AP CH 12 (Mighty Town)

At the offhand comment, Seon-woo raised his gaze, meeting Lee-won’s. Without waiting for a reply, Lee-won placed the soju glass into Seon-woo’s hand, which had been resting idly on the table.

“Drink. And let’s stay the night.”

“…….I said I’m driving.”

“I don’t want to drink alone.”

Faced with Lee-won’s insistence, Seon-woo let out a small sigh internally and adjusted the glass in his hand.

“Fine. Just this once.”

The drinking that had begun at the dinner table carried on even after they checked into a nearby hotel.

Out of all the accommodations in the area, how did the one most aligned with Lee-won’s taste happen to be right in front of the restaurant? Walking the short distance—hardly even far enough to warrant a taxi—Seon-woo realized this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision. Lee-won had likely planned it all out before they even arrived at the restaurant.

Thanks to Lee-won’s stubborn insistence, Seon-woo was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol as well. He watched Lee-won over the rim of his glass as he tilted the bottle. It seemed like he would get drunk if he drank just a little more……

“Pack your things for next Tuesday. Hee-jun and I decided to head to the villa in Namwon to rest a bit. Come with us.”

“Out of nowhere?”

“You’ll be worn out by winter. Might as well take a few days off.”

“……Not sure. I’ve got class until Thursday.”

“Exams are over. Skipping one day won’t kill you. Besides, your attendance is great this semester.”

“You’re such a delinquent.”

Seon-woo joked, swirling the drink in his glass.

The truth was, he didn’t want to insert himself between them. And besides, there were people he needed to see after the semester ended.

Recalling a certain face—one that had repeatedly reminded him to keep his promise—he smiled faintly and shook his head.

“I’ll pass. You two go ahead without me.”

“Just come along. I already booked your ticket.”

“I don’t want Hee-jun calling me an annoying sunbae with no sense of boundaries.”

Seon-woo’s unusual refusal made Lee-won pause. His expression shifted subtly, hinting at displeasure, but Seon-woo didn’t notice. He was preoccupied with the thought that the whiskey swirling in his glass was the same color as Eun Hyeon-chae’s eyes.

When Lee-won falls asleep, I should step out and buy some cigarettes….. Maybe even make a call. Will he pick up if I do?

Lost in thought, Seon-woo stared at the glass and chuckled to himself, a faint smile lingering on his lips.

Meanwhile, Lee-won’s expression grew increasingly cold, his irritation unmistakable as he watched Seon-woo retreat further into his own world.

“Nam Seon-woo, you……”

Both their phones, lying on the table, began vibrating at the exact same time. As if synchronized, they instinctively glanced at each other’s phone first.

Hee-jun was calling Lee-won. Only after confirming the screen for himself did Seon-woo turn his eyes back to his own phone. But when Eun Hyeon-chae’s name lit up the message notification, his hand reflexively covered the screen.

It was already too late. Lee-won’s gaze had locked onto it.

The stiff line of his lips twisted into a crooked smile.

“Why are you hiding it?”

The tension beneath his otherwise calm tone made Seon-woo unconsciously lick his dry lips.

“I’m not hiding anything….. Hee-jun is calling. Go ahead and answer.”

“Who is it?”

“…..Lee-won.”

“I asked, who is it?”

The pressure in Lee-won’s voice was undeniable, his pheromones subtly filling the air. Seon-woo felt the alcohol-induced haze vanish in an instant.

He saw it. Why does he need to hear it from me? Letting out a resigned sigh, Seon-woo finally admitted, “It’s Eun Hyeon-chae.”

Just as he expected, a blatant scoff followed.

“You two must be close. Messaging each other at this hour.”

“It’s not like that—”

“Then reply already. He’s probably waiting.”

“I can do it tomorrow. We’ve both had a bit to drink. Let’s just wrap this up and—ah!”

Lee-won’s hand slapped Seon-woo’s away from the bottle he was reaching for, making him flinch.

“You’re acting strange, Nam Seon-woo.”

Lee-won’s frostbitten gaze pierced through him. The tension in the room escalated as his pheromones surged, suffocating and oppressive. Seon-woo instinctively clutched at his mouth, struggling against the overwhelming wave.

“……Ugh. Hey, your pheromones—”

Seon-woo thought he’d grown accustomed to Lee-won’s pheromones by now, but it had been a mistake. The pheromones of the dominant Alpha, who was determined to subdue someone beneath them, was on a completely different level this time.

Not being able to control it to this extent was a warning sign. As Seon-woo frowned, trying to assess Lee-won’s state, his body threatened to give out before his thoughts could catch up. He stumbled to the window, flinging it open and greedily gulping the fresh air.

As the cool breeze brushed his face, he gripped the windowsill tightly, veins standing out on the back of his hands. Suddenly, Lee-won’s hand overlapped his own.

Startled by the unexpected contact, Seon-woo froze, unable to turn back. His gaze locked on the reflection in the glass—Lee-won’s face drawing closer, his lips brushing against Seon-woo’s ear as he spoke in a low voice.

“I met with the elders yesterday. Got their permission to marry Hee-jun.”

Though he’d seen it coming from the moment they first met, hearing it directly from Lee-won’s lips made Seon-woo’s mind go blank.

It was an eviction notice, delivered to the cowardice that had let him remain by Lee-won’s side under the guise of friendship.

Seon-woo had no words of protest. He could only listen as Lee-won continued.

“We’ll get engaged in the spring and marry right after graduation. We’ll have a child soon after.”

Lee-won’s gaze, cold and resolute, stared back at Seon-woo through the window’s reflection, demanding an answer.

What should he say…… Seon-woo swallowed the sigh threatening to escape and parted his lips to speak—only to realize something unexpected.

He wasn’t as shaken as he thought he’d be.

Even as he imagined Lee-won getting married, he didn’t feel crushed. He was fine.

Had his heart grown so calloused that it was deceiving even him? Or was it something else entirely…… the end of this unrequited love that had done nothing but hurt him?

Whatever it was, Seon-woo found himself thinking it was for the best. He replied, unaware of how wrong his response was.

“Congratulations.”

“That’s it?”

“What else is there to say? Hee-jun’s a good person, and you suit each other well.”

Lee-won’s face twisted into a pained grimace as Seon-woo calmly uttered his words. Unable to contain his anger, Lee-won slammed his fist against the glass window.

Startled, Seon-woo barely had time to turn around before Lee-won’s hands gripped his shoulders tightly, shoving him against the glass.

Through gritted teeth, Lee-won shook his head.

“See? This isn’t normal……”

“Damn it, Choi Lee-won! That hurts……! Calm down!”

“Congratulations? Congratulations, you say? Nam Seon-woo, you—!”

“You’re getting too worked up right now!…… Just—!”

The moment Seon-woo shrugged off his grip, Lee-won grabbed him by the collar and dragged him closer. Before Seon-woo could react, their lips collided. His eyes widened in sheer shock as the unwelcome sensation registered.

Seon-woo struggled against him, but Lee-won pressed him down, biting down on Seon-woo’s unyielding lips. Only when Seon-woo, subdued by the overpowering pheromones, momentarily stilled and became obedient, did Lee-won pull back slightly, whispering against his lips.

“You shouldn’t be like this, Nam Seon-woo.”

You love me.

At those final words, Seon-woo swung his fist, landing a punch that sent Lee-won tumbling to the floor. Without sparing him another glance, Seon-woo stormed out of the room.

                                 ****

“……What are you doing here?”

Seon-woo wasn’t sure how he’d managed to hail a taxi in his state. Sitting on a bench outside Seon-woo’s apartment complex, Eun Hyeon-chae looked up as Seon-woo approached, his expression clouded with worry.

“I couldn’t reach you….. What happened to your lips?”

Under the glow of the streetlamp, Hyeon-chae’s eyes widened as he got a better look at Seon-woo’s face.

“No, your face….. Sunbae, your eye—”

Seeing Eun Hyeon-chae’s fumbling hands and anxious expression, Seon-woo let out a heavy sigh, his voice barely audible.

“Go home. I’m not in the mood to entertain you today.”

Even as he brushed past him, Hyeon-chae predictably ignored the command and trailed behind.

“Sunbae. Did you cry? You’re hurt.”

“……”

“Sunbae.”

“Just go.”

Nothing had been resolved yet. It felt like his heart was still trapped in that hotel room, racing uncontrollably, while his mind was a blank slate. His thoughts, his emotions, and even his body were all in shambles. The fact that Eun Hyeon-chae had to witness him like this made him want to bury himself in shame. He had no strength left to consider anyone else, much less spare any patience.

Even after telling him to leave, Hyeon-chae managed to slip into the closing elevator doors, stepping inside. Seon-woo didn’t even have the energy to react. He just sighed, exhausted.

“Ha……”

Inside the elevator, Seon-woo’s pheromones hung in the air, unrestrained and erratic. It must have been unpleasant for another alpha, but Eun Hyeon-chae didn’t let his own pheromones leak in response. Instead, he kept talking, his voice anxious and restless.

“Sunbae, if there’s anything I can do to help, I want to—”

“Leaving quietly would help.”

Even as Seon-woo reached his apartment and opened the door, he could hear the persistent sound of footsteps following him. His irritation boiled over when the door, which he tried to slam shut, was caught by Hyeon-chae.

“Can you just, please fucking get lost!” Seon-woo finally snapped, his voice sharp and trembling with frustration.

“..…I can’t leave you alone like this, Sunbae.”

“..…For fuck sake, seriously.”

Unable to contain his seething emotions, Nam Seon-woo grabbed Eun Hyeon-chae by the collar and yanked him inside. He shoved Hyeon-chae against the closed door of the apartment, unleashing the fury that had built up in the hotel room, during the cab ride, and right in front of his home—all on someone who had done nothing to deserve it.

“You don’t know anything, so what makes you think you can say something? What do you even think you can do to help? What the hell can you possibly do?”

“Anything. Anything that will make you feel better, Sunbae….. anything.”

The softness in Hyeon-chae’s reply struck a nerve.

Seon-woo saw himself in Hyeon-chae.

Had he looked this pitiful too? How long had Choi Lee-won known?…… Was he any different from Lee-won right now?

The sudden surge of self-loathing had Seon-woo biting down on his lips. Slowly, his hand loosened its grip on Hyeon-chae’s collar.

“Sorry.…Just go. I need to rest.”

Seon-woo turned away, but before he could take a single step, Hyeon-chae reached out and grabbed his arm.

“I like you.”

“…..”

“I like you so much, Sunbae. Too much. So, please..…”

Seon-woo stared at the hand holding his arm. After a moment, he turned back to face Hyeon-chae. Their eyes met—those same eyes that had been watching him for months—and before he could stop himself, he pulled Hyeon-chae closer and kissed him.

The moment their lips met, the lingering sting of the ones he had bitten raw in the cab flared with a sharp ache, but strangely, the pain was a relief. With a slight furrow of his brow, he coaxed Hyeon-chae’s lips apart skillfully, slipping his tongue inside to gently soothe and tease the stiff tongue, wrapping around it with ease. He explored every corner—beneath the tongue, the inside of the cheek, and along the teeth and gums—with deliberate strokes, leaving nothing untouched.

A muffled, almost whimpering sound escaped Hyeon-chae, vibrating softly against Seon-woo’s tongue, sending an oddly satisfying sensation through him.

When Seon-woo finally pulled away, he licked at Hyeon-chae’s now-wet lower lip before asking, his voice calm yet teasing,

“Is this your first time?”

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