Romantic Gangster

#06

“Lee Hyun-joon always called us dirty, but now he’s hanging out with a male omega.”

“His face is really something else, for real.”

Feeling uncomfortable with the hand slightly touching his bangs, Ji-woo got up from the sofa. He had followed to annoy Hyun-joon and make him listen, not to be harassed by these rude and vulgar guys.

“Oh, why? Are you leaving?”

“Move.”

“Why are you going so soon? Play with us too. We’re nice. Want us to release some pheromones?”

The words were playful, but the hand pressing down on his shoulder wasn’t. Ji-woo, easily overpowered, sat back down on the sofa. The hand that had been touching his bangs now grazed his cheek.

“Oh, damn. That’s chilling. It’s so soft. Hey, feel this.”

Soon after, another hand from someone standing nearby approached. Ji-woo turned his head, but he couldn’t stop them from touching his cheek. Beyond feeling bad, he started to feel a bit scared. He knew all too well that it wouldn’t be easy to shake off three alphas alone.

“Shit, this is crazy. Hey, I’m kind of turned on right now.”

“You pervert, really. Hey, Hyun-joon. Is he really not yours?”

The guy who first reached out asked Hyun-joon, who was playing pool. Thanks to Ji-woo’s awkward position, a gap formed, and through it, he could see Hyun-joon. Hyun-joon, bent over to hit the cue ball, glanced over.

“What?”

“If not, we’re gonna play with him. I’m really turned on right now. It’s not related to you, right?”

Their eyes met through the narrow gap. It was too dangerous to just sit still and hope that Hyun-joon might help. Hyun-joon would probably nod indifferently, and then something terrible would happen. Just as Ji-woo thought he should ask for help to get out of there somehow, Hyun-joon’s mouth opened.

“Related…”

“…”

“It’s very much related.”

An unexpected answer came out. Hyun-joon, leaning on the pool table with his long cue, soon approached and inserted it into the narrow gap, shaking it left and right. As if telling them to widen that gap.

“What? You said he wasn’t yours. You told us to ignore him.”

“I told you to ignore him. Did I tell you to touch him?”

The pointed cue poked the stomach of the guy who first touched Ji-woo’s hair and cheek. At the same time, the playful atmosphere disappeared.

“Did I tell you to touch him?”

“…No.”

“Then why did you touch him?”

“Sorry…”

“I don’t care who you roll around with, but I told you not to touch anyone in front of me. Shit, do you think I’d hang out with you if it’s embarrassing?”

“…Hey, why are you being so scary? We didn’t really touch him. It’s just… his face is my type, so… Just… Sorry.”

Hyun-joon flipped the pool cue and jabbed the blunt handle end into the stomachs of the guys standing there stupidly. Watching them collapse one after another like dominoes, holding their stomachs, Ji-woo looked up at Hyun-joon blankly.

“…”

Hyun-joon, who had thrown the cue onto the pool table, glanced down at Ji-woo.

“Hey, come out.”

Then, as if annoyed, he spat out the words and turned his body, striding towards the door. Only after hearing those words directed at him did Ji-woo come to his senses, quickly grab his bag, get up from the sofa, and run after Hyun-joon.

As they left the pool hall, Ji-woo saw Hyun-joon getting into the elevator. He quickly got in too.

“Thanks for helping me.”

“If you know I helped, just go away quietly now.”

“…”

“If it wasn’t for me, you today… Ah. Shit, let’s not talk about it. Let’s not.”

With an annoyed face, Hyun-joon ruffled his hair, zipped up his track top to his neck, and leaned his large body against the elevator wall with his arms crossed.

Looking at Hyun-joon like that, Ji-woo thought it was taking a long time to reach the first floor and looked up to check the floor number. The elevator was still on the third floor.

“…”

Realizing they hadn’t pressed the button, Ji-woo pressed for the first floor. Only then did the elevator start moving with an operating sound. Next to him, Hyun-joon’s obvious sigh echoed.

Reaching the first floor and exiting the dark commercial building again, Ji-woo looked up at Hyun-joon standing casually under the streetlight pouring orange light. Hyun-joon was also looking down at him with displeasure, standing with his arms crossed.

“Hey.”

“Yeah.”

“Stand still for a moment.”

Hyun-joon’s tall body, frowning, bent down smoothly. The approaching face was surprising, but not scary. Hyun-joon lowered his head further, his face coming close to Ji-woo’s neck. He seemed to be smelling him.

“So this is why they went crazy.”

“…What?”

Straightening his body back to its original slanted position, Hyun-joon turned his head, exhaled, and looked down at Ji-woo again.

“When did you last take your suppressants?”

“In the morning…”

“You don’t usually stay out until dawn, right?”

“Yeah…”

“What time does your part-time job end?”

“Ten o’clock…”

“Your suppressants have worn off.”

“…Huh?”

“You smell really sweet. Like castella cake.”

Only then did Ji-woo fully understand Hyun-joon’s words. He was saying that the suppressants Ji-woo took in the morning had worn off, and he was now emitting pheromones.

“You didn’t know that and still followed me into a place full of alpha guys, thinking you’d take me to school alone?”

“…I didn’t know. Like you said, I’ve never been out at this time before.”

“Hey. You saw how those guys’ eyes changed earlier, right? They won’t go easy on you. If you don’t want real trouble, just go home, okay?”

As Hyun-joon waved his hand dismissively, Ji-woo watched him quietly, lost in thought. It wouldn’t be difficult to go home now, but… he wanted to talk with Hyun-joon a bit more. Asking to talk more would be the simplest and most honest approach, but he doubted Hyun-joon would agree.

“Take the less crowded streets. Shit, if you go around like this… Ah, let’s not talk about it.”

“Can’t you walk me home?”

“What?”

“What if they follow me for revenge? I’m scared.”

“…Does that look like a scared face? It looks more like you’re trying to cling to me.”

“I’m really scared.”

“No, you don’t look scared at all.”

I’m really scared though… Ji-woo muttered, then after a moment’s thought, he raised his hand and lightly grasped Hyun-joon’s sleeve. Then he lifted his head, which he had lowered while thinking, and met Hyun-joon’s eyes again.

“Please?”

“…”

“Hmm?”

Hyun-joon’s eyes wavered. For a moment, a very pleasant scent briefly brushed Ji-woo’s nose. It was Hyun-joon’s pheromone scent. The one he had smelled on the rooftop before.

“…You’re really something. Hey, I’m an alpha too, you know?”

“But you won’t do anything.”

“How do you know? My eyes can go wild with pheromones too.”

“…Then there’s nothing I can do about it.”

“…Huh, are you brave? Reckless? Or just crazy?”

Though his words weren’t gentle, Hyun-joon’s tone had softened a bit. Ji-woo started walking in the direction of his home. He heard Hyun-joon moving behind him.

“Where’s your house?”

“Inside that alley where we met yesterday.”

“It’s not that far then.”

“Yeah, it’s close.”

Despite the late hour, being near the station, there were quite a few drunk people visible. Some staggered by, while others tried to approach Ji-woo but were stopped by Hyun-joon.

“You’re really reassuring.”

“Feels good to use people, huh?”

“It’s not about using you. I’ve rarely walked home with anyone at night, so it just feels nice to go together.”

“…Don’t you have that guy you eat with?”

“You saw him?”

“Of course I saw. You were together.”

Though his voice was annoyed, it sounded somewhat embarrassed, which Ji-woo found a bit cute.

“Young-jae doesn’t work part-time, so…”

“Is he an alpha?”

“No, he’s a beta.”

“Thought he looked like one,” Hyun-joon muttered. Ji-woo smiled at him as they stopped at a crosswalk.

“There are no cars, let’s just cross.”

“No way. An accident could happen if a car suddenly appears. A motorcycle could come too.”

“It won’t.”

Surprised by Hyun-joon actually stepping out to cross, Ji-woo quickly grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

“Damn, you live so cautiously.”

“You’re just living too recklessly.”

Forced to come back and stand beside Ji-woo again, Hyun-joon glared at the red traffic light with his hands deep in his track top pockets. He glanced at Ji-woo, who was still holding onto his arm to prevent him from crossing suddenly, then sighed as if giving up.

“Do you really have nothing to do at school? No studying, no close friends in class?”

“Yeah.”

“But with only a few months left, wouldn’t it be a waste to not graduate because of that?”

“I don’t think it’s a waste. It’s not like I’m going to live off my educational background.”

“Still, there’s a difference between middle school and high school graduates. It doesn’t seem like you have circumstances preventing you from going to school…”

“What’s the difference?”

Seeing the light turn green, Ji-woo started walking and let go of Hyun-joon’s arm.

“If someone’s only a middle school graduate… people usually think either they had some really serious circumstances or they were extremely rebellious. But you…”

“What about me?”

“…You don’t seem like you had circumstances.”

“Then what do I seem like? Just a delinquent who gave up on life without a future?”

“Well… kind of.”