ETP Ch 51

Startled by Yoohyun’s menacing aura, as if he were about to hit Hyunseop at any moment, Sungyeon quickly stepped in front of him.

At that action, Yoohyun’s gaze, which had been directed at Hyunseop, shifted to Bokseung. The shift brought Bokseung’s neck bruises back into view, irritating him.

“Move.”

“Ah, no. Sunbae-nim, aren’t we in front of the police station?”

“So?”

“So! Let’s end this peacefully and go home!”

Sungyeon forced a smile, trying to appease the enraged young alpha.

It was Sungyeon himself who had suffered at the hands of that trash alpha, and it was Yoohyun who had taken care of the alpha to the extent of his anger, so he didn’t know why he was the one placating and coaxing Yoohyun.

Yoohyun waved his hand at Bokseung, who was blocking his way. It meant to move while he was still being nice.

And unfortunately for Sungyeon, it was Hyunseop who was provoked by Yoohyun’s attitude, as if he were dealing with something bothersome.

“This little punk.”

Sungyeon turned his head at the low voice coming from behind him. Hyunseop’s face, which looked genuinely angry, came into view.

There was still snot under his nose due to his lingering cold, but it didn’t look funny at all. Sungyeon could tell that his friend was truly pissed off for the first time in a long time.

Red lights flashed in Sungyeon’s head.

The thought of two of the biggest guys he knew potentially fighting each other sent shivers down his spine.

If he were in his old body, he could have forced them apart, but in Bokseung’s current body, he would be lucky if he could get between them without getting hurt.

“Wait, wait a minute! Sajang-nim!”

Sungyeon hugged Hyunseop tightly in a hurry. It was a judgment that it would be easier to stop Hyunseop, whom he had known for a long time.

At Bokseung’s sudden hug, Hyunseop coughed, “Cough, cough,” and lowered his head. He saw the delicate person hugging him and trembling.

Hyunseop came to his senses. Come to think of it, now wasn’t the time to be angry at that guy. Time was too precious to comfort Bokseung, who had been through a terrible ordeal.

Hyunseop patted Bokseung’s small back. He was an idiot and a sinner for catching a cold on the weekend.

“Ah, right. Bokseung, you must have been the most scared. I’m sorry. Ahem! I’ll hire a new part-timer right away so this doesn’t happen again.”

“Yes, thank you.”

“Thank you? It’s something I should do, of course. I’m sorry I left you alone for too long because I couldn’t find anyone. Shall we go now? I’ll take you home.”

Hyunseop, as if he had never been angry, smiled at Bokseung. As if relieved, color returned to the boy’s small face.

And one person was watching this scene disapprovingly.

Hwang Yoohyun looked at the two with a crooked gaze. It didn’t seem like the usual part-timer and boss relationship. Even from an objective point of view, they seemed quite close.

Jealous of this fact, Yoohyun strode toward Hyunseop and Bokseung with a menacing face again.

“I will take him home.”

“Huh?!”

The atmosphere, which had barely calmed down, was about to become tense again.

Sungyeon groaned and turned to Yoohyun.

He didn’t know why this Sunbae-nim kept picking fights since earlier.

“Sunbae-nim? I’m really grateful for your help today, but….”

“The boss seems sick, and it would be hard for him to take you home and deal with this at this late hour in his condition.”

For once, sensible words came out of Yoohyun’s mouth. He couldn’t erase the mechanical feeling as if he had practiced to say the right things, but Sungyeon nodded.

At least what he said was right.

Sungyeon glanced at Hyunseop’s condition and sided with Yoohyun. It seemed better for Hyunseop to go home and rest as soon as possible.

“You’re right. Sajang-nim, I think it would be better for you to go in and rest. I’ll go with Sunbae-nim. I’ll contact you again tomorrow morning.”

“Uh, uh? No, it’s okay…！ Cough!Sniff!”

“Oh, come on! You’re this sick. Sajang-nim, go in quickly!”

Bokseung’s small hand pushed Hyunseop’s back. After skillfully maneuvering Hyunseop to his car, Bokseung waved with a bright face as before.

“Sajang-nim, go home safely, and sleep well!”

“Uh, uh-huh!”

In the blink of an eye, they were in the car. Hyunseop waved to Bokseung and started the engine.

Is it really okay to leave like this?

But Bokseung was already turning around and running to his friend, the Sunbae.

“Oh, man, that punk. I could tell just by looking at his eyes that it wasn’t just a Sunbae’s look. Cough!Hack!”

Even as he coughed violently, Hyunseop recalled the young alpha’s glare.

If Bokseung hadn’t stopped him, they would probably both be back at the police station being investigated. Just thinking about it made him frown.

After Hyunseop’s car left, Bokseung ran straight to Yoohyun. And he started nagging.

“Sunbae-nim, no matter how angry you are and how worried I am, you shouldn’t talk to Sajang-nim like that. You know that Sajang-nim is 10 years older than you, even though he doesn’t look it…. ”

“He looks it.”

“Huh?”

“He doesn’t look 10 years older, he looks 15 years older.”

Yoohyun dissed Hyunseop with a nonchalant expression.

Thinking of Hyunseop, who was always lamenting his old appearance, Sungyeon felt even more annoyed.

“What’s wrong with Sajang-nim! He looks exactly 33!”

“What? Why are you getting all worked up?”

Yoohyun, in his own way, wasn’t pleased that Bokseung was defending the boss instead of him.

Even when they almost fought earlier, Bokseung hugged the boss, not him, to stop them, and now he was nagging that Yoohyun was wrong and even defending him by saying he didn’t look old.

Yoohyun’s eyebrows twitched. It would be perfect to flick Bokseung’s mouth, which was only saying annoying things, but where could he possibly flick that tiny guy? It was just his own insides burning black.

“Worked up? I’m just stating an objective fact.”

Sungyeon pretended not to notice Yoohyun’s suspicious gaze. He knew that if he revealed that he was actually Hyunseop’s close friend, who even knew about his old-age complex since his school days, they would just end up holding hands and going to a psychiatrist.

“Anyway, quit the part-time job. It doesn’t make sense that you’re working alone until that hour in the first place.”

“Huh?”

“There’s no guarantee that something like that won’t happen again.”

Yoohyun hardened his expression and put his hands in his pockets. The action emphasized his broad shoulders, making him look even more intimidating. The fact that they were standing in front of a police station made it worse.

“Sunbae-nim.”

“What.”

“Think about it. What happened to me was a bad thing, right?”

“Yeah.”

Yoohyun’s expression hardened further, as if the thought alone angered him.

Sungyeon looked at Yoohyun’s face, which showed no signs of relaxing. It was an expression that made people feel intimidated.

Anyway, since he had no intention of quitting his part-time job, he carefully gauged Yoohyun’s mood and continued speaking.

Today’s incident was no different from what had happened to the kids who came to him, Lee Sungyeon, for counseling.

What did he tell them back then?

He told them it wasn’t their fault, that if they wanted to avoid it, they could, but it wasn’t because they were at fault that they were avoiding it, so they shouldn’t feel bad. He told them to spend time with him, eating delicious food and watching movies, instead of hanging their heads in shame.

That’s how those kids were finally able to smile. Even after all that, those kids had so many difficult things in their lives that they could leave his side forever.

Such a thing had happened to him, too. Today.

“It’s something I wish hadn’t happened. But it’s not my fault, is it?”

“That…!”

“I was just working diligently, and that bastard was the bad guy. Why should I quit my job?”

“I know, I know, but.”

Yoohyun felt frustrated by Bokseung’s words.

It wasn’t that Bokseung was wrong. He was simply displeased that Bokseung had to work at a time and place where such things could happen.

But Bokseung shook his head firmly.

“Sajang-nim said he’d make sure that something like that doesn’t happen again. I don’t think things will get better just by blindly avoiding them.”

“Ha, seriously, this is your business. It’s not like it happened in the next town over! Don’t you know you shouldn’t be so positive about this?”

“It’s not being positive, it’s just that this is the right way to think about it. And I have no intention of just taking it lying down anymore.”

He was planning to buy a pepper spray for self-defense right away. He had no intention of being a pushover just because he was a variant, an omega.

He didn’t want to be the first to hang his head, when he was the one who emphasized to the kids in counseling that they shouldn’t blame themselves.

“So, you’re going to keep working there?”

“Yep.”

“And you have no intention of changing your hours?”

“Yep! Oh, today ended a bit late because Sajang-nim was sick, I don’t usually work until this late. You know that, right, Sunbae-nim?”

“Yeah, I know.”

Yoohyun gave up trying to persuade Bokseung, who was stubborn as a mule. But he wasn’t going to just stand by and watch.

“Then, I’ll do it too.”

“Huh? Do what?”

Surprised by Yoohyun’s words, Bokseung questioned him informally. Then, as if he didn’t realize what he had just said, he blinked with an innocent expression.

“Your boss said he was going to hire more part-timers. I’ll take that job.”