Even when flustered Taeon spat out rough words, the person before him opened his mouth with a broad smile.
“I was going to let you smell what my pheromone scent is like first. The probability that my appearance isn’t your type seems almost nonexistent?”
“Ah, I get it, so stop it right now.”
The man before his eyes was clearly a dominant omega. Looking at how viciously he was spraying pheromones. Taeon, who had been doused in the dominant omega’s cotton-scented pheromones in an instant, grimaced.
“My name is Yoon Hyeonmin, I’m twenty-three. French Literature major.”
“So?”
Taeon’s crumpled expression didn’t smooth out.
“I’m asking for your number.”
“Are you kidding right now? You should just ask for my number, what’s with the pheromones……”
The man looked at Taeon with interest as he patted his whole body in shock, though pheromones weren’t something that would disappear just by brushing them off.
“If you really hate it, I’ll give you my number. You’ll contact me anyway.”
The man speaking to Taeon so confidently was just absurd.
“If you don’t want my number, give me yours.”
It was the first time he’d encountered an omega who pushed Taeon this aggressively with such absurd vigor. He even pushed his obviously expensive latest model phone all the way to Taeon’s chest, and Taeon, who had inadvertently received the phone, looked at the screen and grimaced.
He had absolutely no intention of giving his number, but since it didn’t seem like he’d back down, Taeon entered his phone number with only the last two digits different and raised his head at the gaze he suddenly felt.
I knew it. Obvious bastard.
If human expressions also had language, Sunjeong’s face staring intently at Taeon right now was clearly saying this.
“Hey, Go Sunjeong!”
This time Taeon shouted in a loud voice to catch Sunjeong, who was moving away while instantly turning his gaze from Taeon.
Even though Taeon shouted and called him, Sunjeong’s steps instead quickened.
Thinking the sight of Sunjeong’s back as he walked with quick steps was cute, Taeon hurriedly grabbed Sunjeong’s shoulder.
Sunjeong’s footsteps stopped dead in an instant.
“Take your hand off my shoulder.”
It was an excessively low voice unlike Sunjeong. At least it was a low voice Taeon was hearing for the first time, and Taeon, slightly startled, quickly removed his hand. Sunjeong’s voice was always bright like a chirping bird, and even when talking with the alphas earlier it was that voice Taeon knew, but he seemed really very angry.
Sunjeong’s two eyes looking up at Taeon after turning around were red. Eyes before tears formed. Taeon knew those eyes. Because Sunjeong always had those eyes on nights when Taeon had to spend the night with omegas.
“Go Sunjeong.”
“Why.”
“Why are you completely blanking me?”
At Taeon’s words, Sunjeong let out a hollow laugh.
“Did you come all the way to my school now because I didn’t come find you?”
“……”
At Sunjeong’s question, Taeon shut his mouth. Sunjeong was accurate. Because Sunjeong, who used to follow closely by his side, had disappeared, Taeon had personally appeared all the way here—that was correct.
“Yoon Taeon.”
This time Sunjeong called Taeon. Taeon swallowed dry saliva and opened his mouth again.
“Yeah, Go Sunjeong.”
Hearing Taeon’s voice calling him, Sunjeong slightly furrowed his brow.
At that reaction as if he’d heard something he didn’t want to hear, Taeon’s heart surged for a moment.
“This was your wish, wasn’t it.”
“My wish?”
“Me disappearing from your life. Me living my own life.”
“……”
“Christmas isn’t far off, right? This is my present to you.”
“……”
“Now you’re free.”
Taeon was just bewildered at the words pouring out as if prepared. So Sunjeong was being sarcastic that not appearing before Taeon anymore was a gift he was giving Taeon.
Taeon had nothing to say. Really, Taeon had always said this to Sunjeong.
‘Go study and hang out with your friends.’
When things were okay, he’d spoken calmly as if admonishing like this,
‘Just get lost.’
When Sunjeong kept provoking Taeon, he’d deliberately spat out rough words with a calm mind.
Sunjeong had said the words Taeon had most wanted to hear in all his life so far.
But why his heart became so dismal like this, Taeon really couldn’t know. It felt like a heavy stone had fallen with a thud all the way to the very depths of his heart.
“Yoon Taeon, I won’t bother you anymore now, so……”
This time the stone that had fallen bounced up into the air once more and descended vertically again.
It was because transparent teardrops started falling in drops from Sunjeong’s eyes that were gradually reddening.
“Hey, Go Sunjeong…… why are you crying?”
Taeon unconsciously brought his hand to Sunjeong’s face then withdrew it in surprise.
It was because he hadn’t washed his hands even though he’d taken the bus and smoked cigarettes on the way to school. Sunjeong’s pure white face seemed like too clean a territory for Taeon’s rough hands to touch.
Looking at Taeon’s fingers that had tried to reach him but stopped in midair after falling away, Sunjeong said in a tearful voice.
“I’ll live my life hard now too. I’ll study hard, make more friends, try meeting alphas. So now……”
Sunjeong, who was about to say the next part, fell silent for a moment.
Taeon’s mind raced anxiously. It seemed like words that would probably conclude everything were about to burst out of Sunjeong’s mouth. He had to stop these words, but not knowing what to say, Sunjeong, who had been quietly watching Taeon whose lips were only trembling, opened his mouth first.
“Live your life.”
“My life?”
At Sunjeong’s words, Taeon answered in a somewhat dazed voice.
“Yeah, you wanted to get certified, didn’t you.”
Ah, certification…….
Taeon was currently doing so-called ‘body labor’ focused manual labor at various construction sites. He couldn’t work like this forever, and he wanted to learn proper skills like welding.
But the men only found diligent Taeon admirable and didn’t easily teach their livelihood skills.
It was natural. So he had to attend academy and study too, but he kept putting it off.
“And meet rabbit-like omegas that you like.”
Fuck. Now Taeon cursed inwardly.
Sunjeong’s brazen question, ‘If you’re not meeting me, who are you going to meet?’ It was a day when he had to work, rest a bit, and immediately go to work at the distribution center, so because he wanted to rest even a little, Sunjeong had felt even more bothersome. So he’d said this.
‘Yeah, when the time comes I’ll find a rabbit-like omega on my own, have kids, and live, so stop caring.’
He’d said it without any meaning, but he didn’t know Sunjeong would remember.
Moreover, rabbits…… Go Sunjeong looked like a rabbit…….
Because he couldn’t say these words out loud right now, Taeon swallowed saliva, wanting to relieve even a little of the thirst that made his throat keep burning. His insides felt too stuffy.
“Live hard and happily. I’ll live happily too, and I really won’t bother you anymore.”
Both of Sunjeong’s cheeks, who said this, puffed up roundly.
It was from holding back tears.
“Hey, Go Sunjeong. Talk with me a bit.”
Since everything that came out of Sunjeong’s mouth were all words Taeon himself had spat out, even if they talked, there clearly wouldn’t be any sharp solution.
Moreover, for Sunjeong’s sake, it was important for Taeon himself to keep the words Sunjeong had just spat out.
Still, couldn’t they at least have a deep conversation one last time?
Thinking this, Taeon waited for Sunjeong’s answer.
“No, sorry. I don’t think I have anything more to say. I have another lecture too.”
“……”
“Yoon Taeon. Live well from now on.”
Sunjeong now offered a handshake to Taeon with a slightly smiling crying face.
As if this really was the final farewell.
If I hold that small, soft hand, it will really be the end, so Taeon just stared blankly at Sunjeong’s hand but couldn’t bring himself to grasp it.
***
Taeon tended to have confidence in his own patience.
First of all, he’d done well enough to somehow study at the facility, which was one of the most difficult places even in a neighborhood full of a sense of defeat. Even while hearing the comfortable snoring sounds of children who already sensed they’d live in this neighborhood for life, he somehow studied.
He also knew well that what needed to be done came before all kinds of inferiority complexes that were naturally felt at the private school he advanced to like that. Even knowing he wouldn’t be able to advance to university, he didn’t let go of the studying he had to do right away.
Even when choosing not to go to university after resisting all kinds of temptations, he had to exercise considerable patience.
Moreover, his relationship with Sunjeong was the same.
Not holding the hand Sunjeong always extended with an innocent face required greater patience and courage than anything else.
So now Taeon should rightfully raise a toast. He should rather be grateful to Sunjeong who said he wouldn’t appear in Taeon’s life anymore, and should be satisfied before the freedom he’d finally fully seized after becoming an adult.
In short, it wasn’t something to be gloomy about like now.
And it especially wasn’t something to become skin and bones over, unable to properly lift even a spoonful of rice.
