AP CH 13 (Mighty Town)
by White LotusEun Hyeon-chae stared at him with dazed eyes, then shook his head slightly.
“……No.”
His reaction had been so much like a first kiss that Seon-woo couldn’t help but ask. Then again, with that face, there was no way Hyeon-chae hadn’t kissed someone before, no matter how innocent he seemed.
Seon-woo chalked it up to inexperience rather than inability and leaned in for another kiss. Their lips met again, soft and moist from the earlier exchange. This time, the kiss was far gentler and more tender, a stark contrast to the turbulent emotions from moments before.
No matter how terrible the day had been, the trembling hands resting on his shoulders and Hyeon-chae’s willingness to follow his lead soothed the storm inside him.
He was an Alpha, yet a complete novice who couldn’t even kiss properly, but Seon-woo felt an exhilarating high like never before. It was amusing how just one kiss had overturned his previous aversion to Alphas.
Maybe being with an Alpha wasn’t so bad after all.
Seon-woo’s fingers brushed affectionately through Hyeon-chae’s hair before trailing down to lightly trace the curve of his ear. His other hand slid to Hyeon-chae’s waist, slipping under his shirt. When the younger man flinched in his arms, Seon-woo chuckled softly against his lips. The sound drew a nervous yet yearning look from Hyeon-chae, who quickly stammered out his question.
“What about you, sunbae?…… Do you like me too?”
“What?”
At Hyeon-chae’s question, Seon-woo was at a loss for words, his lips parted slightly, but no words came out. Saying someone was pretty or that he liked them was something he did countless times, so much so that the words rarely carried weight anymore. However, strangely, he couldn’t bring himself to say it, even as an empty remark, when it came to Eun Hyeon-chae.
“Sunbae…”
The prolonged silence caused Hyeon-chae’s expression to crumble. Tears welled up in the younger man’s eyes, threatening to spill over. Flustered, Seon-woo reached out and cupped both of Hyeon-chae’s cheeks.
“Does that really matter? Do I really have to like you for this? There are other things we can do even if I don’t. I think I’d be okay with you being an Alpha now.”
“…….”
“Didn’t you want to sleep with me too? It’s not even your first time.”
Tears, shimmering in his eyes, finally spilled over, streaming down Eun Hyeon-chae’s cheeks. The warmth of the tears against his palms made Seon-woo’s heart lurch, but before he could say anything, Hyeon-chae turned on his heel and bolted out the door.
“Eun Hyeon-chae!”
But there wasn’t even a chance to catch him. In an instant, Hyeon-chae was gone. Left standing alone with his outstretched hand lingering in midair, Seon-woo finally realized what he had done. Slowly, he slumped against the wall, his back hitting it with a dull thud.
Running his hand through his hair in frustration, he let out a long sigh as guilt began to suffocate him.
“Ha… Nam Seon-woo, you’re such a piece of trash.”
The remnants of alcohol clouded his thoughts, making his words come out impulsively and carelessly. All he could think about at that moment had been the comfort of seeing Eun Hyeon-chae in front of him and his soft, light-colored eyes, filled only with me, were just so beautiful…….
He shouldn’t have treated someone so innocent like a casual fling. No matter how exhausted he had been, no matter how much he had wanted to push Hyeon-chae away, that wasn’t the way to do it.
He turned on his phone, which had been switched off, and tried calling Eun Hyeon-chae. The younger man, who usually answered calls so eagerly, didn’t pick up. After a few failed attempts, Seon-woo gave up. Then he sent a single text to someone before tossing his phone aside.
[Hyung, I’ll come.]
***
After spending the entire night awake and only managing to drift into a shallow sleep, Seon-woo was jolted awake less than an hour later by an early morning phone call.
—Nam Seon-woo! What’s with the text? Are you really coming?
“……..Yeah. I’ll be there, so get things ready.”
—What about your club? Aren’t you going to the ski camp?
With Dong-jin’s question lingering, Seon-woo kept his phone pressed to his ear, closing his eyes. His brief silence prompted Dong-jin to answer casually, as if dismissing the pause.
—Anyway, it’s good you’re coming. You’re really coming, right? When will you get here? When can you start the lessons?
“…….I’ll head down tomorrow. Lessons can start on Monday.”
—Got it. I’ll set the schedule! Everything will be ready, so see you tomorrow.
As soon as the call ended, Seon-woo let out a deep sigh and rubbed his face with both hands. His sudden decision in the early hours of the morning wasn’t spontaneous—it was a calculated escape from the thought of facing Lee-won.
Although the timing felt rushed, it wasn’t a decision made in a fit of anger. There simply wasn’t another option. At least this way, Lee-won would be tied up in Inun for a month, and he could spend the break away, hopefully finding a way to resolve everything. Whatever the outcome, it couldn’t be worse than now.
Running a hand over his face, Seon-woo tried calling Eun Hyeon-chae again. As before, the call didn’t go through. Staring at the screen as it disconnected, he typed out a message:
[I’d like to see you before I leave and apologize.]
He held onto his phone, glaring at the blank screen. Unsurprisingly, there was no reply.
“You used to respond so fast. Now you’re cold and precise like a knife.”
The thought that Hyeon-chae was likely reading his message but ignoring it made his stomach churn.
Deciding to stop obsessing over his phone, Seon-woo stood and began packing his bags. Preparing for a three-month stay turned out to be a time-consuming task. He carefully packed large or non-essential items into boxes for delivery and focused on essentials for the trip.
After the morning had brightened enough, he contacted the general affairs manager to inform them that he would not be attending the ski camp due to personal circumstances. Jin-hyeong, caught off guard by the sudden notice, only seemed to relax when he said he wouldn’t ask for a refund of the participation fee. With a now more at-ease tone, he simply wished him well and hoped things would work out, though he didn’t know what had happened.
Not long after informing Jin-hyeong of his withdrawal, a call came from Lee-won. Seon-woo glanced at his phone with a bitter expression before answering, only to be greeted by a sharp, irritable voice.
—You’re running away?
“…Yeah.”
The sound of Lee-won laughing mockingly filled the line.
—You can’t run away.
With just those words, Lee-won hung up first, leaving Seon-woo holding his phone in silence.
Even after finishing all his preparations, there was still no word from Eun Hyeon-chae. Debating whether to go find him in person, Seon-woo put on his coat, only to realize how little he knew about him.
Did he live alone, or with his family? Did he commute to school daily, or stay nearby? If he was unreachable, where could he be found? He knew nothing.
Resigning himself, Seon-woo waited aimlessly in front of the Humanities College building for a long time. But it wasn’t until the campus emptied out after the final classes of the day, leaving the grounds desolate, that he finally gave up with a bitter sigh and walked away.
….…Just a few hours, and it’s already this boring.
***
After setting the parcels he was sending out by the door, Nam Seon-woo dragged his suitcase behind him and stepped out of his apartment.
Arriving at the shuttle stop for Mighty Town’s exclusive bus, he saw several people gathered there, dressed unmistakably for a ski trip.
“Ugh, it’s so cold!” someone muttered, shivering in place.
“If you’re cold already, how are you going to ski?”
“I’ll just ski for a bit and head back inside.”
“It’s fine. Once you’re out there, you don’t even notice the cold.”
“The best part is stopping for hot chocolate after skiing for a while.”
“If my unnie hadn’t begged me, I’d never have left my house in winter. The world outside the blankets is dangerous enough, and now there’s snow. This is the worst.”
“Oh, the bus is here!..…Still, I think winter’s my favorite season.”
“How can you like it when it’s this freezing?”
“Just because. It’s a good time to wrap things up, clear out the old, and look forward to what’s next. Isn’t that nice?”
From the overly excited ones to the ones grumbling in protest, everyone’s faces still carried a hint of anticipation.
Watching the happy group from afar, Seon-woo sighed softly, brushing aside his wandering thoughts before boarding the shuttle bus.
Gangwon-do was noticeably colder. Judging by the remnants of snow scattered here and there, it had likely snowed just that morning. Though only three hours from Seoul, the atmosphere felt entirely different.
<Après Ski Shop>
Seon-woo glanced up at the signboard before his attention was drawn to Dong-jin, who was wildly waving him over. A small smile broke across Seon-woo’s face.
“Hyung, it’s been a while.”
“Seon-woo! Man, I’m so glad to see you. I was worried we wouldn’t get to meet this time. Just give me a second to handle my reserved clients and then head out, so go inside and wait.”
Nam Seon-woo stepped into the office and quietly looked around. Though it had been three seasons since his last visit, the memories of last winter felt as vivid as if they’d happened just yesterday.
In one corner of the back display cabinet sat a collection of trophies, medals, and plaques.
Seon-woo’s connection with Dong-jin went back to their days as ski athletes. Both had been part of a team sponsored by Chairman Choi, and their similarities had made it easy for them to bond. They were both born into affluent families, had been skiing since childhood, were skilled but not prodigious, and loved the sport but lacked an all-consuming passion for it. Naturally, their shared circumstances brought them close quickly.
Unlike Seon-woo, who had to quit skiing at 17 due to an injury just as he was beginning to gain recognition, Dong-jin, despite achieving no extraordinary feats, went on to join the national team. Upon retiring, Dong-jin seamlessly transitioned into managing the building his parents had given him, which became the Après Ski Shop.
Since he was 20, Seon-woo had spent every winter here.
“Here’s your gear,” Dong-jin said, handing it over.
“Thanks. Looks like you’ve been taking good care of it.”
Raising an eyebrow at how much better the plates looked compared to the last time he’d seen them, Seon-woo noted Dong-jin’s proud grin and emphatic nod.
“Of course! That’s how much I’ve been waiting for you to come back. Haah, Seon-woo, you have no idea. During those few weeks when you said you might not be able to come, I was a wreck. I just mentioned in passing that you might not show up, and the mood around here plummeted so much I can’t even describe it. Don’t even get me started on Mrs. Jin. And the twins—oh man—they even asked me to tell them where you’d gone if you ended up working somewhere else. I barely managed to stop them from asking for your number.”
Seon-woo gave a dry laugh at Dong-jin’s exaggerated complaints before standing up.
“I’d like to unpack first. Where’s the accommodation?”
Dong-jin flashed a self-assured grin.
“Get ready to be amazed.”