AP CH 9 (First Snow)

The absurdity of the situation almost made Seon-woo burst into laughter but he quickly bit his lip hard to suppress it. Hyeon-chae must have realized he’d been spotted because he hastily fled the scene.

“…Nam Seon-woo.”

“Yes, Lee-won?”

In response to Choi Lee-won’s subdued tone, Nam Seon-woo gently held his shoulders, helping him stand upright.

“Feeling any calmer now?”

“I overreacted. Lately, with Choi Lee-ri… I know she’s plotting something, but not being able to catch her in the act and just sitting around doing nothing—it’s so frustrating and pathetic. I ended up taking it out on you.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s fine.”

“Let’s go inside. Hee-jun’s upstairs. He came looking for you.”

“You go ahead. I’ll join you after I finish a cigarette.”

Choi Lee-won, who had turned to leave, hesitated for a moment before glancing back.

“…Don’t go to Ha Seung-bin.”

Seon-woo, with a cigarette already between his lips, gave a slight nod, signaling for Lee-won not to worry.

Once Lee-won was gone, leaving Seon-woo alone, the lingering traces of his pheromones made Seon-woo’s body involuntarily shudder.

Regardless of his personal feelings toward Lee-won, the fact remained that he was an Alpha, and Lee-won was a dominant Alpha. His pheromones instinctively triggered feelings of rejection and unease. Blowing out a long stream of smoke as if to dispel the remaining pheromones, Seon-woo suddenly recalled the sight of Eun Hyeon-chae earlier—his large frame awkwardly crumpled behind a tree. The memory made him chuckle softly.

“Phew… Seriously, what a strange guy.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, he fiddled with his phone and sent a message.

[Leaving without saying goodbye to your sunbae?]

It didn’t take long for a familiar figure to come rushing over in response. Seeing the hurried approach, Seon-woo couldn’t help but smirk, cigarette still hanging loosely from the corner of his mouth.

                                  *****

“Let’s wrap it up for today. Next week, there will be no class due to the Chuseok^[1] holiday, and I’ll announce the make-up class schedule later.”

As the screen went dark, students rose from their seats in a noisy shuffle. It was the last class of the day, and while gathering his belongings, Nam Seon-woo tilted his chin toward Eun Hyeon-chae.

“I’ll buy you coffee. Let’s go.”

“Yes, sunbae.”

Seon-woo and Hyeon-chae made their way to the campus café near the central library. Even after receiving his cup, Hyeon-chae didn’t head home but followed Seon-woo all the way to the smoking area.

“Class is over. Just go home.”

“I’ll leave once I finish my drink.”

Even though he wasn’t drinking coffee but milk tea—and half of it was already gone, leaving only a few melting ice cubes he swirled occasionally as if there were more to savor. The sight was strangely endearing. Blowing out a puff of smoke, Seon-woo muttered.

“You don’t even smoke, so why follow me all the way here?”

“…….Do you like smoking, sunbae?”

“What? Are you planning to start?”

It was a teasing question, thrown out half-jokingly, but Hyeon-chae earnestly responded with a counterquestion.

“Should I? If you tell me to smoke, I will.”

“Pfft.”

The tone was so compliant that Seon-woo turned to Hyeon-chae with an incredulous expression.

What kind of upbringing did this kid have?

It even made him curious about Simjin. The stories Seon-woo had heard about Simjin from Choi Lee-won were nothing but terrifying, but looking at Eun Hyeon-chae, he couldn’t reconcile that image. Was it because Simjin was seen from Myeonghyeon’s perspective, making it seem more exaggerated?

Well, maybe it’s different when it comes to business. With a dismissive wave of his hand, Seon-woo joked.

“Your noona would kill me. If you picked up smoking, I’d get an earful.”

“Eun Woo-yeon isn’t that scary. She wouldn’t treat you like that anyway.”

“That’s just family bias. I feel the same way—when I go home, Nam Jun-woo looks pathetic to me too.”

“Ah… I see.”

Without needing much explanation, it was clear that Eun Hyeon-chae already knew. Nam Seon-woo tapped the ash from his cigarette and asked casually.

“How far did you dig into my background?”

“…….”

“Come on, I know you did it. Just tell me already. I’m curious.”

At his gentle urging, Hyeon-chae stared intently at Seon-woo’s face.

“I’m not sure…… I just read everything I could find.”

Though he had braced himself for the answer, it was even worse than he had imagined. Seon-woo ran a hand through his hair, exasperated by the innocent expression on Hyeon-chae’s face.

“So, what exactly… No, never mind. I don’t want to know. Better that way.”

“Okay.”

Hyeon-chae replied so promptly, Seon-woo couldn’t help but nudge his foot lightly, letting out a wry comment.

“Guess I won’t see you for a while.”

“Why not?”

“It’s Chuseok. Classes are canceled. I’m heading back to my parents’ place.”

Hyeon-chae’s face looked momentarily startled, as though he had thought Seon-woo might spend his entire life at school.

“What about you? What are you doing over the holiday?”

“I have plenty of free time.”

“Well, I don’t. I need to visit family.”

“Yes…… But why did you ask me, then?”

“Just curious. You know, like—do you make jeon^[2] and eat galbijjim^[3] with your family, like other households?”

The truth was, he was more curious about Simjin than Hyeon-chae. After a brief pause, Hyeon-chae cautiously asked back.

“……What about you, sunbae?”

“Me? Same old stuff……Anyway, I gotta go first.”

Seon-woo waved a hand lightly and started to walk away, leaving Hyeon-chae standing there, still holding his half-empty cup.

Unable to wait any longer, Choi Lee-won called. Eun Hyeon-chae watched silently as Nam Seon-woo walked away, his figure growing smaller in the distance.

                                  ****

Lying on his bed with earphones in, Nam Seon-woo ignored the voice calling him from downstairs, choosing instead to turn up the volume and shut his eyes. It wasn’t long before Nam Jun-woo stormed up the stairs and threw open the door.

“Nam Seon-woo. Are you ready or not? Damn it, hey! Your pheromones!”

“……I’m ready. There’s still time left.”

“You filthy mutt. Just how much did you roll around last night?”

Fanning his arms dramatically, Jun-woo rushed to open the windows, trying to air out the room. Seon-woo cracked an eye open and stared at him.

“I came straight from the hotel. Didn’t even have time to unzip my zipper.”

“Bullshit. Your pheromones are all over the place. Wash up before you come down.”

Unlike Seon-woo, who had grown desensitized to pheromones after spending so much time around Choi Lee-won, a dominant alpha, Jun-woo was hypersensitive to them. He could detect lingering pheromones from days prior and wouldn’t even step outside without a mask and deodorizer.

But the accusation stung a little, given how careful Seon-woo had been lately thanks to his newly acquired shadow. It wasn’t like last night had been wild—he hadn’t done anything in nearly a month.

“You’re just too sensitive.”

“This little—ugh, forget it. Just come down and help move the stuff.”

Leaving that command behind, Jun-woo turned on his heel and left. Seon-woo got up without protest, sprayed himself liberally with deodorizer, and headed downstairs. Near the front door, several boxes of elegantly wrapped gifts were piled high. They were all meant for Choi Lee-won’s family.

This year’s haul was noticeably larger, likely because Nam Jun-woo had recently joined Myeonghyeon Group.

Peeking out from the room where she was selecting an outfit, their mother called out.

“Seon-woo, where are you going?”

“I’m going to drop these off first.”

“Alright. Be careful with the one tied with the blue ribbon—it’s fragile.”

“Yes.”

Carrying the boxes outside, Nam Seon-woo stood by the elevator, blankly staring at the rapidly changing floor numbers. It seemed like it would take at least three trips to get everything downstairs.

Since childhood, Chuseok day had always been spent at Chairman Choi Jeong-cheol’s residence in Hannam-dong. About a decade ago, when the chairman suddenly decided he needed personal time and began spending every Chuseok at his Swiss villa, the location shifted to Choi Lee-won’s family home, but the routine remained the same.

It wasn’t until much later that Seon-woo realized how unusual it was to celebrate the holiday somewhere other than his grandparents’ home. By then, the practice had already become his norm.

“Nam Seon-woo! Get in! Let’s go!”

“…..Yeah.”

It was something he should’ve been used to by now, but for some reason, this year, he felt an overwhelming reluctance to go. Was it because he’d changed? Or because, while everything else was changing, he alone remained the same?

                                    *****

Upon arriving at the main house, Seon-woo greeted the elders and quickly escaped upstairs to Lee-won’s room. The room, meticulously tidy, bore no trace of someone actually living there. Throwing himself onto the sofa, he barely had a moment to relax before his phone buzzed with an incoming call from Choi Lee-won.

“Yeah, Lee-won.”

—I heard you’ve already arrived. That was fast.

“As soon as I got here, I ran straight to your room. When are you coming?”

—Once I pick up Hee-jun, maybe an hour? I’ll be there before dinner.

“Take care on your way.”

A faint shake on his shoulder stirred Nam Seon-woo from what must have been a brief nap. As his eyes slowly opened, the first thing he saw was Choi Lee-won leaning over him, gazing down.

“Nam Seon-woo, get up.”

“……When did you get here?”

“Just now. Hee-jun is outside too, greeting the elders. You need to come downstairs now.”

“I’ll be right there. Go ahead without me.”

Despite being told to go first, Lee-won waited patiently until Seon-woo had adjusted his clothing and prepared himself to leave. When they descended, nearly twenty people had already gathered in the spacious living room.

At the center of the group sat Hee-jun, his expression bright and his demeanor easy, as if he had always belonged there. It was the first time Lee-won had ever brought a romantic partner to a private family gathering. Everyone present likely understood the significance of that.

A third-year university student. A dominant omega. The third son of Wonder BR Pharmaceuticals. Put those three together, and the conclusion was clear—this was Choi Lee-won’s intended match.

Seon-woo rubbed his lips lightly with his fingertips, a habit he didn’t even notice anymore.

Before long, the time came for dinner.

“If you’re uncomfortable or need anything, don’t hesitate to speak up. I hope you feel at ease and enjoy your time here,” said one of the elders graciously.

“Thank you. Everyone has been so welcoming. Lee-won has been amazing, and with Seon-sunbae here too, it already feels as comfortable as home,” Hee-jun replied with a smile.

At the mention of his name, the eyes of the table shifted to Seon-woo. Setting down his utensils calmly, he gave a faint nod.

Lee-won’s mother, Director Seo, chuckled warmly and added, “Ah, yes. I heard Hee-jun recently joined Schuphur. I’m sure Lee-won and Seon-woo will take great care of you there. How is it so far? Are you enjoying yourself?”

“Yes! I’m finding it really enjoyable,” Hee-jun replied enthusiastically.

“Haha, enjoying it already, even though you’ve barely started? Just wait—things will get even better by winter.”

“Yes, I’m looking forward to it! I’ve even set aside time to join the ski camp this winter. I can’t wait.”

“Even if it’s just a club, you’ll gain plenty of valuable experience. Thanks to Chairman Choi, there are lots of alumni connections in this field, so they’ll be a big help to you in the future.”

With all the attention directed at him, Hee-jun could barely take a proper bite of his food. Sensing this, Lee-won stepped in to divert the conversation.

“Actually, my grandfather provided significant support for the venue this time.”

“Haha, well, of course, he would. When he heard that you were taking the president position there, he was absolutely thrilled. What wouldn’t he do for you? It was at Inun, right?”

“Yes.”

“Wouldn’t Mighty Town be a better option these days? There’s Myeonghyeon’s stake in it, and the president there has a close relationship with the Chairman.”

The comment came from one of the guests who had been invited by President Choi’s side for the first time today. Lee-won’s smile faltered slightly, caught off guard by the question, but before he could respond, Nam Jun-woo, who had been quietly eating, took it upon himself to answer.

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