ETP Ch 26

As soon as Bokseung stepped inside his house, a sweet scent, just as he’d expected, began to subtly envelop Yoohyun.

A few days ago, he’d been too flustered to look around, but now that he was taking it all in, Bokseung’s place was quite cozy.

“Please, have a seat here.”

Bokseung gestured to a spot on the sofa, having pushed aside a pile of massage sticks, back scratchers, and pain relief patches.

Yoohyun nodded and sat down. His knees stuck out over the edge. Even the sofa was small, just like him.

While Yoohyun waited patiently, Bokseung prepared instant coffee in a paper cup.

Plip, plop. After the coffee granules and sugar settled, Bokseung poured hot water over them. The rich aroma of coffee made the corners of his lips turn up. As expected, instant coffee was the best.

Confident with his five years of experience making instant coffee, Bokseung proudly presented the paper cup to Yoohyun.

Just one sip and you’ll never forget it!

“Here’s your coffee!”

Yoohyun looked down at the paper cup held in Bokseung’s pale hand. Even at a glance, the amount of water was noticeably small.

Yoohyun stared suspiciously at the cup before reluctantly taking a sip.

“……!!”

His eyes widened as the rich, sweet coffee flavor spread throughout his mouth. It was unexpectedly delicious.

Seeing Yoohyun’s expression change, Bokseung’s shoulders bounced with excitement.

“It’s super delicious, right? Once you’re hooked on this, you won’t be able to drink Americano!”

Bokseung bragging about something so trivial, and his unexpectedly old-fashioned taste in things, were all endearing. Yoohyun hid the smile that tugged at the corners of his lips.

Unaware of Yoohyun’s expression, Bokseung sat next to him and chattered away. It was practically like talking to the wall, but Bokseung was just happy to have someone there.

The happier Bokseung became, the higher Yoohyun’s mood soared.

Unaware that their pheromones were ever so slightly mingling, Yoohyun and Bokseung basked in the peaceful atmosphere.

After the small amount of coffee, which was gone in three sips, Yoohyun, as usual, couldn’t find a suitable topic of conversation and had to leave Bokseung’s house.

“Well, Sunbae-nim, I’ll see you in class tomorrow!”

“Yeah.”

After a brief farewell, Bokseung wandered around his house. Yoohyun’s pheromones lingered everywhere.

“He’s a dominant alpha, alright. He smells really good.”

Bokseung sniffed the air, inhaling the pheromones to his heart’s content. He couldn’t openly sniff while Yoohyun was there, but now he could indulge freely.

That Sunbae-nim will probably have a really amazing partner by his side soon. Ugh, I’m jealous! He’s a dominant alpha, so he’ll probably have lots of kids too! Ugh, I’m so jealous!

Bokseung, having imagined Hwang Yoohyun with several children, stomped his feet.

I’m supposed to make history in the field of trait studies the moment I have a child, but some people…!

Consumed by jealousy, Bokseung pouted and headed to the dining table.

Since things have turned out this way, I’ll study. I’ll succeed and contribute to making a wonderful family!

It was a resolution befitting a social worker who had lived an upright life.

Bokseung was engrossed in his studies when…

Bzzt.

A short vibration came from his phone on the dining table.

[010—xxxx—xx78 : Who is this?]

“What the?”

Bokseung was dumbfounded by the text abruptly asking who he was. Who are you?

Scoffing, Bokseung ignored the text and returned to his studies. Trying to study his textbook while also using his tablet was making him feel like he needed four hands.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

Yoohyun quietly observed the strange standoff.

The air between Bokseung and the two male group members sitting next to him was unusual. He’d had his suspicions until the last lecture, but today’s incident confirmed them.

A little while ago, Yoohyun had placed his bag on the desk next to Bokseung. Just then, he’d received a call from Yoo Sunjung and had to step out for a moment.

After unilaterally ending the call, which as expected, was filled with her usual pointless chatter, he returned to find two male group members sitting in front of Bokseung.

They were saying something to Bokseung, and their expressions clearly indicated it wasn’t anything pleasant.

Yoohyun exited the classroom again and re-entered through the front door. He approached from behind the group members, so they didn’t notice him.

“Kim Bokseung is sitting next to Hwang Yoohyun again? Isn’t this a bit too deliberate at this point?”

“Hey, Kim Bokseung. Worry about yourself before you worry about us. If rumors spread about this, you’ll be the only one who suffers.”

What rumors? What’s deliberate?

Yoohyun was puzzled by their words.

He was the one sitting next to Bokseung, and there was nothing about the guy that could cause rumors to spread. He knew better than anyone that Bokseung was too naive and gentle to do anything malicious enough to be gossiped about.

A strange feeling washed over Yoohyun as he continued to eavesdrop.

“I’m returning the business card you gave me before. You should go get some counseling too. What was it? Delusions? You seem to be the one with the more serious case.”

One of the male group members tossed a crumpled business card onto Bokseung’s desk. The other followed suit.

What’s that about? Yoohyun felt dizzy with curiosity, wondering what had happened between them while he was gone.

“Hmm.”

Bokseung looked at the business cards that landed in front of him. They were so crumpled that the thin coating on the paper was peeling off. It stung to see the design, which he and the other counselors had painstakingly created over several days, in such a state.

Bokseung picked up the cards and carefully placed them back in his bag. He took a deep breath.

Petty hearts seem to transcend age, gender, and education. Ugh, these guys have even served in the military, yet they still have a long way to go before they mature.

Bokseung couldn’t understand what these two Sunbae-nims were so dissatisfied about.

Was it because Yoohyun was rich and seemed close to Bokseung, so they were jealous? Or was it because Bokseung was an omega and Hwang Yoohyun was an alpha? These were complicated people for Bokseung to understand.

Just as Bokseung, lost in thought, was about to ask them directly what the problem was…

“I’m the one who deliberately sat next to Kim Bokseung. So what?”

Hwang Yoohyun’s large frame blocked Bokseung’s front. His sudden appearance startled not only Bokseung, but also the two men sitting in front of him. Their eyes went wide.

“Hw, Hwang Yoohyun……!”

“Yeah. Now that you’ve called me, speak.”

Yoohyun’s words rendered the two speechless. Their lips, so quick to open when Bokseung was alone, were now tightly shut.

The epitome of picking on the weak right there.

Bokseung let out a scoff at their behavior. They flinched at the sound, but intimidated by Hwang Yoohyun’s presence, they quietly turned back to face the front.

Bokseung really wanted to grab them by the shoulders and confront them one by one. However, since he might not be the one inhabiting this body in the future, he decided it wasn’t necessary to stir up trouble.

Anyway, thanks to Hwang Yoohyun, things had ended without incident.

Of course, he wasn’t sure what would happen if the three of them were left alone again.

“Kim Bokseung.”

I thought it was over, but it’s not?

Bokseung turned his head towards Yoohyun, who was exuding a gloomy aura and pheromones.

He was looking at Bokseung with an expression as if he would devour him alive. Just what was his problem?

“Yes?”

Bokseung replied promptly. If he’d been slow to answer, that guy would have found fault with that too.

That was the image Hwang Yoohyun had in Bokseung’s mind.

“You, come with me.”

With those words, Yoohyun stood up again and walked out of the classroom.

There was nothing he could do but follow. Bokseung trailed behind Yoohyun’s broad back down the hallway.

“You called?”

Yoohyun stopped at the end of the hallway, and Bokseung stopped in front of him. Standing face to face like this, in such a tense atmosphere, the height difference between them felt immense.

Feeling intimidated, Bokseung fidgeted with the tips of his shoes against the floor.

He tried to excuse himself by thinking it wouldn’t have been this bad if it had been Lee Seongyeon’s body, but even Lee Seongyeon was shorter than Hwang Yoohyun.

“You.”

Looking at the now downcast Bokseung, Yoohyun was reminded of how he’d trembled speechlessly in the classroom earlier, and a surge of heat rose within him.

Yoohyun reigned in his unconsciously leaking pheromones and continued.

“Why couldn’t you say a word to those bastards?”

“When did I not say a word? Sunbae-nim interrupted before I could.”

“Oh really?”

Look at him, all dejected, yet he still speaks his mind to me. Yoohyun had never been as annoyed with Bokseung’s two-faced behavior as he was today.

“You didn’t see it, Sunbae-nim, but last time too…!”

“Last time? When?”

Oops.

Bokseung tried to take back his words. But once words are spoken, they cannot be retrieved.

Yoohyun’s eyes gleamed as he seized the opportunity.

That young alpha must have learned how to intimidate people with his eyes from a young age. Bokseung averted his gaze to the window to avoid Yoohyun’s stare, but Yoohyun’s large hand blocked his view.

“Aren’t you going to tell me?”

At Yoohyun’s urging, Bokseung finally had to vaguely explain what had happened after the baseball game.

But who was Hwang Yoohyun?

He wasn’t a person of integrity who would understand even if things were clearly explained. It was only natural that he would have to deal with Yoohyun’s flaring temper.