ICYM Ch 3

Episode 3

Getting into a boarding school was already enough to draw heaps of insults just for being a Beta. If anyone found out I was actually an Omega, things would only get worse.

Right on cue, a group of Alphas, more brute than noble, stormed into the library looking for Sunbae. Their loud voices echoed even from a distance before the door slammed open and they shouted, brimming with pride.

“Hey, Augustine! There you are. What the hell are you doing?”

“Keep it down, it’s the library, you lunatic.”

“Besides him, wasn’t there some other loser here too… Oh right, that gloomy bastard with no future isn’t the only one in this place.”

“Watch your mouth, psycho.”

“Am I wrong, though?”

They all burst into laughter at that crude remark, as if it was the funniest thing in the world.

There was no way I could concentrate with this mess going on, so I quietly stood up to leave. The thick stench of Alpha was suffocating, and I instinctively scowled but quickly masked my expression.

“Leaving already?”

Sunbae grabbed my arm as if reluctant to let me go. I wavered for a moment under his gaze as he looked up at me, but quickly shook my head. Amid the strong stench of the other Alphas, a subtle almond scent drifted through.

“Hey, Augustine?”

Before I could answer, the group of Alphas called out to him again.

“I’ll be right there.”

He glanced at them and gave an awkward smile, hurriedly packing his things. As he stood, I looked up at him. He was about half a head taller than me.

‘Sorry.’

He mouthed the word, apologizing quietly. Then, almost as if to lighten the mood, he pointed at the dog-shaped pin on my bag and smiled faintly, like he found it cute.

It resembled the dog I had before transmigrating, one of the few things I held dear, so the gesture made my ears burn with embarrassment.

I hadn’t read much of the novel, but I’d picked up on a few patterns. Anyone who wasn’t just a background character tended to be good-looking. My new roommate, who had suddenly appeared, was one. And this upperclassman, with his gentle features unlike those Alpha thugs who looked like potatoes^[1], was clearly another.

Is Sunbae also a character in the story?

If so, it wasn’t hard to guess his role in this crazy romance novel. He probably had a predetermined soulmate as well.

Just as I finished packing and stood up, one of the “potatoes” scoffed and said, “We didn’t call you, y’know?”

“Good. I wasn’t planning to go anyway.”

“What? Ha. Hey—”

I didn’t even bother wasting more time watching Potato No. 1’s dumbfounded face and walked past.

Before the door closed, I could hear them cursing behind me, saying things like “Look at that rude bastard”, but I ignored them and kept walking.

For a bunch of potatoes, they sure reeked of Alpha. The stench of pheromones that had filled the reading room was downright unpleasant.

Only after heading down a floor and opening a window in the hallway to breathe in some fresh air did I finally start to feel a little calmer.

Freaking psychos. Learn to control your pheromones.

I brushed off the lingering scent clinging to my clothes, irritably smacking at my sleeves.

Meow.

Glancing down toward the sound, I noticed a small group of cats gathered beneath the window. Though partially hidden, I also caught sight of a hand. Someone was down there, feeding them, it seemed.

Guess I’m not the only one taking care of the cats.

I thought nothing of it and turned my gaze away.

Trying to shake off the lingering unpleasant feeling, I quickened my pace toward my room, thinking I needed a cold shower.

But seriously, why did Sunbae bend over backward for those potato-heads? Was it because they were dominant Alphas? When I asked, he said they were old friends, but from where I stood, it looked more like they were just walking all over him.

It wasn’t something I had any right to butt into.

I shook my head to get rid of the thought and opened the door.

Click.

The moment the door swung open, my hope for a quick shower was dashed. I froze in place as an overwhelming wave of pheromones hit me like a wall.

“Ugh.”

I reflexively covered my nose with the back of my hand. This wasn’t even comparable to those potato bastards from earlier. The scent was far stronger, suffocatingly so.

“…No way.”

The smell was so overpowering that, as a recessive Omega, my body physically reacted. It was like someone going through their first manifestation, with no ability to control their pheromones at all.

The dumbest thing I could do now would be to walk straight into that room. From where I stood, I could see someone on the bed across from mine, curled up under a blanket.

I figured I should assume he’d collapsed and go call a dorm supervisor downstairs.

I tried to quietly slip out, but just as the door started to close, a desperate voice from inside stopped me in my tracks.

“Hayden…!”

“I’ll go get a dorm supervisor—”

“N-No, wait. Don’t go. I… I don’t want to be alone. My body feels weird…”

The way he called out to me, almost pleading, confirmed my suspicion.

We hadn’t even exchanged more than a few words. I’d even gone out of my way to avoid him, waking up early on weekends just to steer clear.

I wasn’t the type to coldly turn away someone desperately clinging for help, even if we weren’t close.

“You… You manifested, didn’t you?”

“…I-I think so…”

“…But you said you were a Beta.”

“I am. I mean, I was. Even the trait test said the odds of manifestation were low…”

Owen muttered, looking completely lost as I pressed him.

You see posts like this online sometimes: I’m an Omega, but what if my friend suddenly manifested as an Alpha without warning? What would you do if that Alpha didn’t even know how to take suppressants?

“Um… W-what do I do…?”

“I told you, we should call a dorm supervisor.”

“No! I don’t want that!”

Most of the comments online said that unless you were really close, the best option was to just run away.

But how much time would that waste? I had no idea why he was being so damn stubborn, but if I tried to get a dorm supervisor now, we’d just end up arguing and wasting more time.

The fastest way to deal with this was to resolve it quickly and leave the rest to the person involved.

He didn’t seem completely out of control yet.

Tap.

I pressed a hand to my forehead and sighed.

“Goddamn it. Just sit down for now.”

So instead of calling a dorm supervisor, the better option was to grab the first aid kit from the hallway and get him to take some medication.

“Okay…”

Owen nodded obediently, his face flushed a deep red. On my way back to the room with the kit in hand, a sudden thought crossed my mind.

“…You’re not a dominant Alpha, are you?”

Even if he had manifested, I was still officially registered as a Beta, so our room assignment wouldn’t change. At least not until next semester.

Which meant if he was a dominant Alpha, I’d be in deep trouble. Dominant Alphas were far more likely to affect a recessive Omega like me.

Come on, what are the chances I’d be that unlucky?

It’s not like dominant Alphas pop up everywhere. Even in this school where over 90% of the students were Alphas, there were maybe two among the seniors—those potato idiots—and a couple in my year. That’s how rare they were.

I was overthinking it.

Shaking my head, I stepped back into the room.

* * *

The dormitory regularly organized weekend activities, supposedly to help students bond and adjust more quickly to communal life.

Participation was mandatory. It was included in the dorm fees, so even if you didn’t want to go, you had to. This weekend’s activity involved going to another city.

When the announcement about the departing bus echoed through the hallway, I dragged myself up and started putting on my shoes.

The departure time was ridiculously early, probably because the destination was far. The sun was just beginning to rise.

Realizing I wouldn’t be able to go to the library today, I packed a book with me.

Maybe I’d catch some sleep on the way.

As I approached the bus, Sunbae was checking off names and did a double-take when he saw me.

“You’re coming too?”

“I told you I was.”

“I thought you wouldn’t wake up. You’re not exactly a morning person.”

“……”

Though we hadn’t known each other long, he was surprisingly observant.

Instead of getting on the bus right away, I stood next to Sunbae for a moment. Maybe he was bored standing alone because instead of urging me to get on, he naturally started a conversation.

“I thought the bus would be pretty spacious today, but turns out a lot more people decided to come than I expected.”

“Who’s going?”

“You, my friends… They weren’t planning to come at first, but then they changed their minds this morning.”

So the potato squad’s coming too.

“And the new transfer student… Owen said he’s coming as well.”

“Ah…”

The name I didn’t want to hear made my face stiffen. I frowned slightly as if the scent of his pheromones was still lingering around my nose.

It wasn’t a bad smell, just overwhelmingly sweet.

The way his body trembled, his bloodshot eyes, and the sharp line of his jaw.

Before I transmigrated, I had been an Alpha too, and I knew how troublesome it was when one first manifested. Still, seeing it happen in front of me left me feeling uneasy.

I mean, sure, I get it… but mine wasn’t that intense, was it?

Maybe it’s because he shares blood with the female lead?

Even without hearing the official results, it had been obvious enough.

Sure enough, Owen, who had come to his senses yesterday, immediately went to the hospital, had a trait test done, and got his results.

Unfortunately, my hunch turned out to be half right.

Maybe because I helped him yesterday, Owen started reciting the results the moment he got back from the hospital, before I even had a chance to escape. So I ended up hearing all about his situation.

He wasn’t a dominant Alpha, but I heard he was a regular Alpha, almost close to being dominant.

“Thanks for helping me. They said I was lucky you recognized the symptoms quickly. Otherwise, things could’ve gotten a lot worse.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I would’ve helped even if you were a complete stranger.”

I made it clear that I helped him out of basic decency, not because I wanted to be friends. But that eager sparkle in his eyes didn’t fade one bit.

“You should’ve come down with him.”

“I didn’t know he was coming too.”

“There he is.”

Owen came running up to the bus, a little out of breath. When he spotted me, he mumbled shyly, “I wanted to sit next to you… That’s too bad.”