The expression of Taeseo, who had been tapping the beverage can with her fingertips, became serious.
“It’s awkward to say this after arranging the blind date, but if you don’t want to meet oppa, I’ll refuse on your behalf.”
At the unexpected words, Hyowoo stared at Taeseo quietly. Though she appeared cynical and self-centered on the outside, Hyowoo knew well that she was actually a deep person inside.
The fact that she, who had been cheering him on to do well, brought up such words meant that he was as precious to Taeseo as her cousin oppa.
‘She must have agonized a lot too…’
He was grateful for his friend’s sincerity, but he couldn’t answer easily. Only after slowly organizing his thoughts for a while did Hyowoo carefully open his mouth.
“To be honest, I think Player Lee Seohee and I don’t suit each other.”
“What do you mean?”
“How could that person and I possibly match?”
“What’s wrong with you?”
“Even if there’s a difference… it’s too much. In every aspect.”
When he answered matter-of-factly yet bitterly as if resigned, Taeseo slightly frowned as if she didn’t understand.
“What difference? Age? Or conditions? You’re not lacking in that either.”
As Taeseo said, Hyowoo’s conditions were very good. He was currently attending a prestigious university, and his family members were all elites too. His father was an internal medicine specialist, his mother was from a prestigious art university professorship. Even his noona and younger sibling had all graduated from prestigious universities.
These were conditions anyone would envy. However, that was only by ‘general’ standards. Compared to Lee Seohee who was a chaebol family member, Hyowoo’s specs couldn’t even present a business card.
Even setting aside family background, he was a person lacking nothing in appearance or ability. Even if you grabbed any random person on the street and asked, they’d advise not to even look at a tree you can’t climb.
‘But these words won’t work on Taeseo either…’
Though reality was like this, it was obvious she would never accept it. Just as he was worrying about how to explain, Taeseo opened her mouth first.
“Yeah, that’s right. There are many people with good conditions around us. Oppa also had arranged meetings a few times with chaebol daughters from prestigious families.”
Since he was of age, it wasn’t so surprising that he’d had arranged meetings. However, the moment that word ‘arranged meeting’ pierced his ears, his heart ached.
Without noticing Hyowoo’s darkened expression, Taeseo continued speaking.
“I really don’t like marriages done by matching conditions like that. It’s not like breeding pedigree dogs—it’s like matchmaking while pounding on a calculator putting bloodlines first. Prestigious families, chaebol families. Only the titles are flashy. Among children of such families, there are really many humans who only know how to look down on people and brag about money.”
Her family. In other words, Lee Seohee’s family was a chaebol prestigious family called Korea’s top royal family. To compare finding a marriage partner for the eldest grandson and heir of such a family to breeding pedigree dogs. Hyowoo’s eyes widened at the radical expression.
“So I want you and oppa to work out. You suit oppa much better than those scum humans who consider money and family as power. Because you’re kind and thoughtful.”
When Taeseo, who had been pouring out harsh words, suddenly showed her sincerity, Hyowoo was considerably flustered for a moment.
“But that’s just my greed. I know you’re anti-romance and anti-marriage, and that you dislike Alphas too. You don’t need to force yourself to meet oppa because of me.”
At his friend’s words, Hyowoo couldn’t give any answer.
‘That I dislike Alphas… Right, everyone must think so…’
However, the truth was a little different.
To Hyowoo, Alphas weren’t simply disliked opponents.
They were fear itself. Beings that revived the pain and wounds of a terrible past.
And he was so afraid of falling in love again with such objects of fear.
‘Never again… I don’t want to experience that hell again…’
***
On the third Friday night of March, Hyowoo soaked his body in the bathtub instead of showering for the first time in a while.
Normally he would have finished simply with a shower in about 20 minutes, saying he’d save bathing time. Today he leisurely spent over an hour in the bathtub.
Perhaps because he’d soaked his body too long, when he returned to his room, all the energy had drained from his entire body.
Hyowoo also laid his languid body next to Saewoo who was sprawled on the bed. Lying limply like a puppet with loosened strings, he stared quietly at the white ceiling.
Normally his head would have been full of all sorts of stray thoughts, but right now Hyowoo’s expression was only peaceful.
‘I don’t know how long it’s been since I felt this comfort.’
Finally the awaited first exam results came out. He passed at the top.
He conveyed the news to his family first. Family members who were happier than himself. Especially seeing his mother who even shed tears saying it turned out well, he felt guilt along with joy.
His parents had been anxious because of Hyowoo for years after that incident. With this, he could at least lighten one burden on their hearts.
He stretched out his hand to pick up the mobile phone placed on the floor and opened the search window. Though he only input ‘ㅇ’, Lee Seohee’s name automatically came up.
‘How often must I have searched…’
Until now, he’d never paid this much attention to anyone other than family or friends. He, who had been like that, never imagined he’d come to care so much about a person called Lee Seohee.
‘This would be different from the feeling of admiring a celebrity, right?’
Suddenly he recalled what Taeseo had said a few weeks ago.
‘If you don’t want to meet oppa, I’ll refuse on your behalf.’
A male Omega with no choice other than Alphas. And an Omega who feared that one and only choice.
That was exactly Hyowoo.
After that day, Alphas became objects of fear and beings that absolutely couldn’t be trusted.
Whether mental communion or physical relationship. He’d thought he wouldn’t form any intimacy with Alphas. So romance and marriage were impossible from the start.
Last winter’s blind date was also a situation he went to unavoidably because he couldn’t refuse his best friend’s request.
‘I was going to just see his face and never meet again…’
Though he’d clearly made up his mind that way, Hyowoo was still keeping in contact with him.
‘Because he’s Taeseo’s cousin oppa, so it’s awkward to refuse?’
The reason that came to mind first. But that wasn’t it.
Hyowoo wasn’t so wishy-washy as to forcibly meet someone he disliked for fear of worsening his relationship with a friend. Taeseo also wasn’t the personality to get angry and break off friendship because a request was refused.
A person who wasn’t scary even though he was an Alpha, and who didn’t feel repulsive. A handsome and even kind man.
Before he knew it, Hyowoo was attracted to him.
‘He really is an absurdly perfect and good person, but…’
He judged it was about time to settle his relationship with him.
Family background and social perception. Just looking at these two things alone, the two couldn’t suit each other.
‘People’s gazes are one thing, but… for someone like me to dare…’
Unconsciously, without realizing it, his hand went toward his lower abdomen.
‘This relationship will only make us both unhappy in the end…’
He should stop meeting before getting closer.
He should say it when he contacts him next time.
He really should end it today.
This time for sure…
He’d resolved countless times like that, but when he actually heard his voice, his determination always fizzled away.
‘Could I possibly be a materialist…?’
It’s burdensome. There’s no way such an amazing person would sincerely like me. Alphas shouldn’t be trusted. I shouldn’t meet such a good person with this unhealthy body.
He resolved to cut off his relationship with him several times a day, but he couldn’t actually execute it.
‘I’m pretending not to, but honestly speaking, maybe I don’t want to let go of a third-generation handsome chaebol and Dominant Alpha at the level of winning the lottery first prize…’
He reproached himself, saying he’d gotten greedy because the other party was who he was.
‘Pull yourself together, Ji Hyowoo. He’s someone who can’t be your fate anyway. And you have to live alone. That way everyone will be comfortable…’
Was it because he drove himself too hard? Suddenly his mouth became parched.
He glanced at the time. 10:54 PM. It was almost time for a message to come from him.
Before that, he felt he needed to resolve this severe thirst first. Hyowoo got up his tired body and headed to the kitchen.
When he took out a bottle of carbonated water from the refrigerator instead of water and returned to his room, Saewoo who had been sprawled on the bed just moments ago was sitting up.
His two plump front paws that looked like they were wearing white socks were gently placed on top of the mobile phone.
“Saewoo-ya, what are you doing?”
With his large amber eyes opened even more roundly, Saewoo stared at the brightened screen.
Had he already sent a message? It was the moment he took a step thinking he should check quickly. Some voice flowed out from the mobile phone.
—Oh my, is that so.
“Nyaa~”
As if responding to that, Saewoo meowed with sparkling eyes.
“Myang, myaang~”
—Yes, yes, it must have been hard.
An attractive low-pitched voice, that uniquely kind tone that once heard could never be forgotten.
Shocked, Hyowoo hastily pulled out the mobile phone from under Saewoo’s paws.
