Chapter 115: An Unfinished Mark

It wasn’t clear whether the tattoo was really meant to cover an old scar, since the shape wasn’t defined.

It was just a black ink-like stain, almost like scribbled doodles.

And the upper part of his forearm was hidden beneath his sleeve, so it wasn’t visible.

Still, it wasn’t common for a college professor to have a tattoo.

Although, technically, Hwang Dokyung was closer to a part-time instructor than a professor.

Either way, seeing the faint tattoo gave Hyunwoo a strange sense of discomfort.

But he couldn’t show that in front of Dokyung, so he forced an awkward smile.

“You’re not planning to finish it?”

“Well, I don’t know.

I haven’t felt inspired yet.”

“Ah….”

Needing “inspiration” to complete a tattoo—
that was an extremely artistic way of thinking.

Hyunwoo simply couldn’t understand that mindset, so he only nodded weakly.

“I hope you finish it someday.”

“Thank you.”

“…….”

Dokyung smiled brightly.

Hyunwoo had meant his words half-sarcastically,
but seeing him smile so gratefully felt unsettling.

“I think I might be able to finish it soon.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

So that was why he looked so pleased—
because he thought he’d complete the tattoo soon.

Hyunwoo rolled his eyes inwardly.

Honestly, whether Dokyung tattooed his arm or his whole body had nothing to do with Hyunwoo.

The only point of concern was that he taught Hyunjin at university…
but Hyunjin would graduate soon, and a tattoo didn’t make someone a bad person.

Hyunwoo convinced himself of that and turned his head.

The café was still crowded with customers.

“There are a lot of people today.”

“Tell me about it.

I was going to just grab my coffee and leave, but….”

“……?”

Leave?

Before Hyunwoo could ask, Dokyung smoothed over the end of his sentence with a smile.

And without him noticing, Dokyung had taken a seat across from him.

“The dessert is pretty good here.

Even though it’s chocolate-based, it’s not overly sweet.”

“Ah… I see.”

The table in front of Hyunwoo was overflowing with desserts Hyunjin had left earlier.

He didn’t enjoy sweets, so he’d been wondering what to do with them.

Actually… this might be a good opportunity.

Hyunwoo picked up the extra fork he had grabbed and handed it to Dokyung.

“Would you like some before you go?”

He had originally taken two forks thinking he might share with Hyunjin once things got less busy—
but today the café was packed, leaving Hyunjin no chance to sit down.

Seeing the fork, Dokyung’s eyes widened.

“Thank you.

I’ll enjoy it.”

“It’s nothing.

I didn’t buy it anyway.”

“I guess Hyunjin brought these.”

Nodding knowingly, Dokyung lifted the fork and began eating the untouched desserts.

Hyunwoo had offered simply because he couldn’t finish them—
but anyone watching might think they were friendly enough to meet on weekends and share dessert like this.

Even today, it was just coincidence they met.

He and Dokyung hadn’t even exchanged personal contact information.

If Seunghyuk knew about this, what would he say?

Probably nag nonstop—just like on Hyunjin’s birthday.

“…….”

No.
Why was he even thinking about that guy?

He hadn’t seen him at all lately.

Don’t think about him.
Just don’t.

Hyunwoo frowned and shook his head hard.

“Did something bad happen?”

“Ah… no, not at all.”

“If you want, I can listen.”

“…….”

Why would he?

It wasn’t as if Hyunwoo’s social circle was so tiny that he’d confide in Dokyung of all people.

Well… it was small… but that wasn’t the point.

“I’m fine.

I’m just stressed about work.”

“Ah, I see.

You must be busy these days.”

“A bit.”

Using work as an excuse seemed enough to pass off his expression.
Dokyung didn’t question it further.

“I know someone who also runs a business.

He’s been tense lately too.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes.

Honestly, he seems to have a lot of other problems besides work.”

“……?”

There was something odd in the way he said that.

He had called him an acquaintance,
but it sounded more like a close friend—
someone he knew privately and deeply.

Hyunwoo remembered—
on Hyunjin’s birthday, Dokyung had said he came to the hotel to meet a friend.

Was it that same person?

Feeling intuition spark, Hyunwoo asked:

“That friend you met at the hotel that day?”

“Ah… yes.

You’re sharp.”

“Haha, not really.”

Come to think of it, Cha Kwon-oh had been at that hotel too.

Unpleasant memories made Hyunwoo frown slightly.

He had run into Cha Kwon-oh in the restroom while drunk.

At the time, he hadn’t thought much of it—
it made sense that people close to the main cast would show up for Hyunjin’s birthday.

But once he realized Hyunjin and Seunghyuk’s relationship wasn’t following the original plot,
that gathering felt… strange.

Dokyung being there was fine—
he and Hyunjin got along.

But Cha Kwon-oh…
Why had he been there?

And as for Seunghyuk, Hyunwoo had dragged him there himself.
But Cha Kwon-oh?
Someone he didn’t even know?

It was suspicious.

“My friend tends to overthink everything.

His secondary gender makes it worse too.

But I’m not really like that.”

“…….”

“Most things in life are actually simple.”

His words made sense, yet felt vague.

Hyunwoo unknowingly frowned.

Seeing that, Dokyung smiled even deeper.

“Hyung!”

“……!”

Just as Hyunwoo narrowed his eyes, trying to read his meaning,
Hyunjin’s voice rang out behind him.

Hyunwoo flinched and turned around.

“You were… with Professor Hwang?”

“Ah… uh, the dessert was too much for me to finish alone.”

“You should’ve waited for me.”

“You were really busy.”

“…….”

Hyunjin had no reply.

But his face clearly showed displeasure.

Ah—he’d messed up again.

Hyunjin probably liked Dokyung,
and Hyunwoo had just shown them sharing dessert together.

Of course he’d look unhappy.

Hyunwoo realized his mistake too late and sighed inwardly.

“If you’re not busy now, take a break.

Want some cake?”

“…….”

Hyunwoo quickly handed him the fork he had been using.
He hadn’t eaten much anyway.

But as soon as Hyunjin took it, his face turned bright red.

Hyunwoo blinked in confusion.

“What’s wrong?

Aren’t you eating?”

“No, I’ll eat.”

Shaking his head quickly, Hyunjin stabbed the cake with the fork—
his face red like an apple.

Did he have a fever?
Hyunwoo wondered genuinely.

“I’ll get going now.”

“Ah.”

Unexpectedly, Dokyung stood up early.

Hyunwoo thought he’d stay longer since Hyunjin had just arrived.

“Goodbye, professor.”

“……?”

Even Hyunjin, whom Hyunwoo expected to try to keep him there,
simply smiled innocently.

Maybe he didn’t want to show his feelings in front of other people.

Hyunwoo tilted his head and looked toward Dokyung.

“Get home safely.”

“Yes.

I’ll see you again.”

“Haha….”

He hoped not.

But he couldn’t say that and only watched Dokyung leave the café.

“Hyung… do you like the professor?”

“What?”

“He’s a beta, you know….”

“…….”

Hyunjin murmured quietly,
and Hyunwoo felt his mind go blank.

So Hyunjin was suspicious of him—
just like when he was nervous about Hyunwoo and Seunghyuk getting close.

Why did he always make Hyunjin worry like this?

Feeling guilty, Hyunwoo shook his head immediately.

“No.

Of course not.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.

He’s your professor—I was just trying to be polite.

And with all these desserts here, I couldn’t just tell him to leave.”

“Hm… that’s true.”

Hyunjin finally smiled, satisfied.

Hyunwoo let out a quiet sigh of relief.

“Hyung, want to watch a movie after my shift?”

“A movie?”

“Yeah.

A coworker gave me free tickets….”

“…….”

Hyunjin chattered excitedly, his face glowing.

Hyunwoo watched him with a fond expression.

After everything he’d been worrying about,
this finally felt like healing.

If only the whole weekend could stay this peaceful.

“Oh, right.

Your birthday is soon.”

“Huh?”

“You don’t have plans that day, right?

Right?”

“Uh….”

The word birthday snapped Hyunwoo back to reality.

He hadn’t noticed,
but it really was almost his birthday.

The original Joo Hyunwoo’s birthday was the same as his own—
so it wasn’t easy to forget.

But he’d never cared much about birthdays before possession,
so he had forgotten until Hyunjin mentioned it.

“What—
did you forget again?”

“Haha… time really flies.”

“You’re spending it with me again, right?

Right?”

“Mm….”

He had always spent his birthday with family.

Before possession, his parents had been busy, so he spent it with his sibling—
just like now.

But someone else’s face flickered in his mind.

Hyunwoo shook his head hard, trying to erase that lingering image.