RCKS 35

Although he seemed blunt, he often joked around, knew how to take a joke in stride, and was usually flexible with Lee Seokjae and Ham Sejin. Of course, that was how Hwang Haekyung had been before he finished the Tokyo Olympics.

“And get another room somewhere else.”

“Why? Do we really need to spend money when we have this place?”

“And you.”

After Hwang Haekyung’s additional comment and Lee Seokjae’s complaint-filled protest, Ham Sejin’s calm question followed. Ham Sejin looked straight at Hwang Haekyung and asked again. Where are you going to sleep? Hwang Haekyung didn’t answer, and Lee Seokjae, realizing the atmosphere had turned subtle, crossed his arms and stepped back, taking the stance of a spectator.

Since the summer they were nineteen, the two had often engaged in these kinds of standoffs. And the topic was usually related to omegas. Of course, it was almost always Ham Sejin who was in Hwang Haekyung’s current position, and Hwang Haekyung in Ham Sejin’s.

“I can’t leave the kid alone. His foot is injured, and he needs someone to take care of him.”

“And that’s you?”

“Then who else is there.”

His last words were in a very sharp tone, as if reflecting his displeasure.

“The way you say it, if there were someone else, you’d grab them and get rid of them.”

Lee Seokjae joked with a laugh. By this point, it seemed Lee Seokjae had also grasped the general situation. It was more likely that he hadn’t had the spare energy to read the room early in the morning because he was too tired and just wanted to sleep. Anyway, the two alphas had a rough idea of why Hwang Haekyung was acting this way.

It was because of the omega in this house. The reason he was making them stay put on the second floor, the reason he kept telling them to leave the house, and his strangely rigid attitude—the cause was likely that omega.

Ham Sejin seemed deep in thought at Hwang Haekyung’s attitude, while Lee Seokjae stood up, using the excuse of going to the bathroom. Then, after leaving the room Hwang Haekyung was blocking, he pretended to head toward the bathroom before abruptly changing direction and running toward the stairs leading to the first floor. At that, Hwang Haekyung immediately followed and grabbed the scruff of Lee Seokjae’s neck, but unfortunately, it was already too late.

“Hwang Haekyung’s little brother! Do you want to eat and hang out with us today?!”

“Lee Seokjae!”

“Why? You shouldn’t leave your little brother alone, being the older one. It’s better if we all hang out together, isn’t it?”

Hwang Haekyung called Lee Seokjae’s name to stop him as he yelled quite loudly, but Lee Seokjae was adamant. In truth, Lee Seokjae had started to feel a bit resentful toward Hwang Haekyung. He didn’t know what their relationship was, but he was a bit miffed that Hwang Haekyung was treating them like indiscriminating beasts who were looking to ‘do something’ with the omega just because there was one in the house, and it was absurd that he was seriously spouting nonsense like telling them to use the second-floor window. Above all, he was even more annoyed inwardly because he had nothing to say when the owner of the house told them to do so.

“Uh… is that okay?”

And just now, another item was added to the list of Hwang Haekyung’s offenses in Lee Seokjae’s mind.

“Of course! It’s boring being home all by yourself, right? And if your foot is injured, wouldn’t it be better to have three people to look after you?”

“No, you don’t have to… do that. I was just wondering what I should do about food….”

Because the omega, who must have heard his shout, cautiously approached the first-floor stairs and spoke while watching their reactions, was quite cute. Lee Seokjae felt resentful toward Hwang Haekyung for trying to keep such a cute and gentle-looking omega all to himself.

To Lee Seokjae, that omega seemed to have a low barrier to entry for a first impression, beyond just being pretty. His gentle appearance, in which his down-turned eyes played a large part, as well as his healthy-looking skin, as if he’d been well-tanned by the sun of Hawaii or some seaside island, made him look simple and rustic.

His natural, jet-black hair that looked like it had never been dyed or permed, and his particularly clear and bright eyes just seemed innocent. In other words, he felt like someone who had been discovered after living tucked away somewhere on an island or in the countryside, knowing nothing of corruption. The youthful baby fat on his cheeks, which made him look like he was somewhere between a boy and a young man, was also just cute.

And Hwang Haekyung had been trying to send them away, treating them like potential scoundrels, just so he could handle a kid like that all by himself. He could let other things slide, but this was truly resentful and sly beyond measure.

“Did you hear that?”

At Lee Yoonsan’s favorable response, Lee Seokjae turned his head to look at Hwang Haekyung and said pointedly. Hwang Haekyung was scowling as if he didn’t like it, but his expression soon awkwardly relaxed when his eyes met Lee Yoonsan’s, who was looking up from downstairs. Then, Ham Sejin, who had come out behind them, seemed to have caught on to Lee Seokjae’s intention and opened his mouth toward Lee Yoonsan on the first floor. In a slightly playful tone.

“If you’re done talking, can I go get some water from the first-floor kitchen? Your hyung said he’d kill us if we stepped foot on the first floor.”

At those words, it was only natural that Lee Yoonsan looked at Hwang Haekyung with a dumbfounded expression.

And so, a four-person dinner party was formed, ultimately bringing together the omega Lee Yoonsan and the three alphas. Hwang Haekyung still seemed unhappy with the situation, but he managed to hold back his harsh words. That was because Lee Yoonsan had expressed his intention to join. Of course, Lee Yoonsan himself still hadn’t fully grasped the reality of the situation and was busy sitting blankly on the sofa, listening to Lee Seokjae explain the nearby restaurants he had looked up.

“Yoonsan, have you ever tried top-shell-noodle-soup?”

“No…?”

“What about seaweed pasta? Do you like abalone? Is there anything you can’t eat? Let’s rule that out.”

“I eat everything wel—”

“Move over a bit. We’re going to eat meat.”

Shoving aside Lee Seokjae, who was leaning his upper body toward Lee Yoonsan and enthusiastically showing him the results of his phone search, deep in the process of choosing a menu, Hwang Haekyung squeezed between Lee Seokjae and Lee Yoonsan and plopped down. At that, Lee Seokjae frowned in deep displeasure and was about to protest, but he quickly shut his mouth at the words that followed.

“He likes meat.”

As Hwang Haekyung spoke nonchalantly and showed Lee Yoonsan the pork restaurant he had looked up, Lee Seokjae’s mouth fell shut. As if to prove that his words about liking meat were true, Lee Yoonsan showed a focused expression on Hwang Haekyung’s phone. Hwang Haekyung handed his phone to Lee Yoonsan, telling him to look, then stretched his arm out long over the back of the sofa where Lee Yoonsan was sitting.

At that action, which seemed like he was creating his own territory, Lee Seokjae raised an eyebrow once, and Ham Sejin, who had returned from a call on the first-floor terrace, sat on the sofa opposite them and crossed his legs. He didn’t look to be in a bad mood, as he had also had some water from the first floor as he’d wanted.

“This place looks delicious. It seems like the marinated pork ribs are served raw. What’s bracken fried rice?”

“Go and try it. If you’re curious, you can just try it.”

“They give you pork-and-seaweed-soup, too. I’ve never had this before. What’s up with the color of this meat, it’s insane….”

“Try everything you’re curious about. But is it okay for a rabbit to be a carnivore? You should eat pickled-vegetable-noodles or vegetable wraps.”

“I’d appreciate it if you didn’t say strange things like that….”

“Let’s just go to a salad bar. Go graze on some grass.”

“Ugh. But isn’t this place too far? It says it’s in Seogwipo.”

“We have a car.”

Both Ham Sejin and Lee Seokjae watched the two with strange expressions as their conversation continued as if they were in a world of their own. Lee Yoonsan, whose attitude was calm but couldn’t hide his excited expression, was cute, but Hwang Haekyung, sitting next to him and having a nonsensical conversation, was a sight they had never seen before.

No, it was a sight that might have been possible for the Hwang Haekyung before the Olympics when he was nineteen. The Hwang Haekyung of that time had a playful side, knew how to make a joke, and though not proactive, had pretty good social skills and was the type of person who naturally attracted people.

“What time did Yoonsan’s friends say they’ll arrive?”

“Uh… they said their flight is at 3, so they’ll probably be out of the airport around 4:30.”

“Then pick them up and let’s go together.”

“Yeah. You said your friends are all omegas. The numbers match up.”

When Lee Yoonsan answered Ham Sejin’s question, Lee Seokjae, who was looking up hot spots in Seogwipo on his phone, added a comment without even lifting his head. His tone wasn’t particularly suggestive; it was a light tone, as if literally saying the numbers were a good match for hanging out together. Although Hwang Haekyung, who heard those words, frowned.

“Don’t think about filming a dating show here. Vlogs are also forbidden.”

“Why not? Isn’t a vlog okay? We can just make sure your faces aren’t in it!”

At Hwang Haekyung’s words, Lee Seokjae finally raised his head and protested, and Ham Sejin shook his head from side to side.

Hwang Haekyung, who was known as the ace of Semyung High’s men’s volleyball team, Lee Seokjae, who was in charge of libero, and Ham Sejin, who was a key player on the women’s volleyball team, had all now quit volleyball. Among them, Hwang Haekyung was the only one who had gone on to a major completely unrelated to physical education; Lee Seokjae had entered the Department of Physical Education, and Ham Sejin had entered the Department of Sport Industry. Considering that all three were players who had been flooded with love calls from professional teams even before graduating high school, it was nothing short of a surprising choice.

Lee Seokjae was someone who still hadn’t let go of Instagram and vlogging. Although not as much as when he was an active player, he still had many followers and subscribers, so there was no particular reason to quit. The income he earned from video views alone was enough to serve as pocket money. He didn’t have any thoughts of seriously pursuing the path of an influencer, so he didn’t engage in commercial activities like accepting advertisements, but since he was the type who enjoyed people’s attention, he often turned on his camera even when he was with friends. The only saving grace was that he was thorough about editing it so that only their faces were not shown.

Hwang Haekyung preemptively put a stop to Lee Seokjae’s behavior. He knew that even though Lee Seokjae said he was here to hang out, he had ultimately chosen to go to Jeju to film a vlog of his vacation.

He could cooperate to the extent of letting him play by himself and film this and that, or occasionally holding the camera for him, but it was a different story if Lee Yoonsan was involved in this vacation. Hwang Haekyung had not the slightest intention of exposing Lee Yoonsan to an unspecified number of people.

“Then let’s go and wait. If we leave now, we should be right on time.”

Just as Hwang Haekyung was about to warn Lee Seokjae once more, Ham Sejin got up from his seat and changed the mood. At that, Lee Yoonsan replied and also got up from his seat and headed to his room. He had unintentionally changed his pants in the morning, but he was still in comfortable clothes. All he was wearing was a pair of long pajama pants and a short-sleeved t-shirt.

Once in his room, Lee Yoonsan checked his phone with a slightly excited heart. His own phone, which he hadn’t even glanced at until just now because he was busy looking at the meat restaurant’s menu on Hwang Haekyung’s phone. In the story chat room on his phone, messages from Kim Jihoo and Shin Soohyun were piled up. Most of the content was questions about whether he was really going to hang out with ‘those’ alphas.

Hwang Haekyung’s friends didn’t know, but Lee Yoonsan’s friends already knew the three alphas who were now outside the door. Hwang Haekyung was the star of the Instagram account that had held onto Lee Yoonsan’s school days and wouldn’t let go, Ham Sejin was the alpha noona that Shin Soohyun had seen and fallen for at first sight, and Lee Seokjae was ‘that guy from the Semyung High volleyball team who uses social media like an influencer,’ whose account Shin Soohyun and Kim Jihoo had frequented.

Currently, the two were in a very excited state. It wasn’t incomprehensible. All the alphas outside the door were conspicuously famous among high school volleyball players, and during the World Championship and Olympic seasons, they were the very people who had enjoyed popularity comparable to celebrities. And the ones who used to watch them through social media were none other than Lee Yoonsan, Shin Soohyun, and Kim Jihoo. Alpha or not, it was impossible to be indifferent when meeting and hanging out with people you only knew one-sidedly.

Perhaps because of that, Shin Soohyun grumbled that if he had told her in advance, she would have packed some better clothes, and Kim Jihoo seriously contemplated whether they would accept a follow request. And Lee Yoonsan just laughed as he looked at their chat room.

The truth was, he still couldn’t believe that he had met Hwang Haekyung again.

“Hello!”

With the greetings from Shin Soohyun and Kim Jihoo as they came out of the airport, the gathering of the six 21- and 20-year-olds was complete. They lightly exchanged greetings with each other and then got into the cars right away. Since there were so many of them, they had to split up between the mid-size SUV that was Hwang Haekyung’s father, Hwang Junwon’s, car, and the rental car that Hwang Haekyung’s group had rented at the airport. Shin Soohyun and Kim Jihoo were busy sneaking glances at Lee Seokjae and Ham Sejin, whom they had only seen on social media accounts or briefly encountered sometime in the distant past, as if finding them fascinating, and Ham Sejin and Lee Seokjae smiled as if they found them cute.

The atmosphere wasn’t bad. They picked up Lee Yoonsan’s friends, who had arrived just as it was getting close to dinner time, and moved directly from Jeju Airport to Seogwipo, arriving right at dinner time. The group waited in a line that took close to an hour, and during that time, Lee Seokjae took the car and bought some ice cream for a light snack and handed it out to the group. It was a welcome treat for the group, who had been standing in line in the hot weather, bathed in the light of the setting sun.

“So you guys were the ones we saw at Everland back then?”

“That’s right. Sejin noona even waved at us then.”

“I remember. You guys were cute.”

“Wow… noona, you can’t just say things like that.”

As they ate, with drinks for everyone except the two who would be driving, the conversation flowing back and forth became a little more relaxed. Shin Soohyun blushed at Ham Sejin’s smiling words and replied in an awkward tone, and Kim Jihoo laughed, saying it was the first time he had ever seen Shin Soohyun like that. Lee Seokjae was participating in the conversation with a Coke instead of beer, and as soon as he heard that Kim Jihoo and Shin Soohyun had seen his vlog and social media, he felt a sense of familiarity and didn’t hesitate in the conversation. And Lee Yoonsan, who was laughing as he watched them, noticed the meat continuously piling up in front of him and glanced sideways at Hwang Haekyung.

No matter how the conversation flowed, he was sitting still, grilling the meat. After maneuvering Lee Yoonsan into the seat against the wall, and sitting right next to him.

“Aren’t you eating, Haekyung?”

“I am.”

When Lee Yoonsan asked Hwang Haekyung, who was once again placing grilled meat in front of him, in a whisper, Hwang Haekyung replied nonchalantly and looked at Lee Yoonsan. Then, his direct gaze lingered a little long, causing Lee Yoonsan’s head to droop slightly.