RCKS 15

“Shall we eat late-night snacks together and go to bed, Yoonsan?”

“No.”

“You won’t gain weight even if you eat. You’re too skinny now.”

“I’m not like that because I’m afraid of gaining weight. My stomach just isn’t hungry. I want to sleep.”

“Moms will hug you and go to bed.”

“Yeah.”

Lee Yoonsan, who had declined Lee Ga-eun’s invitation to order chicken as a late-night snack, hugged both moms at once. He felt a bit proud of his height, which had now grown taller than Lee Ga-eun. But it was still shorter than Lee Jeongwon.

Lee Yoonsan said goodnight to his moms and entered his room. Before bed, he took one more painkiller in the room and lay down on the bed, and sleep poured over him in less than 10 minutes. It was the night before the picnic, but it was no different from usual.

*

“Since it’s a field experience learning, don’t cause accidents, it’s good to play, but check the group chat frequently, and don’t leave the designated area!”

Before entering the amusement park, the homeroom teacher’s voice was stern as she shouted to the bustling group of her own class kids. The kids around had excited expressions. The majority beta kids in the class seemed regretful that the girls’ class had not come together, and Shin Suhyeon was busy constantly adjusting his clothes because he was satisfied with the cardigan he had finally gotten from going to the store yesterday. And Lee Yoonsan was just so-so.

If it were the bright and cheerful Lee Yoonsan from childhood, he might have been excited and restless now, but the current Lee Yoonsan had changed a lot in personality while going through puberty and the manifestation period.

Before and during the initial manifestation period, he had once felt a severe complex about his appearance, and after that, due to chronic pain, he had become accustomed to acting passively and pretending to be nonchalant.

It had started from the moment he realized that if he made a fuss every time he was in pain and acted spoiled, his busy adoptive parents would worry seriously.

Because of the painful body, there were many times when he felt too lazy to move, and coinciding with that period, they no longer went camping, so his activity range decreased even more. Nevertheless, the reason his weight had decreased was purely due to the hormones surging during the manifestation period and the pain.

On the other hand, since he knew well how great the pain would come if he did not take the painkillers on time, he had developed a slight anxiety symptom regarding taking the medicine.

In fact, many children with second genders tended to become sensitive or complain of anxiety symptoms and depression while going through the manifestation period. So, in a way, the fact that Lee Yoonsan had only become more passive in personality could be seen as a ‘fortunate’ result where his adoptive parents’ devoted care had shone.

Anyway, Lee Yoonsan was nonchalant compared to the kids full of excitement. At Lee Yoonsan’s school, three classes had come to the amusement park for field experience learning, and among them was Kim Jihoo’s class.

Kim Jihoo had already been making a huge fuss in the SNS story chat room with Lee Yoonsan and Shin Suhyeon from before coming to Neverland, and now too, he was busy looking around without listening to his own class homeroom teacher’s words. It seemed like he was searching for that group in Semyung High uniforms.

“And Shin Suhyeon, Lee Yoonsan, Kim Jaeyoon, Ji Yejoon. You guys have to stick with me, so don’t leave my side.”

“Ah….”

After conveying all the instructions, the homeroom teacher granted freedom to the class kids except for the four specifically called. Except for gathering together at lunch time and the final assembly to say goodbye, she had let them ride the rides they wanted to play and wander around. And the four specifically called by the homeroom teacher, including Lee Yoonsan, were the omegas in the same class.

At the homeroom teacher’s words, Shin Suhyeon’s face immediately frowned. Turning his head to look at Kim Jihoo’s class, Kim Jihoo was also scowling while glaring at their own class homeroom teacher. It seemed like he was very angry at the special treatment that was not really special treatment.

“It’s for protection, so we go together. You know, right?”

The homeroom teacher added that while looking at Shin Suhyeon, who was expressing strong dissatisfaction with his face, and smiled. The homeroom teacher also had a quite embarrassed and sorry expression. It was because the free time allowed to other kids was applied restrictively to the omega kids.

But there was no helping it. It was not only Wonan Middle School kids at the amusement park, and there were quite a few other alphas including adults, so it could not be helped.

It was unknown what accident could happen when immature omega kids physically were exposed to intentional sexual pheromones from other alphas.

Although the kids diligently took inhibitors including painkillers, in case they encountered an alpha with high hormone levels and pheromone concentration in the body, it could not be guaranteed. If intentionally lured with pheromones, it could lead to crime, or the stably managed and sexually maturing flow could be disrupted.

It was a problem where, if not careful, indecent acts like ‘pheromone shower’ or ‘marking’ could occur, pouring pheromones without the opponent’s consent and leaving traces. Therefore, managing and taking care of immature omega kids was also the best effort to prevent accidents in advance.

“Ah damn, alpha watching is ruined.”

“We can still see from afar.”

“Hey, to really feel how handsome and how good the physique is, you have to see up close!”

Not as much as Kim Jihoo, who had gone crazy in the SNS story chat room, but Shin Suhyeon also seemed quite annoyed this time. Lee Yoonsan was also a bit disappointed. It was frustrating and dissatisfying that they had come to the amusement park, other beta kids were freely playing, but only a few of them could not enjoy that freedom.

But what could they do. The adults said so.

“Later, when we see a chance, let’s bolt.”

“There are only 4 of us, what chance are you seeing….”

“Once we go inside, there will be many people, so who knows. Hey, we came all the way here, are we just going to end up like this?”

Shin Suhyeon was unusually proactive. Lee Yoonsan stared at such Shin Suhyeon and then sighed. With only 4 omegas in the class that had to go with the homeroom teacher, would there really be a gap even if the homeroom teacher looked away for a moment. It would be fortunate if they did not get caught slacking off and get scolded.

Related to second gender deviations or problems, no matter how trivial, contact would go home. It was a problem that could not be helped because both school and home strictly managed to avoid getting involved in accidents.

“Let’s go in first.”

Lee Yoonsan pushed Shin Suhyeon’s back, who still could not hide his dissatisfied expression, and entered Neverland. Right next to them were the other omega classmates and the homeroom teacher.

“Damn, the atmosphere is so different.”

As soon as they entered Neverland, a sigh of admiration burst from the mouth of another omega friend. Lee Yoonsan also quietly looked around as if agreeing with that statement.

Just by passing through the entrance gate, the difference in atmosphere between inside and outside was clear. Around them were people laughing while wearing animal headbands, and large trees landscaped with colorful flowers were visible. It was the moment when the unique innocent atmosphere of the amusement park was felt with the whole body. For no reason, he felt excited and thrilled.

“Where should we go first? Want to try Lost Valley first?”

“Hey, over there.”

Whether the homeroom teacher was also excited by the atmosphere, she asked the kids’ opinions while looking at the amusement park’s mobile map. And at the moment Lee Yoonsan approached such homeroom teacher to look at the map on the app screen together, Shin Suhyeon grabbed Lee Yoonsan’s arm and pointed to one side far away.

“Those guys are alphas. Semyung High uniforms, right.”

At the place Shin Suhyeon pointed, tall boys and girls were standing. Although they were all wearing uniforms, each had added hoodies or cardigans or windbreakers, so it was not easy to recognize at a glance that they were the same group.

Instead, their common point was clear. All were tall, had good builds, and outstanding appearances. No matter who saw them, they seemed to be showing off that they were ‘alphas’.

“Damn, look at that physique….”

It was the group of first-year alphas that were said to be coming from Semyung High. Shin Suhyeon looked at them with a somewhat dazed expression, probably realizing the clear difference while seeing the clustered alpha group. Lee Yoonsan glanced at such Shin Suhyeon’s expression and then turned his head toward the Semyung High alpha group.

It was exactly as Shin Suhyeon had admired. All tall, stately, good builds, and outstanding appearances. Among them, the alpha standing with his back turned had his hoodie zip-up draped over his shoulders perhaps because the weather was hot, and just from the back view, one could gauge the excellent physique.

It seemed like he was standing with arms crossed, as the back of the uniform shirt was pulled taut, slightly revealing the outline of the prominent wing bones and surrounding muscles. The silhouette of the shoulders extending straight at right angles, wide lats, and in contrast, a slim waist was clear. Even from afar, it seemed like their torso circumference and eye level were different from theirs.

So, it was hard to take his eyes off, and also envious. Even though they were the same males, their growth was slower, and due to the omega gender hormones, the difference was clearly revealed from the body’s silhouette. Whether it was lack of confidence or inferiority complex toward the difference given by being omega even though the same males, it could not be helped.

It was an age where they could not help but care about such things yet. Lee Yoonsan could finally understand a bit of Shin Suhyeon’s feelings, who had become dazed while looking at the Semyung High alpha group.

“Kids, let’s go.”

Whether the other omega friends were also looking at the Semyung High alphas, the homeroom teacher’s firm voice came. And she started walking forward while wrapping her arms around the kids’ shoulders and stroking their arms. The kids started walking forcibly while trapped in the homeroom teacher’s arms.

And at that time, among the Semyung High group far away, an alpha female student with long straight hair tied up high turned her gaze toward Lee Yoonsan’s group.

“Hey, did that sister just smile at us?”

And she smiled. Unlike the straight line connecting the sharp eyebrows and bridge of the nose, her pretty eyes curved brightly in an instant, creating an eye smile. Moreover, that alpha even waved her hand toward Lee Yoonsan’s group. This time, it was an undeniable greeting with a clear target.

At that, Shin Suhyeon hurriedly raised his hand and waved back at the alpha female student. It was a quite passive movement, perhaps not wanting to draw the homeroom teacher’s attention.

The alpha burst into a clear laugh at such Shin Suhyeon’s hand gesture and laughed even bigger, and Shin Suhyeon’s face turned bright red. And the other Semyung High alphas around the alpha female student also turned their heads toward Lee Yoonsan’s group. It seemed like they were curious who their friend was smiling at like that.

“Hey, she’s telling you to smile!”

The alpha who was waving her hand and smiling pinched her thumb and index finger and then spread them wide at her mouth. At the hand shape as if telling to smile, Shin Suhyeon quickly checked the omegas around him. And since the only one blankly standing without smiling while looking at the alpha group was Lee Yoonsan, the scolding soon followed. It seemed like the alpha’s gaze had been directed at Lee Yoonsan.

But Lee Yoonsan could not smile.

“Huh…?”

It was because at the moment the alpha who had his back turned with the hoodie zip-up draped over his shoulders turned his head, a familiar face and eyes met.

“Kids, don’t fool around and look ahead while walking.”

The homeroom teacher urged the kids in a stern voice. She knew well where the kids’ gazes were directed and was giving a warning. At that, including Shin Suhyeon, the kids’ heads turned forward all at once. Although regret dripped from their expressions, they were not wanting to go close to them just because the alpha group they saw for the first time was novel.

For that, they were still young, and what the kids had been educated on throughout school was to be careful of alphas’ pheromones. Therefore, Lee Yoonsan also soon turned his head. It seemed like he had met eyes with a familiar face for a moment, but right now, not getting scolded by the homeroom teacher was more urgent.

However, subtle goosebumps had risen on Lee Yoonsan’s arms. A face that absolutely could not be in that group, a face he had not seen in a long time, had come to mind so familiarly. Even though there was no way that could be.

“Come on, smile a bit, kids!”

The homeroom teacher took the kids to the character merchandise store visible right after entering the main gate and shouted as if to cheer up the four omega kids who still could not erase their sullen expressions. The homeroom teacher herself did not have zero feelings of wondering if she really had to manage third-year middle school kids like this, but she reminded herself that it was unavoidable due to policy.

Of course, still, the kids’ expressions showed no sign of relaxing. It was not like they were going to do something by approaching the alpha group, but just looking at them had been restricted, so it felt awkward.

Especially, Shin Suhyeon still could not calm his flushed face perhaps because he had received the alpha sister’s greeting, and had a sullen expression, and Lee Yoonsan was absorbed in recalling the appearance of the familiar alpha he had seen earlier with a dazed expression.

“Still, since we’re here, we have to get one headband each, right? Yeah?”

In the midst of that, only the homeroom teacher’s voice trying to force some energy was spirited.

The school trip that Lee Yoonsan had gone on in the previous year was not in such an atmosphere. Because he had met a strict and picky homeroom teacher, such sulky expressions had not worked at all. They had just wandered around as told, looked around, and holed up in the accommodation sleeping in the same room as the homeroom teacher.

The kids who shared the room with the homeroom teacher were all omegas, and the reason the homeroom teacher had controlled tightly was all for the purpose of managing her own class’s omega kids.

At least this year’s homeroom teacher was the type who thought a lot about the kids. She had also gone through the puberty age where one was curious about the opposite sex, and on the other hand, she felt sorry for the kids, so she was paying even more attention. She thought that receiving the kids’ sullen expressions or grudges was far better than possible accidents with the kids.

Lee Yoonsan knew well that compared to last year’s homeroom teacher, the current homeroom teacher was sufficiently lenient and had many worries.

Especially, since the homeroom teacher was beta, she would not be able to detect pheromones that lure or harass the kids. So, she was probably trying to block even the gaze in advance. Thinking about it step by step like that, it was not something she could not understand, so Lee Yoonsan did not show a sullen expression.

It was just that his mind was a bit dazed because of the alpha’s face he had seen earlier.

“Hey, black rabbit kid, you do one of these two.”