SPM 1.11
by Sorai“That sounds like Beta complex?”
Dylan said as they were having lunch together, after listening to Ian’s story quietly.
“Beta complex?”
“Yeah.”
When Ian tilted his head at the unfamiliar term, Dylan took a bite of pizza and explained too simply.
“People who feel a complex about not being Alpha or Omega. It’s a kind of victim mentality.”
“Ah…”
The term itself wasn’t incomprehensible. It was just that the sense of deprivation that a minority of trait bearers had, that is, the Alpha complex or Omega complex, were common terms, while it was unusual to attach the word complex to Betas, who were the majority and mainstream of the population, so it was unfamiliar.
“Is that so…?”
Della has a Beta complex. Ian, who had never thought in that direction, unconsciously looked around them quietly. The students filling Lloyd Jones’s spacious cafeteria. Various students from 9th to 12th grade were gathered in small groups, laughing happily while eating.
Since he had originally just considered Della a prickly half-sister and had never particularly been conscious of her trait, it was really quite surprising.
The mainstream of society is Beta. Like the other Lloyd Jones students eating around them.
Was that something to have a complex about…?
But as if rebutting Ian’s doubt, Dylan nodded.
“I’m probably certain about it? I know very well about that part. I also have a really annoying sibling.”
Dylan twisted his lips and muttered as if even thinking about it was really bothersome.
“That bastard is also Beta.”
“…You had a sibling.”
“Yeah. Younger brother. It’s disgusting to even call him a brother. I also have a sibling because of parents’ marriage like you. I was brought by mom, and he was brought by my stepfather.”
It was the first time he talked about his family history.
“Ian. Do you know why I first talked to you?”
Dylan pointed at Ian with the cap of his apple juice bottle and asked.
“…No?”
“You and I actually have a lot in common.”
As soon as Ian introduced himself at orientation, Dylan said he immediately realized that he was the son of the rumored Mr. Bailey.
“I also came here two years ago when my parents divorced. I’m originally from New York. Of course, now I’m a Nashville Greenwood Hill person like you.”
“Oh, really? I had no idea. We lived in the same neighborhood.”
“Yeah.”
Dylan clicked his tongue, saying he never thought he’d settle in such a stuffy and old fashioned place after living in the most fun and vibrant city in the world. Even among big cities, the atmosphere was completely different. Compared to the diverse and hip New Yorker life, this place was really boring and tedious, he complained heavily.
“Until I moved here following mom, I just thought mom wanted to return to her hometown, but I didn’t know she’d get married so quickly here.”
Ian quietly listened to Dylan’s words.
“I didn’t know that marriage would bring me a stupid Beta sibling.”
A little later, Ian learned that Dylan’s stepbrother was also a 10th grader at Lloyd Jones like them.
An outsider who hadn’t been here long, a male Omega. And having a Beta sibling from parents’ remarriage. Really, as Dylan said, they had many things in common.
Then there was a hiss sound from the table next to where Ian and Dylan were sitting. It was the sound of an automatic spray attached to the adjacent wall dispensing air freshener on schedule. Naturally, a sweet American air freshener scent like a mix of vanilla and flowers descended from above their heads. Dylan sniffed the smell, then frowned and put down his remaining pepperoni pizza on the tray with a thud.
“Suddenly lost my appetite, seriously.”
He was very quick to wipe his oily hands with a napkin.
“That bastard always says, what’s the difference between you guys and human air fresheners when it comes to trait carriers?”
“Air freshener? That’s unusual…”
“He babbles nonsense because he’s stupid and doesn’t know anything. But you know what?”
“……?”
“It all stems from jealousy.”
Dylan’s eyes, visible through his brown curly hair, were meaningful.
“He buys up all pheromone related perfumes. That bastard probably thinks I don’t know.”
“Ah…”
“Hiding Alpha pheromone perfume deep in a drawer and secretly spraying it around, if that’s not desperately wanting to become an Alpha, then what is it?”
It was true that pheromone perfumes were sold commercially. Perfumes that claimed to reproduce similar pheromones to those of genetic variants were very popular items for some people, with certain high-end brands specializing in them. For Ian, who was training to hide his pheromones, it was something he absolutely couldn’t understand.
“On average, it’s true that Alphas are naturally better than Betas. So he has an inferiority complex about that. Disgusting bastard.”
Dylan grumbled, wondering why he always bothered him, an Omega, when he should be jealous of Alphas if he was going to be jealous. Seeing how harsh his words became as soon as his younger brother was mentioned, it seemed they didn’t get along very well.
As Ian listened to Dylan’s complaints about his stepbrother, before they knew it, they had left the cafeteria and were lying side by side on the grass.
The term “Beta complex” had been lingering in his mouth, so Ian couldn’t help but ask as soon as Dylan finished his story.
“Could the reason Della acts hostile toward me really be because she’s a Beta?”
“Hmm, well. It’s probably not just that one thing.”
Dylan turned his body completely toward Ian, propping his chin on his elbow.
“Really nothing comes to mind?”
Though his face seemed casually indifferent, the sharp words thrown out as if he obviously knew made Ian stammer as he opened his mouth.
“My father might feel like he… favors me a bit? We lived apart continuously except when I was very young, but now that we’re living together, I can feel that he’s a bit excited too. Um… But that’s also because it’s the early stages of us starting to live together, so he seems to be trying to do everything he wants to do with me…”
Like the recent hunting trip, there were times when Harrison went out alone with just Ian, but that was an unavoidable choice since it was obvious that Della and Olivia didn’t want to join them.
Especially Olivia was someone who didn’t spend time with family to the point where even the routine of dropping off and picking up from school seemed strange. She seemed busy with everything and mainly spent time with women her age outside.
Besides, it wasn’t always just Ian alone with his dad. When they went to see movies or sporting events, Liam was usually with them too.
Did all of that seem like favoritism to Della? But she herself seemed to hate accompanying Ian on anything. Could it be because Dad didn’t take her around alone by herself?
Ian remembered Della from yesterday, who had suddenly interrupted and begged Harrison to go to an ice cream shop together and then eat out. So was that it…? Or did she just hate his very existence? Various complicated thoughts spun dizzily in Ian’s head.
“Ian. Listen carefully.”
As Dylan suddenly sat up while speaking, Ian also sat up.
“As far as I know, Mr. Bailey isn’t much of a family man.”
Dylan spoke as if he had directly seen with his own eyes how Harrison, Ian’s father, lived frantically busy with business every day.
And Ian acknowledged that statement to some extent.
Harrison was extremely busy. Even when he was at home, he was so passionate about business that he was always on the phone. It was a side of his father that Ian had first learned about after coming here.
Until now, when his father came to Korea to see him, he had always seemed relaxed, but was that simply because he had spent time with Ian at vacation spots? Or was it a prejudice that had unknowingly formed from constantly hearing Song Joo-hee criticize Harrison as a good for nothing?
Either way, it was true that the image of his father he had experienced after coming here was different from the Harrison that Ian had known until now.
Dylan waved the clover he had been bending toward Ian, drawing a small X mark as he continued.
“My younger brother, that kid. I hate being at home because of him, so I mainly spend time at my grandmother’s place.”
“…Your grandmother is from here too.”
“Yeah. She’s a complete Greenwood Hill native.”
And what followed were stories that supported Ian’s speculation.
“Our old lady is quite talkative. She really loves talking about other people too. Her hobby is constantly watching the neighbors over the fence. You can’t even see anything outside these tall Greenwood Hill walls, but I don’t know why she lives glued to the fence. She’s someone who’s curious about what happens in other people’s houses and even how many teaspoons that house has.”
Dylan continued with a disgusted expression, saying she probably knew exactly how many gardening shovels the judge couple across the street had.
“When something happens in the neighborhood, she immediately makes a round of phone calls. Asking if there’s anything she can help with, then starts preheating the oven right away. Then she bakes a ton of cookies. She takes those and visits that house to dig out what’s going on. That’s my grandmother.”
It seemed that grandmothers who were interested in other people’s business and talkative existed in every country.
“And that’s actually a bit annoying, but it’s generally useful.”
“Useful?”
“Grandmother spills all the rumors and information she heard like that in front of me.”
Dylan smiled meaningfully, raising one corner of his mouth. Then he leaned toward Ian as if revealing a secret and whispered. Was Dylan’s chattiness inherited from his grandmother? As he told Ian everything down to sensitive details, Ian’s eyes had widened considerably.
“Ian, do you know why your father remarried so quickly?”
“…No.”
Was it okay to hear this kind of thing from someone else?
“…Should I tell you?”
“…!”
Ian swallowed hard.
Was it really okay to hear this…? But if he didn’t hear it now, where else could he find out?
No one had told Ian intimate details. And especially after coming to this American land, there was no one who would tell him such secret behind the scenes stories. The most intimate family member, his father, wouldn’t tell his son all the details of his past.
Then should I continue not knowing the truth? Ian’s eyes trembled finely in confusion. But that was only for a moment.
“Yeah, Dylan. Tell me.”
Dylan looked at him for a while as if gauging his serious demeanor, then slowly whispered in Ian’s ear.
“Mr. Bailey and Mrs. Bailey had an arranged marriage.”
Dad and Olivia had an arranged marriage? Not a love marriage where they married for love? Ian’s mouth fell open at this unexpected fact.
“You know, right? The people of Greenwood Hill have lived here for generations. It’s the same families over and over, and their social circles are obvious. They’re members of similar country clubs, attend similar churches, and go to the same regional charity events all the time. Think about how well they’d know each other inside and out after decades of that accumulating.”
The connections among Greenwood Hill residents seemed to be much older and more solidly and intricately intertwined than Ian had thought.
“I told you my grandmother is also a native of this neighborhood, right? She’s one of those people. Plus, collecting all kinds of gossip is her hobby. This information came from that grandmother’s mouth.”
So it’s very certain. Dylan added.
“Moreover, Ian, your new family, Mrs. Bailey and your two siblings.”
“Y-yeah.”
“You know they’re all Betas, right?”
Only then did Ian seem to understand what Dylan was saying and tensed up.
As Dylan said, not only Della but also Olivia and even Liam. They were all Betas.
This was the first thing Ian learned right after arriving at this house. As soon as he felt that he couldn’t sense any pheromones from them, he immediately realized they were Betas.
Not all Alphas in the world marry Omegas.
Of course, it was common for trait carriers to generally form marriage relationships among themselves, but cases where they didn’t weren’t rare either.
If the world’s population was 30 people, 3 of them would be Alphas, 25 would be Betas, and the remaining 2 would be Omegas. Non-trait carriers who were Betas made up the majority of the population, Alphas were few, and Omegas were even fewer.
The fact derived from this was that not all Alphas paired up and lived with Omegas.
And Harrison, Ian’s father, and Olivia were exactly that kind of relationship.
With Song Joo-hee, Ian’s mother, it was an Alpha and Omega couple relationship, but after their short marriage ended, Harrison remarried Olivia, a Beta woman. And Ian knew nothing about the reasons for this. He had only vaguely thought that Olivia must have been the person his father liked next after his mother.
But that was an arranged marriage?
“As far as I know, Mrs. Bailey is probably also from this area. And you know there used to be quite a few marriages arranged by families, right? The people in this neighborhood are especially like that. Upper-class people marrying each other. Those two would have been the same. According to grandmother, there was something business related involved at the time, or maybe it was something their parents decided when they were young… Hmm, or maybe it was both?”
Dylan muttered that he didn’t remember exactly.
“Anyway, what I clearly remember is that your father and Mrs. Bailey’s marriage was promised since they were children.”
“If that’s… then…!”
“Right. Mr. Bailey was the one who unilaterally broke the promise in the middle.”
Dylan shrugged in front of the result and evidence of breaking an old promise.
“My goodness…”
Ian felt dizzy from this fact he was learning for the first time.
So dad’s marriage to mom came first, I thought, but he had been engaged to Olivia before that? Even if it was arranged and they weren’t in love, it was shocking.
“It’s a fact everyone knows that the Bailey couple in this neighborhood is close to a show window couple. Even on their wedding day, both the bride and groom looked so gloomy. Like people who didn’t want to get married.”
“What…?”
So even the current marriage wasn’t one done out of love or affection. No wonder the two didn’t seem close. The image of Harrison and Olivia, who were usually distant with each other, flickered before Ian’s eyes.
“But my grandmother says that was right. I don’t know what she means, but she said Mr. and Mrs. Bailey’s marriage was just ‘everything returning to its proper place.'”
Dylan patted Ian’s shoulder, saying he didn’t know any more detailed stories.
“So the conclusion is, this might just be my speculation and prejudice.”
The students moving around them had also decreased considerably. Lunchtime was almost over. Dylan straightened his back that had been leaning toward Ian, got up from the grass, and dusted off his pants.
“Wouldn’t there be a difference between a child born from love and a child born from obligation?”
“…”
“Moreover, that precious child is not an Alpha, not a Beta, but an Omega. Wouldn’t you feel the same way?”
Dylan added that it was really just his guess, but Ian couldn’t affirm those words, nor could he deny them by saying no, you don’t know our family.
From what Ian felt, Harrison loved Della and Liam. Even though he had particular affection for Ian as a fellow trait carrier and a sore thumb, he was confident that his father absolutely did not not love his other children. He had that much judgment.
But if it was Olivia’s matter…?
Ian stood there blankly for a long time, watching Dylan’s retreating figure.
*
Ian’s mind was so full of confusion that he didn’t even know how the afternoon classes had passed.
He had particularly spent religious studies class in a daze, unable to concentrate, and thanks to that, Ian had to stay in the library even after all classes were over.
While all the classes at Lloyd Jones weren’t particularly difficult or vastly different compared to Korea, religious studies subjects were an exception. He had never attended a mission school, and since Song Joo-hee herself was non-religious, Ian’s knowledge of religion was practically nonexistent. He only had the very basic knowledge learned from ethics, Korean history, and world history textbooks.
That’s why it was a subject he usually paid special attention to, but to have blown it off while lost in other thoughts. He felt utterly pathetic. At least it was fortunate that he had recorded the entire class out of habit.
Ian plugged earphones into his ears and opened the book he had just found.
‘If I don’t understand this clearly today, I won’t be able to follow the next class…’
He could study at home, but there were limitations to materials found online. For religious studies, it was much easier to find materials in the school library, and they were abundant, diverse, and well organized.
He planned to listen to the class content once more, memorize it, and then do his essay assignment. Ian steeled his resolve and concentrated, quickly becoming absorbed in his yellow lined notebook and books.
Unlike the confusion from earlier, his studying proceeded calmly.
But the problem came after that.
“Uh…”
Ian stood alone in a daze in front of the quiet school gate where the sun was setting dimly.
With a heavy bag on his back, he cast his gaze far and looked around the drop zone area, but no matter how much he looked around, he couldn’t see any car that had come to pick him up.
“I definitely asked Della to tell her earlier…”
It had been difficult for him to contact Olivia, who was always in charge of their school transportation, directly, when he had fortunately encountered Della in front of the library just 3 hours ago.
‘I need to study in the library today so I can’t go together. I think I can finish by 6:30, but would it be a bother to Mrs. Bailey if I asked her to come pick me up then…?’
To his carefully spoken words, Della had looked Ian up and down slowly with cold eyes. Then she stopped her foot that had been tapping against the wall and clearly answered, “Well… okay.”
He had thought that meant she agreed to pass his message to Olivia. Did I say something wrong again? Was I mistaken? Should I have spoken more clearly with more definite words? When Della or Liam were late due to after school activities, Olivia would come back and forth several times, so he thought it would be okay, but perhaps that didn’t apply to him… Being left alone, he was having all sorts of thoughts.
Ian touched the screen with a confused face, wondering where he should call.
Of course, the first face that came to mind was Harrison’s. But at the same time, because of another face that came to mind, he absolutely couldn’t bring himself to call his dad.
It was because Della’s face, which had openly shown her hurt with an expression about to cry like a broken mask, overlapped with Harrison’s face.
Looking at the clock on the screen, it was 7:05 PM. It was time for the family at home to be having the meal Juanita had prepared. That was the established routine.
Today, it seemed neither Della nor Liam had any particular evening schedules, so if Harrison had come home early, they would all probably be seated together in the dining room.
“Haa…”
While Della was having such a cherished meal with her dad, it felt uncomfortable to contact him when he could clearly predict this situation. Especially knowing that his father was someone who would come running immediately at his call.
From Della’s perspective, she would think that Ian had deliberately called Harrison to break up their harmonious gathering…
Ian wandered aimlessly in front of the empty school, looking at the dim street with a dejected face. The lights seeping out from the school building were disappearing one by one.
“It’s too far to walk…”
In fact, the idea of walking was unrealistic given the considerable distance between the school and Bailey House. Moreover, the surroundings were all forest.
“Should I call around when dinner is over…”
Casting his gaze into the distance, Ian glumly put his phone in his pocket. And just as he was trudging back toward the school building.
Beep!
A dark gray car stopped beside him with a small honk.
“Hey.”
The driver, rolling down the window, spoke to Ian. Ian looked up to check who it was and his mouth fell open.
The face visible through the window.
It was Terrence Hunt.
His first thought was ‘Is there someone behind me?’ That made sense, since avoiding him was the last thing that had happened. So he awkwardly quickened his pace.
But Terrence stretched his head toward Ian and spoke once more.
“Hey, Bailey. I’m calling you.”
Only then did Ian turn his body that had been about to walk in the opposite direction. As he approached the large car, his heart felt like it was falling to the ground and churning with each step.
“Uh… me?”
“Yeah, Ian Bailey. That’s you.”
He had thought Terrence wouldn’t know his name, but it was unexpected.
And that really wasn’t bad at all. Having his name come out of those smoothly handsome lips. A strange flutter was budding like a bud in Ian’s chest.
Moreover, for Terrence Hunt to speak to him first. It had definitely been a displeasing reaction before.
However, even though Ian’s body had gotten closer to the car, Terrence was still leaning far toward the passenger seat. So much so that one might worry if his back hurt.
Terrence, with a serious face and stern eyes, asked through the window.
“Where are you going?”
“Oh, um. School. I was thinking of going back to school.”
“Why. The school will be closing soon.”
When asked so directly, bewilderment enveloped Ian.
“That… the car, maybe we missed each other. I thought someone would definitely come pick me up… um, they haven’t come yet… it seems like it’ll take a while…”
He barely managed to mumble an excuse. He thought Terrence would be satisfied with his explanation that he was waiting because the promised pickup time might not have been communicated properly and would just leave, but Terrence casually got out of the car. Then he personally opened the passenger door and said.
“Get in. I’ll give you a ride.”
“Here…?”
“Yeah.”
Like that, Ian found himself sitting in the passenger seat of his car.
After being awkward for a moment about riding in a car for the first time, his eyes naturally widened at the flashy interior. Earlier it was dark and chaotic so he couldn’t see properly, but now he could see this angular jeep shape with the German car emblem everyone knew, wasn’t this that model famous for being expensive…
Indeed, when he got in the car earlier, steps had smoothly come up as soon as the door opened. Remembering that, Ian took his hands off the car seat. Except for the orange driver’s seat, all the seats were such a bright white that he was afraid his hands might dirty them.
Hugging the bag he’d been carrying on his back to his front, Ian held his breath quietly.
Of course, on the surface, there was nothing wrong with the current situation. The car drove quietly down the road, Terrence Hunt’s driving was skilled and smooth, and he was safely returning home.
It was just ordinary kindness, like a passerby helping a lost child get home, a favor any somewhat kind person could offer, and there was nothing strange about it.
So this suffocating, maddening confusion was purely Ian’s problem alone.
‘Is it okay? Do I not smell like anything right now? Is it being hidden well like dad taught me?’
He wanted to lift his arm and put his nose to his wrist to sniff and check if his pheromones were coming out, but Ian was restraining himself with all his might because he thought he’d look like a strange kid in front of someone who already didn’t like him.
In the end, all Ian could do was desperately suppress his pheromones while checking what Terrence Hunt’s mood was like. Ian’s eyes turned left as he glanced sideways at the person driving next to him.
Unlike before, his expression was calm and he wasn’t secretly raising his hand to cover his nose or mouth, so it seemed like he was probably doing well as he’d practiced… Or maybe Terrence Hunt was just enduring it because he couldn’t use his hands while driving… Ian felt so frustrated that if he could, he wanted to tear at his hair and scream.
Then, when he was really suffocating from being buried in his own questions, Ian unconsciously opened his mouth.
“Um, Hunt…?”
He didn’t know where the courage came from.
“Are you okay right now?”
When Ian asked with wide eyes and a worried face, Terrence, who had been watching the road ahead while driving, slightly turned his face. The two made eye contact through the dusky light as the sunset was fading.
Dark blue eyes and mysterious green-brown eyes looked at each other in the narrow car.
“What? What’s okay?”
Only then did Ian realize he had really just thrown out the question “are you okay” without any context. It had come out so impulsively that he didn’t even know what was wrong until Terrence asked back.
“Oh, um. No, well… it seemed like I made you uncomfortable. On the plane and in chemistry class too, you kept avoiding me. I thought you felt something unpleasant from me. So I’ve been being as careful as possible lately… um.”
He couldn’t embarrassingly bring up pheromones directly, and had no idea how honest he should be.
“So what I mean is…, but thank you for giving me a ride anyway! Thanks to you I could get home quickly. I’ll get out as soon as possible so you won’t be uncomfortable. Where should I tell you to drop me off…”
While Ian was rambling with a trembling voice, Terrence shook his head greatly.
“No.”
“…?”
“You don’t need to tell me.”
“Huh?”
“I know where you live.”
After those words, silence flowed between them again.
He knows where I live. How exactly does he know? It was just amazing. Ian stared at Terrence obviously with his eyes wide open, then came to his senses and curled up again.
Come to think of it, I thought he didn’t know my name either, but earlier he perfectly remembered my first and last name. I thought he had absolutely no interest in me to the point of avoiding and shunning me, but maybe he remembered my name since we were partners in the same class.
In the quiet air, Ian hugged his bag tighter and buried his face in it. What dad taught me must be working properly. His face didn’t look displeased, so it must be. Like this… I should stay quiet like this until we get home. Ian repeated only that to himself.
“…And.”
But it seemed like the other person didn’t plan to go quietly to his house as Ian hoped.
“I’m not uncomfortable.”
“Huh?”
When he asked again thinking he had misheard, Terrence even turned his face this way and repeated it in a louder, clearer voice.
“You don’t make me uncomfortable. It’s not unpleasant either.”
“Ah…”
“I’m sorry if you felt that way. I apologize. It’s just…”
Terrence’s face, which had been frantically looking back and forth between the road ahead, the steering wheel, and Ian, looked a little confused.
He opened and closed his mouth as if creating precise words, agonizing over it, then cleared his throat once with a “hmm” and muttered lowly.
“…I haven’t been feeling well lately. So…, that’s why. It wasn’t that you were unpleasant. It’s my problem.”
Seeing his somewhat hurried way of speaking along with his slightly reddened face, Ian seemed to understand. That those words were sincere.
It seemed there had been some personal difficulty that Ian had never expected. According to what he’d heard from Dylan, Terrence was supposed to be an excellent athlete, but to have physical difficulties at such a time… Somehow he felt sorry for him and his heart ached.
It seemed like such a big problem that he was confused enough to avoid people, so the difficulties he must have experienced were probably no ordinary matter. Ian nodded, quickly understanding.
“I see…”
If it were him, it would probably be the same. If the only thing you know how to do is study, and then one day you suddenly can’t see or something goes wrong with your brain so you can’t understand even a single line of text anymore, how bewildering would that be? He felt like he might become so sadly consumed by his own problems that he’d avoid people.
Terrence Hunt, who was probably sitting next to him right now, must have felt the same way. Ian nodded, using all his imagination to understand him.
“I totally get it.”
Terrence seemed to look at him with slightly strange eyes as he expressed his deep empathy, but that was only for a moment.
“…”
“…”
With nothing more to say, the car was once again enveloped in silence.
“Do you usually go home at this time?”
It was Terrence who first broke the silence.
“Uh… No. Not usually at this time.”
Ian pondered how to explain his situation coherently, then chose to just be honest. He didn’t have the knack for smoothly and beautifully embellishing situations.
“Usually I go straight home around three or four with my siblings, but today I stayed to study at the library for a bit.”
“Does studying at the library work well for you?”
“Yeah. It’s much more comfortable and effective than being at home. I guess libraries suit me.”
He threw that out as a joke, but Terrence didn’t laugh at all, making Ian feel a bit embarrassed.
“Do you usually come out at this time?”
“Yeah. Football team practice ends at this time.”
They train quite late. Ian nodded while muttering to himself. But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Why couldn’t you go home today? Don’t you have a car?”
Once the conversation properly started, Terrence began asking Ian questions without hesitation, like a dam had burst. He seemed to have no difficulty at all with conversation.
As expected, confident people are different. It seemed only Ian was breaking into a cold sweat trying to think of appropriate answers to the direct questions.
“I have a car… but I don’t have a license.”
At those words, Terrence turned his head toward Ian with a start. Thanks to that, he had to face that handsome face head on again.
“How? How do you not have a license? Are you scared of driving?”
Ian felt a little wronged by the question that was asked as if he couldn’t believe it. What would you do if I said I was scared…!
He wanted to grumble back that in Korea, it’s normal not to have a license at this age.
“It’s not that I’m scared of driving, I just haven’t completed the 50 hours yet… so I haven’t gotten my proper license…”
In the state where Ian lived, after passing the license test, one had to complete a total of 50 hours of driving logs, including 15 hours at night, under the supervision and management of a guardian before they could get a proper senior license that allowed them to drive alone.
“I passed the license test this past summer vacation, but the log isn’t complete yet… My father is busy. I’ll finish it soon.”
That was actually why Ian had been quietly going to and from school with Liam or Della’s schedule without saying much to Harrison or Olivia.
It had been about two months since the summer vacation ended and the new school year started. There were only about 20 hours left to fill in the driving log, and once that was done, he could commute alone in the car Harrison had purchased for Ian in advance. Since that time wasn’t far off, he was enduring the inconvenience for now to avoid bothering Olivia.
‘Of course, that led to today’s incident…’
If Terrence hadn’t been there, he really would have been in a hopeless situation… Ian bit his lips as he recalled how he had almost ended up wandering around the school area waiting for dinner to end just a little while ago.
“…Are you crying?”
But what kind of misunderstanding did that create? Did it look like he was crying?
“No? I’m not crying…”
“…You looked sad.”
“Ah…”
Had his melancholy sadness leaked out without him knowing?
“…No. I’m not crying.”
Ian forced a big smile toward Terrence. He already didn’t have many friends and felt somewhat left out at school, so he didn’t want to give the impression of being a depressed person. Especially not to the person sitting next to him.
Though he himself didn’t know why that was the case.
When the sun had set and it had gotten completely dark, Terrence’s car entered the Greenwood Hill entrance. At the same time, Ian’s phone started vibrating somewhere.
After searching from his uniform pants to inside his clothes for a while, Ian finally found his phone in the front pocket of his backpack. When did he put it there? He seemed to have been out of his mind from nervousness since getting into Terrence’s car.
Harrison’s name was flashing on the screen.
“Huh? It’s Dad.”
Ian hurriedly answered the phone.
“Hello?”
– Ian! Where on earth are you?
As soon as he answered, Harrison shouted loudly with a worried voice, almost causing Ian to drop his phone. He barely caught it and hurriedly lowered the call volume a bit while stammering. It was loud enough that Terrence, who was driving next to him, surely heard everything.
“Ah, Dad. I’m on my way now. I’m almost home.”
– What happened? No contact, no word about when or how you’re coming back, and nobody knows when you’re coming home! Does this situation make any sense…! Olivia says Della mentioned you’d be late, but other than that, nothing…!
Harrison poured out words rapidly as if shouting. Even with the volume lowered, it felt like his eardrums would burst, so Ian held the phone a bit farther away.
So she did say he’d be late. Well, even though Olivia treated him like just a housemate, she wasn’t someone who would just abandon him without reason. She was clear about the safety of the children she looked after.
It seemed like Della had only conveyed half the story to her mother… Ian racked his brain about where and how to start explaining to Harrison.
“Uh, um. So…”
Although Della had been spiteful, he didn’t want to look like he was tattling. But before Ian could explain anything, their conversation was heard first.
– Olivia! You should have checked properly before acting…!
– Are you saying I should have doubted and been suspicious of my own daughter’s words instead of believing them?
– Dad! Mom!
“No… Dad…”
How loud must they be for the heated voices of three people to be heard so vividly through the receiver? Ian panicked and turned down the call volume even more.
One thing was certain. He couldn’t honestly tell the whole situation here.
If he revealed that all this was because of Della’s spite, it would only make things grow into an even more troublesome mess. His exact feeling was that he didn’t want to throw another bomb of discord into their family that was already seemingly fighting.
Even now, judging from Harrison’s voice along with Della’s shrill high notes being heard intermittently, it seemed their father and daughter had already started some argument like last time… This is troublesome… Ian sighed deeply.
Bang! The sound of a door opening roughly was heard through the receiver.
– Wait, Ian. I’ll come pick you up right now. That no one cared about how you were getting home, I really can’t believe this situation…
“No! Dad, I’m really almost there.”
At the same time as those words, Terrence’s car entered the Bailey House entrance, followed the curved road inside, and stopped in front of the house.
Ian saw Harrison running from the front door with car keys in hand and hurriedly got out of the car.
“Dad!”
“Ian…! Where on earth were you?”
Harrison ran over with a frantic expression, scanning Ian’s face and body here and there to check if he was hurt anywhere. Ian was even more flustered by this behavior.
He had just been a little late, but Harrison was treating Ian as if he were a lost child who had barely returned home after experiencing terrible danger somewhere, based on how dire his imagination had gotten. It seemed his worries had multiplied even more since meeting the trait medicine professor.
“No one knew where you were!”
“Ah… I was studying at the library…”
“I was right!”
Della came out stomping her feet on the front porch, shouting belatedly.
“Right. Della and Olivia said so too, but then you should have known exactly when and how you’d return home. But no one knew. When I got home you weren’t there, and there was no message from you either. Dad was really so surprised, Ian.”
Harrison hugged Ian once, then rubbed his own chest with his large hand.
“I imagined all sorts of things, wondering if you’d met some strange criminal and been harmed. If I couldn’t reach you for just a little longer, I would have grabbed my gun first.”
Indeed, as he said, there were two missed calls on the screen.
“…I’m sorry. From now on I’ll definitely send dad a message first…”
While Ian was hurriedly speaking to calm down Della who was fuming behind them and Harrison who was still agitated.
Thud!
With the sound of a car door closing, a third party’s voice settled among them.
“Good evening, Mr. Bailey.”
Casting a large shadow over Ian’s head, Terrence Hunt came beside him and continued his introduction.
“Nice to meet you. My name is Terrence Hunt.”
As he formally greeted them by extending his hand like a skilled businessman, Ian unconsciously stared at Terrence blankly before coming to his senses. He needed to explain properly.
“Ah! He’s my friend. Today he gave me a ride…”
“Yes. We studied together at the library and came home together. I apologize for not informing you beforehand.”
At Terrence’s meaningful look as if to match their stories, Ian nodded vigorously toward his father. This was the best option. Although Terrence was conversing politely as Alpha to Alpha, almost like a dating partner asking permission from parents, Ian couldn’t interfere between them.
“Ah, Mr. Hunt. Yes. I remember. We met at the country club sometime, didn’t we?”
“Yes. It was quite some time ago, but that’s correct.”
As they said, since they weren’t complete strangers, the two exchanged simple conversation, and during this Harrison seemed to have calmed his excited heart appropriately.
“I saw your great performance during the homecoming football game. Back number 16. Right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Harrison, who had great interest in the Lloyd Jones football team, poured out small talk about him. It was as if he’d forgotten he’d been angry just moments before. But Ian noticed the truth while watching his father who had a somewhat subtle public smile on his face throughout. The fact that he was trying his best in front of others right now.
The conversation between the two was as proper and smooth as a business conversation between businessmen meeting at work.
“It’s unbelievable that you’re not captain yet when you play so well.”
“You’re too kind.”
“The current captain is a senior, right? I heard at the supporters’ meeting that although he’s a sports scholarship student, he doesn’t plan to go pro. Mr. Hunt, you should be ambitious.”
Harrison praised Terrence while patting his shoulder.
Anyway, thanks to Terrence’s appearance, the situation that had been about to spread into discord seemed to be appropriately resolved. Olivia had already gone inside the house, and Della had become quiet as if she had no mouth.
Is it all over now…? When Ian was relieved and rubbing his chest like Harrison had just done, the two finished their greetings.
“Thank you for bringing Ian home today.”
“It was the natural thing to do.”
When Terrence, who had finished talking with Harrison, lightly placed his hand on Ian’s shoulder and said “Well, I’ll be going,” Ian covered it with his hand like a close friend and smiled.
“Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
Was it natural? No, judging by Terrence Hunt’s slightly stiffening expression, it probably wasn’t very natural. But he too smiled toward Ian, albeit with a somewhat strange smile, and was soon getting into his car.
As soon as Terrence’s car disappeared from their sight, Harrison patted Ian’s back.
“Let’s go in.”
“Yes.”
“You haven’t eaten dinner, have you?”
At his worried question, Ian nodded and moved his steps with Harrison. And while entering the house, he saw the presence he’d forgotten about.
Della, who couldn’t take her eyes off where Terrence’s car had disappeared, with a vacant expression.
And at that time, he had no idea what that meant.
<To be Continued in Volume 2>