“Even if the trait is recessive, they still give off a pheromone scent. And even if they’re dominant, what kind of proper person would rub their pheromones on others without permission? And what does it matter if they’re a beta?”
“Ah, sorry?”
To Sunjeong, who expressed displeasure at having his pheromones rubbed on him, Suhyeon spoke dismissively as if it were bothersome.
Sunjeong let out a deep sigh inwardly. So that’s why he’s been occupying the seat next to where I always sit. Suhyeon was usually fine, but sometimes he got weirdly twisted like this.
Dominant is dominant, or so it seemed—even when Sunjeong headed to Café Sentence after all his schedules were done to meet Taeon, Suhyeon’s subtle pheromone scent seemed to envelop him. Even though he’d urgently sprayed samples at the drugstore in front of school since he didn’t have pheromone deodorizer on hand, the lingering scent seemed to remain.
“Welcome.”
As soon as he entered Café Sentence, Taeon’s voice immediately reached Sunjeong’s ears.
Seeing him make a slightly surprised expression upon seeing Sunjeong, perhaps he hadn’t expected Sunjeong’s visit. His mouth hung open, not knowing how to close.
“One iced americano, please.”
“Yes.”
A calm voice, different from yesterday.
Sunjeong could feel Taeon quickly scan over him as he took the card Sunjeong held out. Eyes that seemed to be examining something. Then, when he made eye contact with Sunjeong, who was still staring intently at him, he flinched and immediately turned his gaze away.
That wasn’t like Taeon, which made Sunjeong’s heart slightly concerned.
As Sunjeong, struggling to rein in his immediately weakening heart, was about to say something to Taeon, Taeon’s mouth opened first.
“It’s closing time in 20 minutes, so if you could just wait a bit. Since you came all this way, I’ll, no, I’ll buy the coffee. You don’t need to give me your card.”
Since he really didn’t seem to intend to accept it, Sunjeong’s hand had to float in the air for a moment.
Well, he didn’t particularly have any desire to insist on buying the coffee. After putting the card back in his wallet, Sunjeong nodded and turned around.
“It’s a takeout cup since we’re closing soon.”
“Okay.”
Sunjeong quietly watched Taeon’s retreating back as he turned around after serving. His hair was shorter than yesterday.
Realizing this fact, Sunjeong let out a hollow laugh.
Taeon barely managed his appearance. Partly because he stood out everywhere even without managing it, but also because he had no interest in such things. But if there was one thing he was interested in, it was his hair. Saying that shaggy hair was stuffy and didn’t make a good impression, he always kept his already quite short hair neatly trimmed.
Yesterday he’d thought it was shaggier than usual, and it seemed he’d already been to get his hair trimmed.
He probably didn’t want to look messy to me, Sunjeong thought.
While waiting for Taeon to finish work, holding the coffee cup he couldn’t finish, Sunjeong set out on the road with Taeon.
A deep silence hung between the two. It was difficult to keep up the pretense of being a part-timer and customer using formal speech anymore.
Taeon was already a man of few words, and with even Sunjeong, who usually chattered away about something or other, keeping his mouth shut, there seemed to be even less to say. Yet the way he kept glancing toward Sunjeong made it seem like Sunjeong was on his mind.
“The night wind is cold.”
This was what he finally said.
It actually was cold. A biting wind was blowing as if cutting through flesh.
When Taeon said it was cold, the wind that already felt like it was cutting through flesh felt even colder, and Sunjeong slightly huddled his body.
“Want to wear this?”
Taeon’s blunt voice, no longer a part-timer.
When Sunjeong looked at Taeon, Taeon held out the thin windbreaker he’d been wearing.
Sunjeong stared quietly at the windbreaker, then slowly turned his head. If I wear it, I’ll feel Taeon’s body scent directly, and then my heart will weaken.
“It’s a bit dirty though. I wore it while working.”
When Sunjeong shook his head, awkwardness was present in Taeon’s voice as he spoke defensively with an embarrassed tone.
“Go one more block and there’s a pub. They sell cocktails, coffee, everything. It’s quiet and we can talk for about an hour, so let’s talk there.”
Unlike Taeon’s voice and tone returning to normal, Sunjeong’s voice was unusually calm and composed. The laughter that always filled his voice when speaking to Taeon had completely disappeared into a dry voice that felt unfamiliar to Taeon.
It was a dimly lit space. There were quite a few people occupying tables, but instrumental jazz music resonated louder than the sound of voices.
The two who took seats by the window stared intently at the menu.
There was a reason why the people currently in this pub located near the university district weren’t of university student age.
In front of the pub’s menu with americano at 9,000 won per cup and Kahlúa at 15,000 won, Taeon was a bit surprised. But it didn’t matter. If he could have a conversation with Sunjeong.
“What do you want to drink? I’ll have an Earl Grey highball.”
“You can’t even drink.”
To Sunjeong, who chose a 20,000 won highball, Taeon scolded familiarly.
“I drink well now. I’ve gotten used to drinking with friends, so I don’t get drunk on one glass.”
“……”
Taeon closed his mouth. Since earlier, Sunjeong’s body had been filled with the scent of an unfamiliar alpha’s pheromones.
There was now a private life unknown to Taeon that Sunjeong had.
Realizing this fact, one side of his heart throbbed.
“I’ll order.”
When Sunjeong spoke, Taeon urgently stood up from his seat.
“Pay with my card.”
“……”
Sunjeong watched Taeon hastily pull out his wallet. Should I just say I’ll pay as usual? Then, as always, Taeon wouldn’t be pleased.
Whatever it was, Taeon wanted to give Sunjeong as much as he could give.
“Okay, Yoon Taeon, you buy it.”
This time, Sunjeong decided to let Taeon buy him drinks.
At Sunjeong’s words, Taeon nodded and headed refreshingly to the counter.
Turning his head slightly, Sunjeong’s eyes clearly caught the face of the employee smiling brightly at Taeon. It should just be ordering two drinks and paying with a card, but the conversation is getting long because they’re adding even one more word. Sometimes it was really annoying that Taeon was that handsome.
“What is this?”
To Taeon who returned to the table, Sunjeong asked in a rough voice.
What part-timer would give a piece of tiramisu as a service to a customer who was just paying?
“They gave it as service. The cherry on top was pretty, so I just accepted it. Go Sunjeong, you like cherries.”
To Sunjeong, who couldn’t hide his sulky mood, Taeon spoke as if making excuses.
It was certainly a plump cherry, though.
Sunjeong, who had been glaring at the innocent tiramisu for no reason, soon tried to focus on the main point again. If I keep bantering like this, everything will go back to how it was.
“Yoon Taeon, you went to my house. My mom liked it.”
“…Yeah, I went.”
“Why?”
At Sunjeong’s simple question, Taeon made a flustered expression.
After briefly swallowing dry saliva, Taeon decided to tell everything honestly.
“Because you weren’t answering my calls and went radio silent, Go Sunjeong.”
“When we last met, we said let’s not see each other anymore. I didn’t just go radio silent.”
“…Still.”
Waiting for Taeon’s next words that didn’t continue beyond this one phrase, Sunjeong picked up the cherry and put it in his mouth. As always, the cherry was sweet. The cherry wasn’t at fault. The sweet tiramisu underneath would be the same.
Right, Taeon’s face wasn’t at fault either. The problem was the people who got twisted, the attitude of accepting carelessly.
Taeon quietly looked at Sunjeong’s face as he calmly waited for Taeon’s words.
A small, pale face. Taeon knew the very diverse expressions that face could make, but right now there was almost no expression on Sunjeong’s face. Would there come a day when Sunjeong would smile brightly at Taeon like before? Caught up in this sighing doubt, Taeon opened his mouth again.
“If contact gets cut off like that… wouldn’t you be worried?”
As he said this, Taeon’s fingers tapped the table like a keyboard without rest.
Taeon’s anxiety was sweet to Sunjeong.
Right now Taeon said he was worried because he couldn’t contact Sunjeong, but when Sunjeong constantly contacted Taeon, he was often annoyed. He’d often go radio silent too.
Even now, the sweetness felt in front of Taeon’s anxious complexion was instinctive. If he continued to act like this from now on, it was clear that Taeon would rarely have reason to put away this anxiety.
But what Sunjeong wanted from Taeon right now wasn’t the joy of feeling these emotions.
“Yoon Taeon.”
At Sunjeong’s low voice calling him, Taeon looked at Sunjeong.
“Then what, should we keep in touch and get along like usual?”
“……”
“I chase after you saying I like you. You like me but say you don’t.”
“……”
For a moment, Taeon hesitated.
Usually when Sunjeong said “You like me too,” Taeon denied it too easily. Saying not to be ridiculous.
It was difficult to utter such words of denial now. But he couldn’t readily speak his true feelings either.
“Everything’s however Yoon Taeon wants it.”
He acknowledged that Sunjeong’s words hit the core.
