His family looked at Sajun with serious faces. Had they worried that he might be a beta? But the result was the same. Sajun was indeed an alpha, and it was just an opinion that he suffered from an olfactory disorder limited to pheromones.
From that day, his short middle school life ended, and homeschooling began again. The fact that he had an olfactory disorder was kept secret. Though he didn’t know the reason, he didn’t want to refuse the words of his family who worried about and loved him.
Sajun just decided to accept it. Since nothing had changed, there was no reason to feel a sense of loss. However, since it was difficult for him to notice his heat cycle compared to others, he regularly got checked and made sure to confirm the dates to prepare in advance. During heat, he always took medicine and released energy through exercise.
Just in case, he also learned how to handle it himself. Since he’d never properly felt sexual desire and only had fever and an itchy body, he’d never actually tried it. He took prescribed suppressants, did intense exercise, then took sleeping pills. When he woke up, his body would be drenched in sweat then cooled, with chills seeping in. His lower body soaked and drenched in an unknown liquid was unpleasant, but facing that situation in full consciousness was even more unpleasant, so it was an unavoidable choice.
There was his hyung’s strong insistence that high school should also be done through homeschooling, but his noona opposed it. His mother did as well.
– You need to know how to mix with other people.
By that time, Sajun’s sociability was inevitably at a serious level. It was natural since he’d hardly had any contact with people other than family. His hyung, who had an anxious expression until he went to school, sat Sajun down and admonished him several times.
– You’ll probably be placed in the alpha class anyway, but I’m saying this just in case. Since you can’t distinguish alphas or omegas by pheromones, you need to save your words as much as possible. Even if you can’t notice, there are ways to know. If they’re strangely favorable and friendly, they’re omegas, and if they avoid your eyes or cower, they’re alphas. There won’t be an alpha as outstanding as you among your peers.
His trembling lips were contradictory to the seeming pride. Sajun pressed his hyung’s lips firmly and nodded.
– It must not be revealed that you have such a disability. That’s a flaw. A flawed item cannot have its value recognized.
And so he crossed the threshold of school again. The school after everyone’s traits had manifested was quite a shocking sight. The classes were divided and sex education was thorough, but the children easily crumbled before temptation. No matter how much the school controlled them, there were quite a few kids who caused accidents, probably because “that scent” was that great. They said sex felt good, so it was probably because of that. After all, he too received countless “proposals.”
– Let’s do it just once with me.
He recalled an omega whose name he didn’t know who clung to him, breathing excitedly.
– ……Move.
– You’ll like it too.
Sajun was never caught up in such temptations. There was no reason to. He felt no emotion toward the omegas who rubbed their unspeakable parts with their faces flushed bright red in front of him. Rather, he only felt displeased. If they waited just a bit like that, supervising teachers would appear, and soon the students who did such things to him would be punished or transferred. After that, omegas didn’t easily approach Sajun either.
There were times when he was curious. What kind of scent was this body odor said to be irresistibly seductive that it made people like that? But that didn’t make him want to try sex. He didn’t want to shove food that had no smell into his mouth. And one more thing. Watching them being swayed by mere pheromones was unpleasant. Yet when his heat came and he took off his wet lower garments in the morning, he loathed even himself.
Sajun grew up in a state of being unable to understand others. Desires that couldn’t be resolved accumulated in depths he himself didn’t know.
– Mmm, have sex with me…….
On his first day moving into the dorm, when an omega clung to him, he recalled the story he’d heard from his hyung before admission.
– That’s what it’s there for, but hyung believes you’ll be as cautious as you’ve been until now.
The futile wish of adults hoping that even if their children in their prime get into heat and cause accidents, they would do so in a place where there would be no loss no matter who they became involved with. That was the reason Seoul First University only admitted alphas and omegas, kept students in dormitories, and was furthermore located in a place isolated from the outside.
– You must never let them find out you have such a flaw.
His hyung admonished him several times. Sajun was somewhat excited. It was his first day away from home due to the regulation that all freshmen must move into the dorms. In such a situation, being sexually harassed by an omega in heat made him feel bad. That’s when his eyes met someone’s.
He’d been distinguishing traits with just his eyes for many years, but this person was somehow different. Since they didn’t turn their head or avoid him even after seeing him, they weren’t an alpha, and since they didn’t smile while disarmed or approach him, they weren’t an omega either. They were different from the beta servants who existed like shadows at home or school.
– Hey. You’re not a rat, so don’t eavesdrop on other people’s conversations. Unless you want to get fired.
It was the first time he’d seen someone openly make an uncomfortable and annoyed expression in front of him. At the provocatively spat words, the anger that instantly surged penetrated Sajun’s eyes. Those eyes were so intense that he didn’t even realize he’d caught a good scent at the tip of his nose.
And suddenly he remembered. It was a face he’d seen before.
– A caterpillar should eat pine needles! Sajun, you must never get involved.
Not long ago, his hyung, who’d suddenly visited his room, had thrown a tablet PC in front of him and said those words.
– ……What is it?
The media permitted to Sajun was limited. It was because of his hyung who made a fuss saying he might be corrupted. To such Sajun, his hyung showed him an extracted article.
– <Seoul First University, ‘First Beta Freshman’ Admission>?
In one corner of the article was a small photo of a male student in a school uniform.
– Absolutely not. Got it?
– ……Why would I get involved with a beta?
– Hyung is saying this just in case. Don’t let it go in one ear and out the other. If you get involved with a beta, it won’t end well.
At that time, Sajun had just said he understood. But the person was on a different dimension from the photo that had only looked clear and young. The shock that Go Woojae’s real appearance gave was tremendous. It was eyes filled with venom he’d never seen before.
He wanted to see them once more. So even in the elevator, he deliberately spoke to him. Go Woojae had a fiery temper and got angry at whatever he said.
– Aren’t you coming out?!
Watching him knock on the door and scream about racism or whatever, Sajun felt curiosity for the first time in his life.
After sending him back and lying on his bed, he realized something was strange. An unknown fragrance he’d never smelled before remained faintly at the tip of his nose. He buried his nose in his sleeve and concentrated on his sense of smell, but the source of the fragrance wasn’t there. When was the moment he’d unconsciously felt a good scent? As Sajun carefully recalled, he fell into a bit of shock.
When he brushed past Go Woojae,
When they rode the elevator together,
And just before.
It was the moment when something he wanted to confirm arose.
***
Euheuheuheu, heuheuheuheu, heuhahahaha! A somewhat chilling laughter flowed over Woojae’s lips. It was because of his certainty about success. Even thinking about it again, it was a too perfect plan.
“Woojae-ya, I’m getting goosebumps. Why are you really like that……?”
Watching Woojae giggling while sitting in front of his desk, Minwook poured out reproach. Whether he did or not, Woojae was in a good mood. From Minwook’s position, it was an incomprehensible sight. Minwook quietly recalled a few days ago. The day Woojae threw a punch at Gye Sajun. Minwook had to suffer a headache. About how to carry out the order disguised as a request that Gye Sajun had given.
– Woojae-ya, about that group date.
– You go alone. Fuck, I get goosebumps thinking about that filthy bastard following.
– No, at this point I’m dying of curiosity. What on earth did Gye Sajun say to you?
– Agh! Don’t make me remember! I feel like I’m going to throw up!
– Ugh, okay so don’t throw up! Talking about vomit makes me want to throw up too…….
It seemed there was no need to worry. Woojae was immersed in chaos, leaving his constantly contorting expression unchecked. It seemed he had no presence of mind to think about things like group dates. But since yesterday, he’d been bursting into such bizarre laughter. At first, he just thought something fun had happened, but once it passed ten times, that thought completely disappeared.
“Are you possessed by a ghost? I’m scared……”
Despite the word ghost coming from his own mouth, when he actually said it out loud, its weight was extraordinary. His spine instantly became chilly. Could there be no ghosts in this school that had been established for over 100 years? Moreover, the dormitory was established at the same time as the school’s founding. Though the remodeling was perfectly done, wouldn’t ghosts also prefer cleaner places? Minwook quickly rubbed his goosebump-covered arms and watched Woojae’s mood.
“……Bang Minwook.”
The voice that suddenly reached him carried laughter that couldn’t be fully contained. A bleak atmosphere surrounded them.
“Why……?”
“I’m going to watch a movie with Gye Sajun tonight. Wait for it. This hyung…… will deliver news of victory.”
Seeing Woojae grinning with his lips twitching like spasms, Minwook’s face turned deathly pale. Meeting eyes that felt like madness, he felt fear. He didn’t dare ask why he’d decided to watch a movie with Gye Sajun and why he was laughing so frighteningly.
He was definitely possessed by a ghost. After all, there was no way it could be Go Woojae saying he’d watch a movie with Gye Sajun while grinning ear to ear.
