Chapter 15: Caught Red-Handed

Cold air touched Sijin’s cheek as he followed Professor Park into the office.

“Assistant Choi is great in every way, but he always forgets to close the window.”

The assistant had apparently opened the window for ventilation and forgotten to close it again. Professor Park clicked his tongue and shut the wide-open window.

“So, have you had a chance to think about my offer?”

Professor Park, having cranked up the heater, sat in the head seat of the sofa and gestured for Sijin to sit as well.

His sparse white hair was combed back, leaving his scalp fully exposed. The pores were tightly shut, reflecting the fluorescent light with a glossy sheen. Sijin turned his head away with an uneasy look, as if he’d seen something he shouldn’t have.

Sijin had been grabbed by Professor Park right after class ended. The professor, who had been eyeing Sijin since before he joined the management consulting firm, didn’t seem ready to give up on him yet. Showing he was busy was useless. Whenever they crossed paths, the professor would strike up a conversation as if Sijin obviously had time to spare for him. It was so unpleasant that Sijin had stopped even glancing at the faculty building, but now the man was using his own lectures to corner him.

“I know full well that student Moon Sijin is passionate about his studies. That’s why I want to offer you this good opportunity first.”

“Oh, yes.”

“You said you’re aiming for an MBA, right? These days, there’s no need to go all the way to America. It’s still well known that students who graduate from undergrad in Korea are especially weak at local networking. You can get your PhD at my research institute, and if you want, I can hook you up with a decent job. My alumni are all over management consulting, and they’ve got positions in finance and funds too, you know. If you build a solid career first, you’ll have an easier time getting investors when you start your own firm later.”

Professor Park leaned back comfortably on the sofa, interlocking his fingers. His demeanor was relaxed to the point of being sloppy. With a combative look that seemed to say, “See if you can resist this bait,” Sijin silently cursed him.

He’d never imagined that telling his first-year professor during their initial meeting that he didn’t plan to rely on his parents to get a job would come back to bite him like this. On top of that, word had spread that he’d made a notable profit dabbling in stock investments for fun, and since then, Professor Park had looked at him every time with the glint of a hunter spotting a tasty prey.

Sijin wasn’t unaware that the current assistant had been in charge of ventilating the professor’s office for years. He’d seen the same thing happening with his own eyes before he even took a leave of absence. And now the professor wanted him to join his research institute? That was just a fancy way of saying he was looking for a servant. The thought suddenly struck him that most professors with this much tenure could easily transition into con artists after retirement.

Even though a life of servitude wouldn’t exist in his future, the saying goes that if you’re going to be a servant, you should serve a noble house. Even if it meant cracking his head open, Sijin didn’t want to live his life wiping Professor Park’s feet.

As if to confirm his thoughts, with the window closed and the air circulation halted, a stale, musty smell of an old man started to fill the professor’s office. Having only heard the professor’s words, Sijin had thought the assistant forgot to close the window, but now he suspected it wasn’t forgetfulness at all—maybe it was left open on purpose. If even the Beta assistant found it unpleasant, there was no way Sijin, an Alpha with a sensitive nose for scents, could tolerate it. The thought that this man’s future could become his own future made his skin crawl even more.

“I’ll gratefully keep your words in mind.”

Saying polite words with a blank face seemed to come off as even more disrespectful. But in Sijin’s life, which already had detailed plans laid out for tomorrow, next month, and next year, Professor Park had not a speck of a place.

Checking the wall clock, Sijin quietly rose from the sofa.

“I have another lecture, so I’ll get going first.”

There were no more lectures today. But having been dragged here against his will and forced to listen to nonsense, he had no patience left. He was just about to tell the professor that it might be better to tear up whatever recommendation letter he might write and stuff it in his head.

Not wanting to see a student be late for class, the professor clicked his tongue with regret and saw Sijin off.

Leaving the office and walking down the hallway, Sijin stopped in front of an open window. A cold wind blew through, as if chasing away the smell that had turned his stomach.

The research building was just a few meters ahead, a secluded corner with a rather closed-off atmosphere. Professors who couldn’t be bothered to go out to the smoking area outside the building must have smoked here, as cigarette butts were scattered sparsely in the flower bed outside the window.

As if possessed, he reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, put it in his mouth, and searched for his lighter. Then, outside the window, he saw a small, familiar head. The soft, fine hair swayed gently with each quick step. Sijin, with the cigarette clenched between his teeth, let out a soft chuckle.

The person, firmly gripping the strap of their backpack, kept their gaze fixed diagonally at the ground and hadn’t noticed Sijin yet. Rolling the cigarette around with his tongue, Sijin took out his phone and called someone. The name ‘Haejun’ appeared on the screen.

Baek Haejun usually answered calls within seconds and replied to messages within an hour at most, but he’d been ignoring Sijin’s contact all weekend. He’d said he was busy with an assignment, so at first Sijin thought nothing of it, but the more he thought about it, the stranger and more unsettling it felt. In the end, he’d even come to a chilling conclusion.

The ringtone went off in Baek Haejun’s hand. Haejun checked the screen to see who was calling and then… instead of answering, he silenced it?

Witnessing his own call being ignored with his very eyes, Sijin’s Adam’s apple trembled slightly. He was instantly dumbfounded, but Baek Haejun started walking again as if nothing had happened.

Sijin hung up and called again. Not expecting the ringtone to sound again, Haejun’s eyebrows shot up, and he looked flustered. Then he silenced it again.

“…What?”

Sijin couldn’t help but let out a laugh now. Meanwhile, Haejun had reached the area near the window where Sijin was standing. He was walking with his eyes fixed on the ground, not looking around at all, so he didn’t seem to notice Sijin standing right beside him.

“Baek Haejun.”

As if he’d been waiting, Sijin suddenly thrust his arm out in front of Haejun. With his voice grabbing him and his arm blocking the way, Haejun’s steps faltered. Startled, Haejun looked up, and his face, upon spotting the familiar figure, was a mix of ninety percent surprise and ten percent delight. Ah, no. It seemed the ninety percent surprise was divided into another feeling too. His clear face flushed red, not just his cheeks but all the way to the tips of his ears. Sijin watched the change from start to finish.

Sijin’s eyes sharpened, and his jaw tilted sideways, giving off a rather menacing vibe. In that state, he gave a slight jerk of his chin, signaling for Haejun to look at the phone in his hand.

“Your phone’s ringing. Aren’t you going to answer it?”

His pronunciation was slightly off since he had a cigarette between his teeth, but it wasn’t hard to understand.

Haejun’s pupils trembled violently, as if an earthquake had struck, then slowly settled. Haejun took a step back as if to retreat, but Sijin grabbed his shoulder firmly. Twisting the backpack strap around his wrist to keep him from moving, he completely cut off any escape route.

Realizing there was nowhere left to run, Haejun, who had been darting his eyes around, gave a look of innocent laughter. His ears were still bright red, and he had a rather cunning side to him.

“Hehe, hyung…”

He seemed to be trying to charm his way out of ignoring the call earlier. Sijin wasn’t fooled, but he felt his cheeks lift against his will. The smile spreading across his face was so gentle that it was harder not to find it endearing.

“You only act cute when it’s in your favor. Who on earth taught you such a nasty trick?”

“Walking and talking on the phone… I might trip. I was going to call later.”

Sijin stretched Haejun’s soft cheek and then conceded. With Haejun, it was entirely possible. Of course, half of it was probably a lie, but he decided not to make a fuss about it.

“But hyung, this is a no-smoking zone…”

Sijin had wondered what he was eyeing him cautiously for, and this was what he said. But maybe because he’d been hearing only old-fashioned titles like ‘Moon Sijin’ and ‘you’ from the old professor until just now, Haejun calling him ‘hyung’ felt refreshingly new. Without even listening to the rest, Sijin demanded again.

“Say it again.”

However, with his gaze looking down from above and his brow still tense, it must have seemed to the pressured Haejun like he was being told to spout nonsense again. Haejun swallowed dryly, hiding his nerves. His round eyes landed on the no-smoking sign attached to the wall, and he gained courage from it.

“It says it’s a no-smoking zone.”

Not what he wanted to hear, and belatedly catching Haejun rolling his eyes as if cautious, Sijin’s gaze twisted even more. It was an ambiguous expression, half-smiling.

“I didn’t light it.”

He took the cigarette from between his teeth and put it back in the pack. His long fingers and large hand covered the entire pack and more. Haejun stared at the Alpha’s hand, then unconsciously licked his lips with his tongue.