ETP Ch 5

Sungyeon turned his head towards the hand on his shoulder, a troubled expression on his face. I don’t even know Bokseung’s friend, what do I do? A cold sweat trickled down his stiff back. Oblivious to Sungyeon’s distress, the friend, or perhaps senior, settled down right next to him.

“Hey! Suddenly you weren’t answering calls, your phone was off, you weren’t at school, what were you doing?!”

The man sitting next to Bokseung was a little bigger than a child, with round glasses and curly blond hair. He had a bubbly, energetic vibe that screamed incompatibility with Sungyeon. She inwardly sighed, already feeling exhausted, and then started to act like Bokseung.

The real Bokseung was shy and quiet. Even with Sungyeon, whom he’d known for a while, he was soft-spoken, so he must have been even more reserved around his university classmates. Sungyeon tried to mimic Bokseung’s innocent smile and kept his eyes downcast. The best course of action was to end the conversation with this unknown friend as quickly as possible.

“Ah, um… I was in a car accident and was hospitalized. I was discharged yesterday…” Sungyeon trailed off, his speech neither formal nor informal. The cold sweat on his back was now spreading to his forehead.

“Whoa?! Really?? Are you okay? Let me see!!”

The blond man grabbed Bokseung’s cheeks and turned his face this way and that. The soft cheeks were squished in his merciless grip. Sungyeon suppressed his growing discomfort and the twitching of his lips, maintaining a forced smile.

He needed to end this conversation and eat his cutlet. He desperately wanted to place the crispy cutlet on his tongue, which had only tasted a spoonful of soup so far.

As if sensing his desire, the blond man released his cheeks sooner than expected. “There aren’t any visible injuries. No wonder I couldn’t reach you! Hyuna and Minjun were really worried too.”

Hyuna and Minjun. Those names were in the photos and messages Bokseung had sent, referring to his friends. Sungyeon simply nodded. It was highly likely that this blond man was also a friend.

Disappointed by Bokseung’s subdued reaction, the blond man nudged him a few more times, but he responded with a polite smile. Right now, the cooling cutlet was more important than his hurt feelings.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

Beep beep. 

This time, he correctly remembered the code and punched it in.

Back at Bokseung’s unfamiliar apartment, Sungyeon massaged his stiff shoulders and immediately located the tablet to charge it. Then, using his phone, he started matching photos with names in Bokseung’s contacts, beginning his investigation into Bokseung’s social life.

Fortunately, Bokseung had meticulously recorded not only names but also student IDs and majors in his address book. The blond man from lunchtime was Choi Jihoon, a classmate in the sociology department. Hyuna and Minjun, whom he met in the afternoon lecture, were also classmates in the same year. These three were Bokseung’s closest friends, for now.

Next, he scrolled through Bokseung’s messaging app to see how he usually communicated. As expected, Bokseung used a quiet and cautious tone with his friends as well. In contrast, the three friends were like the embodiment of beagles, flooding the chatroom with all sorts of memes and GIFs.

“How did you even become friends with these beagles?”

There was no Bokseung to answer, but he wanted to voice his question anyway.

Throughout the afternoon lecture, the three friends had stared intently at Sungyeon, their eyes practically drilling holes into him. As soon as the class ended, they tried to drag him to a bar, and he had barely managed to escape and come home.

The thought of spending his school life with these three was already draining his energy. Even now, messages from them popped up every second, urging Bokseung to come out, so it seemed escaping them wouldn’t be easy.

“Let’s see, the day I go to the trait clinic is… tomorrow, right?” 

Sungyeon muttered, checking the calendar on the nightstand. It seemed he could go to the clinic right after his morning class. He needed to ask about heat cycles, pheromone control, and most importantly, the possibility of having children. He had a long list of questions. Having unconsciously adopted Bokseung’s habit of writing down important things, Sungyeon carefully tucked the memo into his wallet and went to sleep.

🍑‧₊ ⋆˙

<Hoseon Trait Clinic>

Sungyeon looked up at the sign. He had arrived on time according to the calendar, but this was his first time at a clinic, so he hesitated. It felt strangely like an adult visiting a pediatrician’s office. It was an unfamiliar and awkward feeling.

“Hello, have you been here before?”

He gulped and stepped inside, where three employees sat at the desk. One of them made eye contact and greeted him with a friendly smile. Sungyeon gave Bokseung’s name and resident registration number.

“Kim Bokseung-nim. You have an appointment with Director Lee Hayeon in Examination Room 3 at 2:30, correct? The director is currently with another patient, so please have a seat and wait for a moment.”

Following the employee’s detailed explanation, Sungyeon quickly nodded and sat on the sofa. In the waiting room, many people, both men and women, were waiting for their turn. The scene looked no different from a regular hospital.

Sungyeon was looking around for something to do when he spotted a man towering over everyone else.

“Oh?”

It was the Handsome Fragrance Guy, exceptionally tall and boasting a handsome and beautiful face.

Bokseung’s already round eyes widened further. To see Handsome Fragrance Guy here! Sungyeon was internally celebrating this amazing coincidence when he suddenly realized something.

Handsome Fragrance Guy… is an Omega…?

It made sense. They were in a trait clinic, and most of the people waiting were likely trait-bearers. Considering Handsome Fragrance Guy’s particularly beautiful appearance and the unusual scent he had encountered before, the conclusion that he was an Omega was easily drawn.

Wow, so that’s it! That’s why he smells so good and has such a handsome and pretty face!

Sungyeon’s expression lit up with realization. No wonder even I, someone who’s not interested in perfumes, was almost captivated by his scent. He must be an amazing Omega. He was completely absorbed in his deduction, already surpassing the skills of Detective Conan.

Sungyeon stealthily moved closer. Since they had met here, he might as well say hello. To be honest, seeing a familiar face in this unfamiliar place gave him a sense of relief.

“Hello.”

Yoohyun looked up at the bright-faced person standing before him. It was Kim Bokseung, with a round, white face, fluffy brown hair, and round eyes. Even though the clinic was near the university, he hadn’t expected to see him here at all. And for someone who wasn’t usually this forward to initiate a conversation, it made his eyebrows twitch involuntarily.

No, wait. Ever since that lecture, he’s been acting strangely friendly.

Yoohyun simply nodded in response. Seemingly interpreting this as permission to sit, Bokseung nestled his small bottom close to his thigh.

Just as I thought, he wasn’t going to let it go after just giving me the coffee coupon. Yoohyun scoffed internally at the transparent ploy. He looked down at Bokseung, who was sitting next to him with sparkling eyes, his gaze cold. Instead of being intimidated, he met his gaze with audacious boldness, a sight that was truly amusing.

“Um, do you remember me? You told me about the attendance check that time. Right? Did you enjoy the coffee I gave you?”

His small, plump lips moved as he poured out a barrage of questions, as if he had been holding them back all this time.

Yoohyun responded to Bokseung’s questions with perfunctory nods, not even bothering to clarify what he was agreeing to. Bokseung simply beamed, oblivious. And then he said…

“When I first saw you in the lecture hall, your scent was so amazing that I wanted to ask what perfume you use. But then I realized it wasn’t perfume, it was, um, pheromones? Right? Wow, it was really nice. I’m an Omega too, but unlike my scent, yours is totally mature and attractive!”

It was utter nonsense. The little clap he added at the end made it a full-blown nonsense party. Yoohyun stared at Bokseung, who kept saying strange things, his face incredulous. He couldn’t figure out if he was flirting, teasing, or picking a fight.

Oblivious to the meaning of his own words, he waited for his response, his lips still curved in a smile. Yoohyun slowly opened his mouth.

“Wrong.”

Bokseung tilted his head at his response, seemingly clueless about what he was denying. Yoohyun corrected his misconception.

“I’m not an Omega like you, I’m an Alpha. I thought everyone in our school knew that, but I guess there’s one person who didn’t, huh?”

Bokseung’s eyes went wide. He blinked a few times, then, like a puppy with its tail on fire, he abruptly darted to the side.

“I apologize! Uh, yes. A wonderful Alpha! Yes!”

Spouting more incomprehensible words, Kim Bokseung quickly left.

Yoohyun clicked his tongue, feeling strangely uncomfortable as he watched Bokseung’s retreating figure.

Meanwhile, Sungyeon, thoroughly embarrassed after his first-ever attempt at meddling, was facing a wall at the end of the hallway, trying to compose himself.

His Conan-rivaling deduction skills, the internal camaraderie he felt with a supposed fellow Omega, and the shared class connection—this collaboration had ended as disastrously as a drunken rant.

“Of course, I thought everyone here was an Omega!”

Still unable to accept the fact that his deductive reasoning was utter garbage, Sungyeon mumbled an excuse.

However, Sungyeon eventually took some time for reflection. He chanted “Don’t be nosy” 100 times in his head.

If Mr. Nice Scent reacted so harshly, calling an Alpha an Omega must be a huge offense.

Sungyeon fanned his flushed face. The world of secondary genders, a world the Betas like himself had lived in for 33 years, was still difficult and mysterious for him to understand.