AP CH 2 (First Snow)

Choi Lee-won had never been without a relationship for long. With his good looks, affluent background, and being a dominant alpha with a pleasant personality, it was natural that people flocked to him without him having to lift a finger. Lee-won would often joke that he would marry a top-tier dominant omega right after graduating from university, and Seon-woo had seen more than a dozen lovers come and go over the years. There was no reason to be surprised by his constantly changing partners, even though Seon-woo had been secretly in love with him for almost ten years, witnessing it all up close.

Of course, there were nights when a shapeless anxiety would creep in unannounced, keeping Seon-woo awake. In those moments, he would take comfort in the words Lee-won often repeated, convincing himself that everything would be fine. After all, finding someone who matched both Lee-won’s social standing and his dominant alpha status, particularly someone from a top company like Myeonghyeon, wouldn’t be easy. None of the people Lee-won had dated so far had been able to meet both criteria.

But still…

The twisted and messy feelings Seon-woo had long buried deep inside were slowly growing, swelling to the point of causing a faint, sharp pain that even made him feel slightly nauseous. Frowning, Seon-woo downed the shot in front of him in one gulp and stood up from his seat.

“Noona^[1], I’m just going out for a smoke. I’ll be right back, so let’s have one more drink.”

“You’ve had quite a bit to drink. Are you sure you’re okay?”

“Of course.”

He waved off her concern, but in truth, his head was spinning. He couldn’t remember how long he’d been at the bar or how much he’d drunk, but judging by the dizziness, it had been quite a lot. He rubbed his face roughly, though it did nothing to sober him up after all the alcohol he had consumed.

He made his way to the alley and took out a cigarette in haste. With the filter between his lips, he patted his pockets, but they were empty. It seemed he had left his lighter at the table.

“Ah, damn… what a hassle.”

Should he go back inside and borrow one? It wasn’t far, but his drunken state had him leaning heavily on the railing, his body feeling far too sluggish to move. With the unlit cigarette dangling from his lips, he sat there in a daze when something bumped into him from behind. Turning around, he saw the door slightly ajar and heard a low voice.

“Excuse me…”

“Oh, sorry.”

Realizing he had been blocking the emergency exit, Seon-woo quickly stood up and stepped aside. The man who had come out walked past him without a word. He stood a little way off, speaking on the phone. While the person on the other end kept talking non-stop, the man himself barely replied, his voice soft and low.

Watching the figure half-shrouded in shadow, Seon-woo was about to put his cigarette away and head back inside when the man’s phone call seemed to end. As the man drew closer, Seon-woo caught sight of his shoes and casually asked, still holding the cigarette pack in his hand.

“Do you have a lighter by any chance?”

The man, who had been about to head back through the door, paused.

“…I do.”

“Can I borrow it?”

Without a word, the man reached into his pocket. His indifferent movements caused the edge of a student ID card to peek out, and Seon-woo’s eyebrows shot up in recognition.

“Hanguk University student?”

“Yes.”

“So am I. What department are you in?”

As Seon-woo asked, he looked up for the first time at the man standing in front of him. Without realizing it, the cigarette dropped from his parted lips. The man instinctively reached out and caught it.

Seon-woo didn’t even notice the fallen cigarette, his voice a dazed mumble.

“Wow. You’re gorgeous.”

“…What did you say?”

Bright hair, soft and smooth, with fluttering lashes that framed his eyes, plump, beautifully-shaped lips, and wide, startled eyes—he was exactly Seon-woo’s type. Then again, it would be hard for anyone not to find a face like that attractive. Even his slightly bewildered voice sounded pleasant to Seon-woo.

Standing outside a bar, a little drunk, and with clear intentions, Seon-woo had no reason to hesitate.

“How old are you?”

“…..”

“Should I guess? Twenty-four? No, twenty-three? You can’t be older than that, right?”

“…I’m twenty-one.”

“You’re younger than I thought. I’m twenty-four. Can I drop the formal speech?”

The man nodded. Seon-woo, still unable to tear his eyes away from the man’s face, muttered softly.

“No way I wouldn’t know a face like yours, even in a big school like ours.”

It was something Seon-woo said often out of politeness, but this time he truly meant it. How had he not seen him before? With a face like that, there should’ve been rumors. It wasn’t even just out of attraction—pure curiosity took over.

“What department are you in? I’m in Business.”

“….”

“You don’t want to tell me, huh? Did you come here for a drink?”

Seon-woo gestured toward the door the man had just come through. The man, who had kept his mouth firmly shut until now, finally spoke, but it wasn’t the answer Seon-woo was expecting.

“Why are you using formal speech again…?”

“Huh? Formal speech? Oh… well, since you weren’t answering, I thought you didn’t like it.”

At that, the man, who had been fidgeting with the cigarette in his hand, shook his head. Seon-woo watched as the man clammed up again and thought he must be really shy.

“Well, that’s good to hear. Wanna come back in with me? I’ll buy you a drink.”

“I have something I need to take care of. I should go.”

The expected answer made Seon-woo chuckle quietly.

“I figured you’d turn me down, but it’s still a shame.”

“…If you give me an hour, I could finish up and come back.”

“Is that a yes? Should I wait for you then?”

“One hour.”

The man repeated the time, almost like a reminder, then hurried off, disappearing quickly. Seon-woo stood there, watching the emergency exit door slam shut, and felt a lingering disappointment. He ran his tongue over his dry lips, licking them absentmindedly.

That face was so beautiful, yet it was already starting to fade from his mind. Rubbing his blurry eyes, Seon-woo muttered softly, realizing something.

“Ah, I didn’t even ask his name.”

He had been so focused on acting composed in front of such a pretty guy that the exhaustion was catching up to him all at once. He reached for another cigarette, only to realize he still hadn’t gotten the lighter. With a sigh, he shoved it back into his pocket.

When he finally returned to his seat, feeling a bit unsatisfied, the bartender raised an eyebrow and approached him.

“Oh? You’re back. I thought you weren’t coming back in since you were chatting with that beauty outside.”

The bartender’s comment caught Seon-woo off guard. It had only been a brief conversation, tucked away in a corner alley, but somehow, word had already spread. Seon-woo let out a hollow laugh and shook his head.

“Got rejected. The guy ran off like he had a curfew or something.”

“Really? What happened? Does he have a boyfriend? Or… was he an Alpha too?”

The bartender, intrigued by Seon-woo’s rare failure, couldn’t help but ask. Seon-woo furrowed his brows, trying to remember. An Alpha…? What was his dynamic again? He wrinkled his nose, but the scent of the man was already long gone.

“I can’t really remember. Didn’t catch any pheromones… Maybe he was a Beta.”

“Haha, Seon-woo, you must be really drunk.”

Seon-woo downed the now-warm drink that had been sitting there for a while. The bitterness of the alcohol hit harder than before, making him wince. As he pushed the empty glass forward, the bartender, who had just come back from somewhere, leaned in and quietly suggested.

“If you’re going to keep drinking, why not stop drinking all alone? Want some company?”

“I told you, I got rejected.”

“I’m not talking about him.”

With a sly smile, the bartender slipped a napkin with a phone number written on it toward Seon-woo. The napkin carried a strong trace of enticing pheromones. Following the bartender’s gaze, Seon-woo turned and saw a man across the bar making eye contact, signaling with a nod.

His appearance was exactly Seon-woo’s type, and the vibe felt right… But for some reason, he just wasn’t feeling it. Shaking his head, he declined.

“No, I’m a bit tired. I’ll drink alone tonight. You said there was a new bottle, right? Let’s open that. You should drink too.”

“I don’t mind, but what’s going on with Nam Seon-woo? I thought you’d definitely head out since it’s been a while.”

“It’s nothing. Really.”

Seon-woo downed his drink in one gulp, muttering.

“Seems like you’re in the mood to get drunk tonight.”

In the end, what filled his mind was the shadow of Choi Lee-won.

                                   *****

He woke up with a groan, sprawled out on his bed. Judging by the sunlight pouring across his room, it was already late—really late.

“…What time is it?”

His voice, rough and hoarse, barely escaped his throat. Without opening his eyes, he groped around for his phone. It was dead, completely out of battery. He buried his face in his blanket, trying to piece together what happened last night.

He could vaguely recall finishing off a bottle with Se-jin noona, even starting a new one. But after that? Total blank. He couldn’t even remember how he got home. Lying alone in his spacious bed, it was a relief that he’d at least managed to get back on his own… somehow.

After stalling for a while, Seon-woo finally sat up. He tossed his clothes, which had been lazily discarded all over, into the laundry basket, washed his face, and drank some water. By the time he checked his phone again, it had powered back on. Out of habit, he opened his messenger and call logs, hoping he hadn’t made any embarrassing mistakes overnight. A number that wasn’t saved popped up.

Was it that Omega from last night? Seon-woo raised his eyebrows, trying to jog his memory. But his attention quickly shifted to a call log with Choi Lee-won’s name, and his heart dropped. A call lasting just under two minutes… at some ungodly hour in the morning. His chest tightened.

Crap, did Choi Lee-won end up bringing me home? Please tell me I didn’t say anything stupid.

Without hesitating, he called Lee-won. As the phone rang, Seon-woo nervously fidgeted with the bedsheets, anxiously scratching at them. After what felt like an eternity, the call connected.

“Hello? Choi Lee-won?”

— Sigh…

The long exhale on the other end sent a chill through Seon-woo. His blood ran cold, but the moment Lee-won’s worried voice came through, all the tension drained from his body, and he collapsed back onto the bed.

— How much on earth did you even drink? Did you get home safely?

“Yeah, I’m home. …I didn’t say anything weird last night, right?”

— Say anything weird? You called me and didn’t say a single word. You had me worried sick. I was about to head over, but Hee-jun was with me, so…

Relief washed over Seon-woo at Lee-won’s response, but at the same time, a bitter feeling crept in. Once again, he hadn’t said anything. It was pathetic. Would anything have changed if he had spoken up? It was laughable. Even with the help of alcohol, he still couldn’t muster the courage to say a single word—what was he even hoping for?

Letting out a sigh, careful not to let it be heard, Seon-woo mumbled something vague in response to Lee-won’s question about where and how much he had drunk before quickly ending the call.

“I really need to quit drinking.”

The words slipped out, not containing even a trace of sincerity. He closed his eyes, already forgetting about the unfamiliar number logged in his call history.

---