“We gathered for a pretty splendid snack party yesterday. Jiseo, you fell asleep early, right?”
“Ah, yes. I was a bit tired.”
“Actually, I knocked on your door but you didn’t say anything.”
“……”
“More than that, we’re the same age. Should we just speak informally to each other?”
“Ah, um……”
Jiseo had quietly held a premonition that someday a proposal to speak informally to him would come. Though he didn’t know it would be today. So though he fumbled briefly, he nodded readily.
“Yes. Let’s gradually drop formalities. I’m not usually the type to drop them right away like this.”
“It seems like you prefer using formal speech?”
“Rather than that, don’t you want to maintain courtesy? What if a kid like me can’t control myself and falls head over heels if you approach too friendly? I’m already a fan of hyung originally.”
The other person, busy moving around to acknowledge everyone’s feelings, took Jiseo’s side.
“Still, it’s good to get close quickly, right? Now that we’ve gathered like this, there’s no reason we can’t fall head over heels?”
“It could be burdensome. Like the roles I’ve played so far, I’m the cool type.”
Jiwoo, who had been quietly listening to words that lightened the atmosphere with jokes, nodded as if agreeing and added.
“Of course. Where would there be limits? Of course, there’s one side I can’t say out loud yet.”
Jiwoo’s gaze briefly reaching Yeongwon entered Jiseo’s two eyes. Soon, the words whispered with faint laughter also flowed smoothly into his ear.
“I couldn’t completely let go of my conscience. Still, isn’t it all the same?”
Though it was a voice close to a joke and an ambiguous expression with playfulness full in his expression, Jiseo immediately caught the meaning.
It’s probably just something he’s saying. Nine years old or ten years old were the same. In Jiseo’s thoughts, under any condition, Yeongwon was equally precious. Probably he looked like that to other people’s eyes too.
At that moment, he saw Jiwoo immediately listen to Yeongwon’s small pat. Soft lips pressed quite close to Jiwoo’s ear.
“Look at this. He keeps doing cute things.”
“What is it? What did you whisper?”
“I’ll keep it a secret.”
Though he still wore a smile, Yeongwon’s unexpected action caught in Jiseo’s eyes more clearly than before. It seemed to have settled in like a habit.
He puts his lips to ears when saying embarrassing things. He was curious what he might have said.
Did he probably tell him not to say such things? Well. To Yeongwon, it was unnecessary talk. Since he’d have no interest in the other person at all. Jiwoo’s words about not being able to let go of conscience also meant he had a small interest in reverse.
That’s why he could keep it a secret. If even this was a joke.
“I said you have rice on your lips. I played a lot of bodyguard-like roles, and he said if I show a sloppy appearance, my image might change.”
“With your personality, I think it’s more amazing that you played upright roles? You act extraordinarily well. That’s why it’s possible.”
“Senior actors who usually play scary roles are all gentle too. Isn’t it a similar feeling?”
“Just looking at your face, upright suits you. This kid’s voice is low too.”
“No…… I told you not to take care of tissues and stuff.”
Even in the midst of compliments being exchanged, Yeongwon, who reached out his hand, tore off a tissue and handed it to Jiwoo.
That much was basic manners. Even though he showed a lot of cute appearances of acting spoiled and chattering, Yeongwon had been living a social life since childhood.
Since they knew he and Yeongwon were close, Yeongwon’s praises occasionally reached Jiseo too.
Even without such talk, from Jiseo’s position, it was basic and natural courtesy. So he just watched those freely having conversations without holding any particular thoughts.
He wanted it to look that way, but without a chance to stop it, something dug into his head.
……It doesn’t seem like the purpose is to provoke jealousy either.
Anyway, it would be useless in their relationship, and if it was Yeongwon, he wouldn’t use such a method. His heart wasn’t going to him anyway.
“Come to think of it, is it okay to ask what everyone’s secondary gender is?”
“……”
“These days it’s natural like asking blood type, right? Since everyone has it. I do know some people’s because they’re famous.”
“I heard that most appear when you become an adult, but there are cases of manifesting when you’re young.”
“Yes. How old was I? It appeared when I was really young. This was a somewhat special case.”
“Then Yeongwon can participate in the conversation too? Since he’s an adult at least. Not yet?”
“Yeongwon, what’s your secondary gender? Have you manifested?”
Since it was a dating program anyway, it was natural for talk about secondary genders to come up. Through the other person who was observing Yeongwon, attention focused on him.
“I’m an Omega. I manifested as that.”
“Really? Same as me.”
“I thought I felt drawn to you. They say you naturally feel drawn to opposite secondary genders.”
“I felt drawn even though we’re the same secondary gender? Isn’t that irrelevant?”
“It’s not being drawn—it’s just that I can’t help but be interested because you’re cute.”
Though secondary genders might be important to someone, the atmosphere generally flowed to casual conversation. Inner thoughts were unknown unless revealed.
Though there might be no thoughts about it, Jiseo automatically thought it might be important. Of course, he was like that himself.
First, aside from other things, the high rate of romance and marriage between those with opposite tendencies was because they could form families.
Marriage itself didn’t matter what secondary gender. Beta and secondary gender holders didn’t matter either, but they couldn’t have children. Only Omegas and Alphas could.
Jiseo naturally thought they couldn’t have any kind of relationship with Yeongwon. It wasn’t just because all of Yeongwon’s interest was in himself.
Compared to them, Yeongwon was too young.
After hearing about secondary genders, the standard of his wavering heart was set. This time, since there were no people with the age condition he hoped would allow Yeongwon to accumulate natural experience, he hoped he wouldn’t form deep relationships with others here.
He just hoped other people would also think Yeongwon was precious just like him, and that Yeongwon himself would also realize it.
On the other hand, he just hoped they’d baby Yeongwon. Therefore, Jiseo naturally took interest in the secondary genders of those gathered here.
The number of Alphas including himself was four, and Omegas were also divided into four equally. Rather than there being four Omegas, deeper attention was drawn to the point that there were four Alphas.
Of course, Jiwoo’s secondary gender, with whom Yeongwon seemed to be getting particularly close, was also Alpha. As he said, they might have become close through instinctive attraction because their secondary genders were different.
The ratio of Alphas among the gathered people was higher than expected. He hadn’t particularly thought about it until now, but once he faced it, it bothered him. Come to think of it, it seemed they deliberately divided the secondary genders half and half into 4:4.
Even if others had their secondary genders for a long time, Yeongwon was at a time not long after manifesting. So it would inevitably be more stimulating.
Not just the fact of being different secondary genders. For instance, pheromones.
He didn’t know if everyone was excellent at controlling them—it hadn’t bothered him until now, but he didn’t know.
It seemed he definitely had to give Yeongwon a warning to be careful.
***
“It says to perform an external schedule today? Since they gave us time to get close while staying at the dorm for a few days, I guess they’ll have us do outside activities soon.”
“Where did that come from?”
“Someone knocked so I went out, and this was there. It says everyone should gather and look at the screen.”
“Everyone come out!”
At the booming voice calling people to gather, when they gathered in the living room one by one, a screen sharing the schedule flashed.
The card held in Hajin’s hand, who reacted first to the knocking sound, had instructions to spend the day following an already decided schedule.
As if not just blindly following, the screen had four courses written respectively.
“The first is a unique experience with massage experience and a private jjimjilbang. The second is jackpot. It says ski resort.”
“I like the third one? If we choose this, we pack our bags now and all move together to a camping ground?”
“The fourth is also good. The schedule is to play in the water at an indoor swimming pool, then go to a starlight festival in the evening and return to the dorm.”
Since most of them were busy digesting schedules and couldn’t fully take rest, for the past few days they’d comfortably eaten, enjoyed, and fully enjoyed sufficient rest.
Since it was about time to get bored of that, eyes accepting new activities sparkled full of interest.
