ICYM Ch 6

Episode 6

Before transmigrating, I had rarely been to places where one’s secondary gender was considered important. So this was my first time living in a place so thoroughly stratified by them.

I had known, of course, that dorm life wouldn’t be all soft and sweet, just like the title suggested.

I also knew that when the group of potatoes passed by and snickered as they bumped shoulders with others, the teachers would see it but pretend not to notice, bowing their heads and walking on.

Here, it was considered “inevitable” for Alphas to look down on those of other traits.

A private high school where only Alphas were gathered could be called a miniature society of future upper-class elites.

In that small society, they would build their own sense of superiority and belonging, solidifying their own world. It was obvious that those relationships would persist even after they entered the real world.

The reason I looked down on Alphas was because, no matter how much of an Alpha they were, they were still just kids. Even if something happened, they were still young and naïve Alphas.

At most, I’d just get beaten up by some rich boys.

Having already died once, that wasn’t even a big deal to me.

But the Mafia, who could kill whenever they felt like it, was a different story altogether.

I had wondered why no Alphas were flocking around him, despite him being an extreme-dominant Alpha. If he were really an extreme-dominant, they would have tried to bring him into their group, just like the potato squad had done with Owen.

So even though he’s an extreme-dominant, people stay away from him for a reason.

I wanted to wash my hands of it and pretend I didn’t know, but in the end, I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I had no choice but to take this approach.

I waited until Owen was asleep, and when the night grew late, I quietly got up. On tiptoe, pretending I was heading to the bathroom, I slipped out of the room. With every step, the paper bag hidden in my arms rustled, making my heart race.

But this was the best I could do for now.

I’ll say I’m sorry… when I get the chance later.

First, I had to return what I owed.

Recalling the room layout I’d seen posted on the dorm supervisor’s office door after dinner, I stopped in front of a door that wasn’t mine.

It was a dark night. No one knew what I was doing.

Rustle.

I hung the paper bag filled with donuts on Kendrick’s doorknob.

I hoped this would make up for my mistake.

* * *

Sunday morning got off to a bad start.

I woke up a little earlier than usual and was thinking of reading a book while lying in bed, when Owen’s phone rang beside me, followed by the sound of rustling as he stirred.

“Hello? Sis?”

Ah. Of all things, a call with the female lead? That was the last thing I wanted to hear.

“Yeah. Sis. Huh? Not yet… Yeah, I’ll try saying it again.”

Owen glanced over at me as he continued the call.

Our beds were across from each other, so even if I didn’t look, I could feel his gaze.

It felt like he was talking about me, but there was no way I would agree. I had no desire to acknowledge it and start up a conversation, either.

“Sigh…”

That awkward attempt at dropping a hint was so clumsy, it made me chuckle under my breath. It was annoying, but the way he babbled beside me was… a little cute, in its own way.

If it weren’t for the connection to the female lead, maybe we could’ve actually gotten along.

With that pointless thought, I gathered the books scattered on my desk and left the room.

A glance at the time told me it was still a bit early, but I headed straight for the library.

Since I hadn’t studied yesterday, I had to make up for it today.

There were only four subjects, so I didn’t get why I was struggling to keep up.

When I opened the second set of doors on the fourth floor, I frowned at the noisy chatter pouring through.

Even without looking, I knew exactly who it was.

Why are they even in the library? It’s not like they’re actually studying.

It was the potato squad. Judging from their conversation, it seemed they were looking for Sunbae again today.

“At this rate, Augustine is gonna be more successful than us.”

“Right? He’s going to leave soon anyway.”

“That newly manifested kid is coming too, so you tell him the message.”

“Okay. Should I go now?”

“No. Once everyone’s gathered.”

“Got it.”

Why does Sunbae let guys like that push him around?

He may be a recessive, but he’s hardworking and has good grades.

He could probably succeed just fine without hanging around with them.

…Should I just head downstairs?

I stood in front of the door, debating whether to go in. I considered heading to a café or something instead when I overheard a conversation that didn’t seem like it should be ignored.

“Hey, what’s that?”

“Oh, this? Kendrick left something at the lost and found on the first floor earlier. I lied and said it was mine so I could grab it.”

“You insane bastard. Kendrick Bardi’s stuff? You’re not scared he’ll come find you and kill you later?”

Laughter spread at that comment.

I’d already thought they were a bunch of loudmouthed idiots, but now they were stealing from others too? Pathetic.

I was about to leave and come back later, but the conversation inside continued.

“It’s not Kendrick’s, dumbass. It was in lost and found.”

“What is it?”

“Donuts.”

As I tried to ignore them, one word caught my ear. Donuts? A familiar word.

“Someone dropped it and left, so he gave it to the dorm supervisor.”

“Even the mafia has more conscience than us.”

Laughter burst out again. I clenched my fists, face hardening.

I mean, if something was hung on the doorknob of a private room, wouldn’t you assume someone had left it for the person inside?

Just imagining those assholes scarfing down the donuts made my stomach churn.

So much for trying to be discreet.

If I’d known they’d end up eating them, I would’ve eaten them myself.

It felt like a vein was about to pop in my head.

Why hadn’t he thought that maybe someone had left them for him?

That bastard really didn’t have a shred of flexibility.

If I’d known this would happen, I should’ve at least written his name on the bag so he couldn’t mistake it.

“…Phew.”

At this rate, didn’t it mean I hadn’t made up for what happened yesterday at all?

“Ha…”

How was I supposed to apologize again?

Just thinking about it was exhausting, and I suddenly felt drained.

Maybe I should just go back to the room.

Owen was annoying, sure, but those Alpha brats always looked like they were itching to pick a fight whenever they saw me.

If I walked in there now, it might actually turn into a fight.

I turned and started heading down to the lower floor, but just then, the library door slammed open.

“Oh? Hayden, where are you going? Weren’t you coming in?”

“Ah… I just left something in the room. I’m going to grab it.”

I tried to come up with a casual excuse, but the sound of laughter from inside the library made me frown without realizing it. Sunbae ran a hand through his hair and gave an awkward smile.

“Ah, inside… it’s because of my friends, huh. Sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, Senior.”

‘They’re the ones who never learned how to stay quiet in a library,’ I nearly said, but barely held back.

Augustine spoke up as if trying to explain in their place.

“I had plans with them today, so I came to the library early… But I lost track of time, and they came looking for me…”

“Ah, I see.”

“If you ever have any questions, I can help you next time.”

“…Okay.”

Maybe he noticed my mood had softened because he smiled and tousled my hair.

It was nice that he didn’t have the typical arrogance of an Alpha.  

His slender neck and soft-looking hair made him seem more like a Beta than an Alpha.

Though it seemed he didn’t like that part of himself.

He was overly conscious of the Alpha crowd, which was a flaw, but he was good at studying and looked out for me.

Without Augustine, it probably would have been difficult for me to adjust to life here.

 “Hayden?”

“…Yeah?”

“If it’s urgent, I can help you now.”

Maybe he misunderstood the strange look I gave him because he scratched the back of his neck and gave me a couple of light pats on the shoulder.

“Oh—no, it’s fine.”

“Yeah? That’s good. We’ll all be heading out soon anyway, so you can study comfortably then.”

I watched for a moment as Augustine bounded down the stairs two steps at a time, then made my way to the lounge for a bit.

When I returned to the library, thankfully, everyone had already left.

As I headed for my usual spot in the corner, a crumpled donut bag in the trash can caught my eye.

Back on the bus, the only people I remembered carrying a donut bag were Kendrick and me.

Were there more people who bought donuts besides me?

If it really had just been the two of us, Sunbae would’ve said something to the potato squad.

I quickly shook the unnecessary thoughts out of my head as I set my bag on the chair.

* * *

By the time Monday’s classes ended, the issue that had been bothering me still wasn’t resolved.

I hadn’t even been paying much attention, but it turned out we shared two subjects. I’d thought it would be easy to hand it over at some point, but that chance never really came.

I’d wanted to do it when no one was around, but in the end, I hadn’t even been able to get close to Kendrick by the time school was over.

On Sunday evening, I had to turn back after running into a group of Alphas on the way to Kendrick’s room.

And today, there had never been a chance to be alone with him, or a time when the classroom was empty, so I’d missed my opportunity again.

With a sigh, I slung my slightly heavier-than-usual bag over my shoulder.

I figured I’d try again back at the dorms, so I stepped out through the school gates.

Apparently it was supposed to rain tomorrow. I picked up my pace as I checked the weather again on my phone.

When I arrived at the dorms, I didn’t go straight inside. Instead, I veered off onto the side path that led to the garden.

There were two ways to reach the dorm garden. One was through the back door inside the dorm building and the other was through the iron gate next to the trash area.

Originally, this gate was for staff use only, but it was faster than going through the dorm building.

Kitchen workers or cleaning staff used it occasionally, but at this hour, no one was around.