was still untouched, he sat down across from Wooyeon and handed him some chocolate. Looking at the chocolate Dohyeon handed over, Wooyeon suddenly felt like he might cry.

“Take it with you and eat it later.”

It was wrapped in a small white-ribboned package. Inside the palm-sized plastic bag were several round chocolates, with the café’s name written on a sticker in the middle. Wooyeon didn’t need to ask to know who the “person who doesn’t eat cheap stuff” was.

“I thought you’d buy just a single piece…”

Wooyeon muttered as he fidgeted with the edge of the plastic wrapping. Every time he encountered traces of the past, an indescribable feeling washed over him. It was a mix of joy, bitterness, sadness, and emptiness. Even the crinkling of the plastic felt strangely out of place.

“They don’t sell them individually.”

He had thought he could forget. He believed everything would be fine, and he had resolved to be content with this light relationship. But in the end, it seemed all those desires were nothing more than arrogance.

He should say thank you, but it felt like there was a stone lodged in his throat. Wooyeon squeezed the ribbon’s end tighter, trying to suppress the lump in his chest. After swallowing hard a few more times, he finally managed to force out a smile.

“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it.”

* * *

The two of them spent quite a bit of time at the café. They exchanged meaningless chatter, Wooyeon received advice about college life, and Dohyeon explained about some clubs. Even after all that, there were still two hours left until the next lecture, so they moved to an arcade and looked around.

“These breaks between classes are really long.”

During that time, Wooyeon tried hard not to let off any pheromones. Once they got in the car, he opened the window before Dohyeon could, and he didn’t even glance toward the driver’s seat. Though his reactions were noticeably tense, Dohyeon seemed oblivious, speaking casually.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to do?”

Yeah, how should he handle this? What would be the point of trying to rekindle feelings that had already been rejected?

“I’m just going to talk to my professors as much as I can.”

Just one chocolate was enough to throw him back into the past. The emotions he’d felt at the time resurfaced, filling his chest. Wooyeon had liked his teacher, fallen for his demeanor, found comfort in him, and as much as he was comforted, he was also hurt. Even so, he couldn’t let go, which is why he was sitting in the same car now.

“Anyway, I’ll meet with them on Monday since I have class. If that doesn’t work…”

“You’re going to drop out?”

“I kind of want to.”

Wooyeon sighed gloomily. Burying his face in his hands and slumping his shoulders, he felt Dohyeon’s gaze on his profile. If he had known this would happen, he would’ve just stayed in the U.S. and gone to school there. He suddenly regretted not listening to Daniel’s advice.

“Hmm…”

Dohyeon hummed softly as he stopped the car at a crosswalk. The traffic light turned red with a beep, beep, beep sound. Dohyeon tilted his head slightly and rested his wrist on the steering wheel.

“Want me to help you?”

“How?”

Wooyeon asked back without much expectation. Dohyeon wasn’t a teaching assistant, just a third-year student, so he didn’t think he could be much help. But Dohyeon, shifting gears, nonchalantly replied.

“I’m close with the professors.”

The teaching assistant had mentioned that. Dohyeon, as the top student in his class, could be helpful with exams. Remembering that, Wooyeon’s eyes widened as he turned to look at Dohyeon.

“I can’t do anything directly, but I can at least go with you to ask for help.”

“…”

“I can’t guarantee it’ll work, though.”

A small smile tugged at Dohyeon’s lips, and his double-lidded eyes crinkled slightly. Instead of responding right away, Wooyeon asked in a hesitant voice.

“Are you being so nice to me because of what happened earlier?”

“Earlier?”

“At the club room.”

Ah, Dohyeon replied in a calm voice.

“That’s not my job. Moon Garam should be the one handling that.”

His response was firm. Momentarily at a loss for words, Wooyeon voiced what he had been thinking at first.

“I thought you were taking the Sunbae’s side.”

“Why would I do that?”

Somehow, that eased Wooyeon’s mind. If Dohyeon had brought up what happened earlier, he would’ve felt even worse. Fortunately, he was reminded that Dohyeon was just another alpha, like many others.

“…Please help me with the schedule adjustment.”

After some careful thought, Wooyeon asked for help as if clutching at straws. Never mind his uneasy feelings—he had to continue with college somehow. To achieve his goals, Wooyeon needed to get through these four years smoothly.

“I’ll treat you to a meal. Something not cheap…”

“Not cheap, huh?”

Dohyeon chuckled lightly as he turned the steering wheel. Off in the distance, the school’s front gate came into view.

“Tomorrow’s the weekend, so come by the club room after class on Monday. I’ll be there in the morning, so if you’re thinking of dropping your morning class, just skip it and come.”

Wooyeon nodded and took out his phone. The time was 4:40 p.m. Thanks to Dohyeon, the seemingly endless break had flown by.

“When’s your next class, Sunbae?”

Only then did Wooyeon start to worry about Dohyeon’s other lectures. Five hours had passed since his morning class ended, and yet Dohyeon hadn’t once mentioned going to another class.

“Me?”

Could he have a class that overlapped? As Wooyeon pondered the unlikely possibility, Dohyeon smiled gently.

“Wednesday at 11 a.m., I think.”

“Huh?”

The car passed through the front gate and entered the humanities college area. Without asking where to drop him off, Dohyeon headed straight toward the building Wooyeon needed to go to.

“My afternoon class got canceled earlier. I bunched everything into Wednesday through Friday so I could have two days off, and now I only have one online class on Tuesday.”

The car stopped quietly. Wooyeon stared at Dohyeon with a dumbfounded expression. With a click, Dohyeon opened the door for him and even unbuckled his seatbelt.

“See you on Monday.”

Wooyeon got out of the car without a word. The car drove away slowly, disappearing from view, like the late winter fading away.

* * *

The course adjustment period had ended. On Wednesday afternoon, Wooyeon entered the club room and pulled out his phone in front of three people—Dohyeon, Garam, and Seonkyu. Six eyes stared at the schedule displayed on his phone.

“Wow…”

“Unbelievable.”

An exclamation broke the silence. With a casual expression, Dohyeon raised the corners of his mouth. Seonkyu, glancing back and forth between the phone and Dohyeon, spoke in awe.

“Hyung, what kind of magic did you pull off?”

It was truly something that could only be described as magic. Wooyeon’s schedule, neatly arranged from Tuesday to Friday, was a far cry from its previous chaotic state. All four days had lunch breaks, there were no 9 a.m. classes except on Friday, and none of the gaps from his previous schedule remained.

“It’s the reward for diligent school life.”

Dohyeon leaned back on the sofa, looking completely unfazed. His confident smile didn’t feel annoying in the slightest. Wooyeon checked his schedule again and recalled what had happened two days ago with Dohyeon.

That day, as promised, the two met in the club room and, after a quick strategy session, went to meet the professors. There wasn’t much strategy to discuss. Dohyeon simply asked how many credits Wooyeon planned to take, when he preferred to have breaks, and whether he was okay with morning classes. Then, without wasting any time, he stood up.

“He’s a new member of our club, and he really wants to take your class, Professor.”

With his smooth, friendly voice, Dohyeon charmed the professors. Smiling and politely asking for favors, he sometimes even shared a cigarette with them. The professors, already half disarmed just by Dohyeon’s presence, readily opened up the classes after he added a few more words.

“For some classes, I asked the professors directly. For others, I just grabbed them when they became available. And Yunwoo Hyung helped out too.”

Of course, not all the professors went along with his requests. Some dodged the situation with vague excuses, while others deflected the conversation toward graduate school. However, the moment the topic of graduate school even slightly veered off course, Dohyeon immediately gave up trying to persuade them.

“Professors are simpler than you’d think. If you show enough enthusiasm, they’ll let you in. But if you don’t attend properly, you can kiss your grades goodbye.”

With Dohyeon’s skills and the help of the teaching assistant, Wooyeon had finally secured a “normal schedule,” except for the Friday morning class he shared with Dohyeon.

“Just leave that one to me. I’ll help you with it.”

The class was “Understanding English Phonology,” a 3-credit major course. The professor was so passionate that they even gave a full presentation on the first day. If Wooyeon dropped the course, he’d have to make up the missing credits next semester.

“A lot of students give up on that class because it’s hard. As long as you do the basics, you’ll get a good grade.”

Trusting Dohyeon’s words, Wooyeon kept the class. In truth, there weren’t many alternative options. And it wasn’t because it was the only class he shared with Dohyeon.

“You really are something else…”

Sitting a bit farther away, Garam muttered in disbelief. Ever since Wooyeon had entered the club room, Garam had kept her distance. Judging by the fact that she had completely suppressed her pheromones, she was clearly still conscious of what had happened last time. It was a relief for Wooyeon.

“Thank you so much.”

Wooyeon checked his schedule one more time before putting his phone away. Without Dohyeon’s help, he’d probably be seriously googling “How to drop out in the first semester of freshman year” right now. Though in the end, he wouldn’t have actually dropped out; he’d have just reluctantly continued with school.

“I’m glad I could help.”

For anyone else, this would have been a huge achievement, but Dohyeon never once acted arrogant about it. That calm demeanor, so teacher-like, filled Wooyeon with a sense of quiet gratitude that he kept to himself.

“Hyung, if I mess up my course registration next time, will you help me too?”

“Hmm… I’ve already been asked to join the graduate program so many times, I’m not sure I want to do it again.”

“Come on, the professors love you. You should just go for it.”

“What?”

“Sorry.”

They exchanged a few lighthearted jokes. Wooyeon was a bit surprised to learn that Seonkyu had already joined the club. No wonder he had called Dohyeon “hyung” at that drinking party—they had already known each other.

“The other guys will be happy to hear that you’re taking classes with them, Wooyeon.”

“Why?”

By coincidence, Wooyeon’s schedule overlapped with Seonkyu’s in most places. Since first-year classes were all similar, it was strange that Wooyeon had been taking different ones on his own until now. Seonkyu naturally motioned toward Wooyeon with his chin.

“Why do you think? You’ve got that whole mysterious vibe.”

“…Me?”

The comment made Wooyeon frown unconsciously. Mysterious? What a ridiculous thing to say. If messing up a course schedule was considered mysterious, then sure, he had nothing to say.

“You’ve been taking different classes on your own, sitting off to the side during the freshman assembly, and you’re not even in the group chat, so people haven’t had a chance to get to know you.”

“…”

He didn’t have to explain about the classes, and during the freshman assembly, he had sat alone simply because he didn’t have any friends. What surprised Wooyeon wasn’t those two things, though.