Chapter 2

With about ten minutes left until class, Lee Jun pressed his eyelids firmly. His eyes felt dry and stiff because he had taken on too much work before the start of the new semester.

‘Should I have reduced my workload?’

He had been earning money through a serving part-time job and freelance work, but now that he was trying to adjust to the new semester, his body was already complaining of fatigue everywhere.

‘Still, if I can just get through this academic year, I’ll be completely graduated.’

Once he got his university diploma, a day would come when nothing else mattered. All the struggles with frequent leaves of absence and grades would just become memories.

Everything would be a memory…

‘Senior.’

A sweet voice, as if it could melt his ears, came to mind. The name of his junior, who might not even be in this country anymore, and who he once dated, was caught in his throat. Lee Jun couldn’t calm his restless heart and leaned against the desk. He tried not to think, but he couldn’t control the flow of thoughts that drifted on their own.

‘Chaeheon.’

Lee Jun stroked his thin face, recalling memories of the person to whom he had given his all just once.

Chaeheon was in the same department, but their student IDs and academic years were different. So, at first, there was a strong tendency for them to be awkward around each other. Especially since Chaeheon was a well-known figure, whose name often came up among his peers and seniors and juniors, Lee Jun thought he would never get involved with him. Lee Jun was an ordinary student who quietly went about his school life, so their only point of contact was being in the same department.

Then, in one class, they ended up in the same group, and the time they spent together increased. The emotions that intertwined between them developed into a romantic relationship.

Lee Jun loved Chaeheon’s gentle and tender side. Chaeheon had been prickly at first, but Lee Jun was overwhelmed by the warmth he showed as a lover. He loved Chaeheon’s kind smile that seemed to melt him. Moreover, even though Chaeheon was his junior by two years, his considerate and mature demeanor kept shaking Lee Jun’s heart. In Chaeheon’s difficult life, Lee Jun was nothing short of a sanctuary where he could breathe. Lee Jun fell helplessly in love with Chaeheon even during their relationship. That’s why he never expected their breakup.

It was a day like any other. It was one of those mornings where the sunlight streaming through the curtains was warm, and the pheromones lingering in the room were sweet. Lee Jun, caught between sleep and reality, smiled at Chaeheon’s gentle touch caressing his body.

Realizing Lee Jun was slowly waking up, Chaeheon’s hands became a little more earnest. He caressed Lee Jun’s collarbone, then gently stroked his cheek.

‘Everyone thinks I’m lying.’

Chaeheon slowly climbed on top of Lee Jun and gently bit his shoulder.

‘Lying about what?’

‘They don’t believe I have a lover.’

Chaeheon grumbled, dissatisfied.

‘Even though I tell them I have such a beautiful and handsome lover, they won’t believe it unless I show them.’

Lee Jun suppressed a laugh at the tickle rising from his shoulder and hugged Chaeheon’s head. Chaeheon wanting to reveal their relationship was nothing new, as he had brought it up before.

‘Let’s do it later.’

However, Lee Jun had the same thought then as he did now.

‘How long are we going to hide it? If it’s because of your secondary gender, you’re just wasting time. Everyone would quickly accept it if you just said you were an Omega, Senior.’

‘It’s not because of my secondary gender.’

Lee Jun gently ran his fingers through Chaeheon’s hair, as if trying to soothe his dissatisfaction.

‘There are so many people who like you. But if I, whom everyone thought was a Beta, suddenly announced I was dating you, who would be happy about it? I’m an outsider in the department.’

‘That’s because you took so many leaves of absence. If you just put your mind to it, Senior, everyone would want to be close to you.’

‘I like things the way they are now. Don’t you, Chaeheon?’

Lee Jun pressed his lips to Chaeheon’s forehead. It was always like this; if he cajoled him appropriately, Chaeheon would usually feign defeat and back down. He expected the same this time.

‘I’m going to study abroad.’

Chaeheon said, embracing Lee Jun’s back. Lee Jun, who had been smiling at Chaeheon’s warm breath, belatedly realized what he said and froze.

‘Study abroad?’

After that, he broke up with Chaeheon.

Amidst the rising symphony of pheromones beginning to circulate the classroom, Lee Jun held his breath for a moment before standing up. There was still time until class, so he thought he’d go get a drink, also to escape the pheromones filling the room.

As he slid a bill into the vending machine, the buttons lit up. Lee Jun, who was choosing which drink to pick, felt a strange sensation and looked to his side. People casually passing by in the hallway, arriving just in time for class, brushed past him. Even though no one was looking directly at him, he felt as if someone was watching him. He was about to turn his head, feeling a bit awkward, when it happened.

Among the unfamiliar faces, a familiar one was staring at Lee Jun.

“……”

“……”

It was a man whose dark eyes beneath neat eyebrows felt quite sharp. Perhaps because of his height, his presence was distinct, and his face was not one to be easily forgotten once seen. No, he couldn’t forget it. How could he forget a face he had seen every day when they were dating?

As Lee Jun looked at the man, the man also scrutinized Lee Jun’s features, as if checking if he was indeed the person he knew. After some time, at the end of what felt like a staring contest, the man facing him spoke.

“You’re back from your leave of absence?”

He had returned to school because his leave of absence had ended, but why was Chaeheon here? Lee Jun had thought he had already gone to study abroad and hadn’t expected to meet him like this. Seeing the question on Lee Jun’s face, Chaeheon chuckled softly and said,

“You haven’t graduated yet either, Senior, so is it strange that I’m attending?”

“…Right.”

They were nothing to each other now. Thinking they were nothing to each other, his eyes aimlessly scanned the vending machine. His hand vaguely swept over the machine, then pressed whatever his fingertip landed on. The clattering sound of the drink falling felt like his own heartbeat. In his confusion, he had acknowledged Chaeheon’s words, but now he just wanted them both to go their separate ways. His once calm mind had been shaken ever since he faced Chaeheon.

Lee Jun slowly tilted the drink. He tried to cool his churning insides, which had started to boil after meeting Chaeheon, with the cold drink, but it was no use. Instead, he felt Chaeheon’s gaze fixed on his face even more intensely. Lee Jun crumpled the empty drink can. He wanted to get away from him quickly. So, without even a brief glance towards Chaeheon, he turned away.

Back at his seat, Lee Jun belatedly realized he hadn’t thrown away the drink can. He started to get up to dispose of it, then stopped. He somehow felt that if he went out now, he might encounter a face he didn’t want to see again. His phone vibrated, so Lee Jun casually set the can aside and picked up his phone.

[Hae Sol looked for you as soon as he woke up.]

At the whining tone, a faint smile escaped Lee Jun’s previously grim face. His mood, which had been sinking just moments before, was slowly recovering at the mere mention of Hae Sol’s name.

[Give him water first, then change his diaper. Check if his back is sweaty and if his clothes are wet.]

As soon as he sent it, a crying emoji came back immediately. Lee Jun flipped his phone back over and rested his chin on his hand. His pounding heart was gradually calming down as he thought of Hae Sol.

‘I didn’t think we’d run into each other… Let’s not be swayed.’

That was the best he could do.

“Haa.”

Feeling a little better, Lee Jun massaged his stiff neck and gazed out the window. From his seat near the hallway, only occasional passersby could be seen; there was nothing much to look at. He had chosen this seat because the sunlight made him feel like he might fall asleep. It was also an inconspicuous spot. However, the drawback of what he thought was an adequate seat quickly became apparent.

“So this time, I’m definitely going to get a scholarship.”

“You, Kim Gyeong-hun?”

“Why? Do you think I can’t do it? Chaeheon, do you think so too?”

“It’s good if you get it.”

“See? You just said it’s good if I get it, not that you think I will get it.”

“Oh, come on!”

Lee Jun’s mood was shaken again by the boisterous noise echoing in the hallway. It was because of a name mixed into the conversation. The noise was getting louder, as if they were coming to this lecture hall….

Lee Jun saw Chaeheon among the group passing by his side and quickly averted his gaze before their eyes could meet.

‘To have to take classes with him….’

On his first day back from his leave of absence, Lee Jun wanted to take another leave of absence.