HWAMB — Chapter 22

For some reason, I remembered how Hyun-woo had complained before that I hadn’t signed up for any of the running events.

And, really, it might be better to run and finish things cleanly than to wear myself out doing drawn-out events.

Besides… I did owe him a bit.

Back when I fought Jae-ho, Jin-gyeong had helped me without me realizing it. I found out later from the others that even though Jae-ho’s reflection essay was much shorter than mine, the class president had explained things well to the teacher so I didn’t get scolded further.

He had also dragged Jae-ho off when I was being pulled to the nurse’s office. Jae-ho must have spat out all sorts of crap about me, but Jin-gyeong hadn’t spread rumors or added to it.

“Alright, I’ll do it. But take me off jump rope and some of the others I was going to do.”

“…Really? Thank you, Eun-jae.”

“So, who am I doing the three-legged race with?”

“Ah… me.”

“Really? Then we should at least practice so it doesn’t turn into a disaster. It’s tomorrow already… do we even have time to fit it in?”

While I was still considering, Jin-gyeong lifted his head carefully.

Today, for some reason, his complexion looked especially good. A faint flush colored his cheeks, and his eyes shone like polished marbles.

“If… if you don’t mind, how about we try during lunch today?”

“I’m fine with that.”

“Good. No need to feel pressured—let’s just try matching our pace slowly. See you then.”

Finishing his words, Jin-gyeong ran off toward the teacher’s office to swap Seung-gyu’s name for mine.

He looked light-hearted, almost giddy now that the problem had been solved.

* * *

Do Jin-gyeong turned out to have more patience than I expected.

Even though he had tripped over his feet countless times because of me, he kept trying with determination. He explained each detail carefully, like someone who might actually make a good teacher someday.

We didn’t get hurt when we fell, thanks to the padded floor mats, but the fatigue still piled up on our bodies all the same.

When I flopped down on the mat, Jin-gyeong handed me a bottle of water. I wiped the sweat off my forehead with my arm, thanked him, and gulped it down.

“How is it? Do you feel like you’re getting the hang of it?”

“Sorry… not at all.”

“That’s fine. If we rush, it’ll only get worse. Let’s take it slow.”

We strapped the black band around our ankles and tried again. We tried walking in step, counting numbers together, all sorts of methods to match our timing, but it still didn’t go well.

Our rhythm didn’t match. We looked like newborn giraffes stumbling around.

“Haha… guess we’re not as in sync as I thought.”

“That too, but—ah!”

Just as I was about to answer, my foot slipped, and my body lurched. Sensing danger, Jin-gyeong grabbed my arm to steady me, but we ended up falling together.

We collapsed into an awkward heap, leaving him on top of me in a position that looked… questionable. Our faces were so close that our lips could have brushed with the slightest movement. If anyone else had seen, they would have definitely gotten the wrong idea.

Then, a strange scent reached me.

It was an alpha’s pheromones. Maybe it was the omega instinct in me, but my body froze up.

‘But I was fine with Hyun-woo…’

It wasn’t an unpleasant scent, but my heart was pounding furiously.

While I stiffened, Jin-gyeong seemed just as startled and quickly pulled away. I averted my eyes in a panic. He turned his back to me, stammering.

“Ah… s-sorry. I was just surprised and didn’t mean to…”

As soon as he withdrew his pheromones, my hammering heart slowly calmed down. I almost let it show on my face.

I tried to stay calm. After a long hesitation, Jin-gyeong turned his head slightly and asked carefully.

“Are you… an omega?”

The quiet question caught me off guard.

Like other dominant omegas, I could control my pheromones when I wasn’t in heat. On top of that, I had a unique trait that made my scent faint. Even most alphas wouldn’t notice.

Did I give myself away with my reaction just now? Or had Jae-ho told him? Or maybe he overheard that conversation back then?

“Your pheromone scent really is faint…”

Since I didn’t outright deny it, he must have taken it as confirmation. He whispered in quiet awe.

It wasn’t like my life was ruined just because it was found out, but I still didn’t want rumors spreading.

Maybe my worry showed on my face, because Jin-gyeong spoke softly in a reassuring tone.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“….”

“If it makes you uneasy, I can even tell you a secret of mine I don’t want exposed, to make it fair—”

“No, that’s fine. It’s not like I deliberately hid it; I just didn’t go out of my way to say it…”

There was still subtle discrimination against omegas, and pretending to be a beta just kept things simpler. Even so, if others found out, it wouldn’t really change much.

And thinking about it more, Jin-gyeong didn’t seem like the type to go spreading other people’s secrets.

“How did you even know I was an omega? You said my scent was faint.”

“Mm… I don’t know. I just kind of sensed it. Calling it intuition sounds weird, but… I doubt most people would notice you’re an omega. Honestly, I only became certain when you reacted to my pheromones just now.”

“I… see.”

I had no reply for his unexpectedly detailed answer.

An awkward silence settled between us. I racked my brain for a way to change the subject, but Jin-gyeong was the first to speak, hesitant.

“Um, are you… dating Shim Hyun-woo?”

His voice was cautious, like he was afraid of the answer. For a moment, it felt like an ice block had dropped on my head.

I froze for several seconds before blurting out a reply.

“N-no!”

I had denied it on reflex. Inside, I scrambled through my thoughts.

‘Right, I haven’t even given him an answer yet… Technically, we’re not dating… No, wait. Not “yet,” because I’m not going to. I’ve been planning how to turn him down, haven’t I?’

My thoughts tangled in a mess. I had to clear up Jin-gyeong’s misunderstanding first.

“We’re just… childhood friends. That’s why we’re so close.”

“Ah… I see…!”

Like a puppy that had just gotten back its treat, Jin-gyeong brightened again.

Meanwhile, I was the one embarrassed by being misunderstood, but for some reason his cheeks had flushed pink like cherry blossoms.

People keep asking if we’re dating these days… We’re used to this, but is that really how it looks to others?

“Did we really look like we were dating?”

“Well… you seemed too close to be just friends. Anyway, I’m glad.”

“Glad?”

A faint silence lingered before Jin-gyeong spoke again, hesitantly but with a hint of resolve.

“The truth is, back then…”

But just then, the bell signaling the end of lunch period rang, cutting him off.

Crap. We hadn’t even practiced properly yet.

“What do we do, we’re still out of sync…”

“It’s fine. We’ll manage somehow.”

“Sorry we couldn’t practice more.”

When I apologized, Jin-gyeong shook his head and gave me a gentle smile. It was the kind of smile that instantly set me at ease.

“No, it’s my fault for asking you so suddenly. I should be the one apologizing. Don’t feel pressured.”

“Thanks… Hearing you say that makes me feel a little better, but…”

“If it really doesn’t work, we can still practice again about 30 minutes before the start.”

His voice was kind.

I used to think his kindness toward everyone was fake, but now I wasn’t so sure.

Do Jin-gyeong was simply a genuinely good guy. No wonder he was popular with omegas and betas alike.

* * *

“What’s that? Did you buy it?”

Hyung’s gaze was fixed on the glass acorn. Curled up on the sofa, fiddling with it, I shook my head.

“No. I got it as a birthday present.”

“From who?”

“Hyun-woo.”

“Hmm…”

Letting out a short hum, Hyung rubbed at his wet hair with a towel. For a moment, he looked curious, but as soon as I said it was from Hyun-woo, he turned away and disappeared into his room to dry his hair with the dryer.

I sat on the sofa with my legs pulled close and scrolled through the photos in my phone gallery.

They were pictures taken on my birthday.

Every single one of them had been taken by Hyun-woo. There were cake shots from yesterday and candid photos of me he’d secretly taken.

Hyun-woo was really good at photography, almost like a professional. Even when we used the same phone, the results of his pictures looked different from mine.

Maybe that’s why he seemed to really enjoy taking photos.

Just then, a message came from Hyun-woo.

[Are you doing the three-legged race this time?]

Without thinking, I quickly replied.

[ㅇㅇ]

[Weren’t you only doing dodgeball and group jump rope?]

[I was going to, but the guy I was paired with got injured, so I’m filling in.]

[Which events are you doing?]
[Relay, obstacle course, and three-legged race… but how did you even know about this?]

It didn’t seem like news that would spread around enough for Hyun-woo to hear.

But he brushed it off, saying he just happened to hear it somewhere. I wanted to ask exactly how, but since it wasn’t a big deal, I let it go.

[So who are you doing it with?]

[What?]

[The three-legged race.]

They were just letters on the screen, but I could almost picture Hyun-woo’s annoyed expression in front of me.

I told him honestly, without hiding anything.

[With the class president. Why?]

The “1” next to my message disappeared, but he didn’t reply.

Thinking he might be busy, I sent a follow-up message to check, but that “1” vanished instantly too.

So he was clearly staring at the screen.

[Something wrong?]

[Just take it easy.]