ETP Ch 47
by soapa“If only you could keep your mouth shut.”
Yoohyun said, looking down at Bokseung with his arms crossed. It was a sneer, as if he had just heard an utterly worthless excuse.
Despite his annoyed expression, Sungyeon, exasperated by his still handsome lips, insisted on his innocence, “I’m telling you the truth!” But it was no use.
“Hey, you two. How about focusing on what I’m saying now?”
The professor’s playful voice cut in between them. At the same time, all the students’ gazes turned towards them.
The male students sitting right in front of them had remarkably crumpled expressions. Since they wouldn’t be in the same group anymore, it seemed they were itching to pick a fight with Bokseung.
Of course, Yoohyun’s icy glare forced them to look straight ahead.
“So-, Sorry.”
Sungyeon quickly shut his mouth in embarrassment. On the other hand, Yoohyun looked at the professor with a “so what” expression. His coldness caused the other students to surreptitiously return their gazes to the front, and the professor awkwardly laughed and changed the subject.
He really does his own thing.
Sungyeon shook his head, looking at Yoohyun.
To date someone like him, you’d need quite a strong personality. I’m really curious. Who he’ll end up with.
Wait, that means there would be two people like Hwang Yoohyun in the world. Hmm, that’s a bit scary.
In the end, Sungyeon had to eat lunch with Yoohyun after class to prove he wasn’t angry. He didn’t understand why he had to prove it with something like this, but…
🍑‧₊ ⋆˙
Saturday morning.
Sungyeon was watching a drama in bed for the first time in a while. The drama he had started watching in his original body because the first couple of episodes were interesting had already reached its latter half, heading towards the conclusion.
Sungyeon realized how much time had passed since he had entered Bokseung’s body.
“Oh! Wow! He was the culprit! I knew it!”
He was immersed in the drama, adding his own commentary that no one was listening to. His phone started vibrating, and “CEO Kim Hyungseop” appeared on the screen.
Hyungseop? What’s going on?
Since they didn’t usually contact each other, Sungyeon’s head tilted involuntarily.
“Hello? CEO?”
—Oh, Bokseung.
A dying voice came from the other end of the phone. Startled by the feeling as if he was talking from 90 floors underground, Sungyeon shot up from his seat.
“Hey! It’s not ‘hey’, CEO! Are you sick?!”
—I think I caught a bad cold because of the change of seasons…! Cough, hack!!
“A cold?!”
Hyungseop’s voice sounded not just hoarse, but torn.
He used to say idiots don’t catch colds, what’s going on? Sungyeon looked at the screen and double-checked Hyungseop’s name. It was the name of his decades-long friend.
—Yeah, I, this, cough! This is a first for me. I’m flustered, cough, flustered.
“Yes… CEO, have you been to the hospital?”
—I’m at the hospital now, that’s why I called. clears throat!
As far as Sungyeon knew, Hyungseop had never been to the hospital for a cold. He was the type to buy some cold medicine at the pharmacy, sleep it off, and be up and running the next day.
Time takes its toll on everyone.
With a bitter feeling, Sungyeon clicked his tongue inwardly and waited for Hyungseop’s next words.
—Could you work two, two more hours today?
“Yes?”
—The substitute for the dawn shift, ahem! I got a substitute, but that friend has another part-time job until 2 AM. Cough, cough, cough!
“Oh, yes! That’s fine. I can work more.”
Two hours was no problem. Hyungseop had taken care of him separately, enough to cover several months of unpaid work.
As soon as he readily agreed, Hyungseop thanked him profusely.
—I’ll pay for your taxi separately, so make sure to take a taxi. Okay?
“You don’t have to. Don’t worry, CEO, just focus on getting better!”
—Cough, cough! Thanks, Bokseung. Then I’ll ask you this one time!
The call with Hyungseop ended, leaving behind the sound of a cough that sounded like he was coughing up blood.
Sungyeon frowned and sent him an extra-large abalone porridge as a gift. He felt sorry that he couldn’t take care of him directly like before.
[CEO Kim Hyungseop: Thanks! Bokseung is the best!]
[CEO Kim Hyungseop: (Emoticon)]
“Ugh, old man emoticon.”
Sungyeon shuddered at the emoticon Hyungseop sent. I told him not to do this to young people, but he just doesn’t listen.
Sungyeon pouted and focused on the drama again. He knew if it was interrupted, he’d want to run out of the PC room the whole time he was working.
“Ooh, this is so fun…! Is next week the final episode?!”
Sungyeon clapped his hands. It was the best drama he had seen lately.
Now he just had to shower, get ready, and go straight to work, so the timing was perfect.
[Sunbae-nim Hwang Yoohyun: Medicine]
[Sunbae-nim Hwang Yoohyun: Reply]
[Sunbae-nim Hwang Yoohyun: ?]
[Sunbae-nim Hwang Yoohyun: ??]
Four messages from Yoohyun had arrived because he hadn’t replied while watching the drama.
[Oops! I was watching a drama, I took my medicine and I’m all ready to go to work now! Have a good evening, Sunbae-nim ^_^]
As expected, there was no reply to his message this time either. At this point, Hwang Yoohyun was clearly the embodiment of hypocrisy.
Grumbling, he arrived at the PC room, which was again full of customers. Sungyeon switched shifts with the previous part-timer and immediately started preparing food. In less than five minutes, more than six orders had piled up.
Our PC room is a popular spot. He nodded and tore open a package of ramen.
“Here’s your buldak볶음면, iced tea, and so-tteok so-tteok.”
He placed the tray next to a man engrossed in a game. He glanced at the tray and turned his head without replying. This wasn’t unusual, so Sungyeon said, “Enjoy your meal,” and returned to the counter.
A few minutes later, another order came in from the same spot where the buldak볶음면 had been ordered.
Chicken mayo, iced Americano, jjampong dumplings.
He eats a lot. He gave a thumbs-up to the customer having a solo mukbang and put the rice in the microwave.
“Here’s your order. Shall I clear the finished dishes?”
He asked, looking at the empty tray. The man responded by pushing the empty tray to the side.
That means clear it, right? The customer, without speaking, closely observed Sungyeon’s actions.
Feeling like he was being watched, Sungyeon scratched his cheek. Then he hurriedly placed a new tray next to him, said “Enjoy your meal,” and returned to the counter.
After handling several more orders, it was already 10 PM. It was time to pick out any minors who were cleverly hiding.
Sungyeon politely asked a few suspicious individuals for their IDs.
“Excuse me, could I see your ID?”
“Oh, hold on! It’s in my pocket, pocket!”
Most of them were in urgent situations where their characters’ lives were at stake, so their reactions were also urgent.
Sungyeon expertly retrieved their IDs from their pockets, wallets, or bags and checked them. Fortunately, it seemed like no minors had come today.
After checking from the inside, he moved to the next section. It was the section where the mukbang customer was.
Sungyeon said the same thing to him.
“Ah, I’m an adult.”
“Yes! But it’s our policy to check, so could you please show it to me just once?”
“Here.”
Fortunately, the man’s character’s life wasn’t in immediate danger, so he handed him his ID directly.
As he had said, he had just become an adult. Sungyeon smiled brightly at the customer who was born in the same year as Bokseung. He sincerely hoped he would win this round.
He again stared intently at Sungyeon’s every move.
“Thank you. Have a good time.”
Suddenly, the man’s expression hardened even more than before.
Is he upset about the ID check, or is he perhaps offended that I smiled at him?
Sungyeon quickly lowered his head, dropping the smile he had put on for customer service.
🍑‧₊ ⋆˙
Hmm, should I not have done that?
Sungyeon thought, looking at the man blocking his way.
It was past midnight, and he had just come to clean the restroom, but why did he have to be cornered like this and feel threatened?
“You, you… you! Are you an Omega?!!”
“Yes?”
“Fuck, you’re an Omega?!!”
The man slammed his fist against the wall with bloodshot eyes.
Sungyeon didn’t understand why Bokseung being an Omega was so infuriating, but he tried to calm the customer down.
“Sir, please calm down…!”
“It’s you! You wagged your tail at me!!!”
“Huh?!”
What nonsense is this??
Sungyeon gaped at the man, agitated and ranting on his own. I’m not a dog, how can I wag a tail I don’t even have?
He shook his head in frustration, but the meaning was unlikely to reach the man.
“You, you knew I’m an Alpha! And you still…!!”
“I didn’t know?!!”
He really didn’t. Perhaps because he had lived as a Beta for so long, Sungyeon couldn’t yet perfectly distinguish between pheromones and perfume. Moreover, he couldn’t smell anything from the man in front of him.
He hadn’t even thought about Alphas or Omegas. Why was he so angry on his own?
As he continued talking, the man became even more agitated, now even snorting hot air.
I really hate this.
Sungyeon tried to move the man’s face and body out of the way, but it was impossible with Bokseung’s slender wrists.
“Sir, I have to work. Please move!”
“You, you smiled at me so I couldn’t play my game! I even lost my promotion match!”
“Sir, losing your promotion match is not my fault!”
Losing a promotion match is because of your own skill, why is it Bokseung’s fault?!
Sungyeon couldn’t hold back any longer at the man’s absurd accusations. Just as he was about to swing the mop handle he was holding,
“O-Omega!!”
The man suddenly grabbed Bokseung in a tight hug, and he couldn’t breathe.