Chapter 22: Not Like the Others

He was currently spending time in the student lounge, having been caught by classmates who expressed regret about not being able to have a single drink together after the department’s general welcome party.

Since one of Shin Joowon’s small pleasures was giving a piece of his mind to those who slowly revealed their true colors when they drank, all while maintaining a smiling face, he hadn’t refused the invitation.

“Oh? That post from yesterday is gone.”

Shin Joowon, who was leaning back leisurely in his chair looking at his phone, cast a glance at Lee Yunseop, who was sprawled out on the sofa.

It was because Lee Yunseop had spoken up while swiping through his phone screen with his thumb.

Instead of Shin Joowon, who merely watched Yunseop, Min Gihwan threw out a question.

“What post?”

“The one saying someone saw Joowon.”

Lee Yunseop answered while still staring at his phone, then jokingly asked Shin Joowon if he had already taken care of it.

Shin Joowon merely shrugged with an expressionless face that revealed no emotion.

It was an ambiguous gesture that could be interpreted as either meaning he had indeed handled it or that he had no involvement whatsoever.

“Shin Joowon, are you interested in him by any chance?”

Min Gihwan, who had been sitting at the computer, came over and took a seat right next to Joowon as he asked.

Shin Joowon didn’t even give Gihwan a look, keeping his eyes on his phone.

He didn’t want to check because it was obvious that Gihwan’s eyes would be sparkling with curiosity.

Shin Joowon immediately knew who the “him” Gihwan referred to was, but he pretended not to know.

“Who?”

“Jin Yooha.”

The student lounge was relatively quiet, but it wasn’t completely empty.

Even though there were several hoobaes gathered and he needed to watch his words, Min Gihwan didn’t care at all and directly mentioned the name of the person who wasn’t there.

Yesterday, when the sighting post appeared on the community, Shin Joowon had spent a somewhat annoying and tiring day.

It was because he and Jin Yooha had been lumped together and consumed as gossip for Class 1.

The hoobaes currently in the lounge must have heard the name, as they were now casting glances toward him and Min Gihwan.

When he subtly turned his head, the way they hurriedly looked away as if they weren’t watching was incredibly contemptible.

“Jin Yooha? Ah, the guy who ate lunch with Joowon? But I don’t think I’ve ever seen him.”

“He was with Joowon during the after-party for the welcome party. Ah, that’s right. You didn’t come to the welcome party.”

When Shin Joowon remained silent, Lee Yunseop opened the conversation with a question instead.

Lee Yunseop had a shallow personality; he loved taking the lead in spreading department gossip and talking about news he picked up from other classes.

Because of that, he had a wide social circle, but he seemingly hadn’t known who Jin Yooha was until this incident.

“Ah! That guy who supposedly passed out as soon as the after-party started? That was him?”

Lee Yunseop, who even clapped loudly, looked at Shin Joowon with a suggestive gaze.

Because he occasionally brought useful news, Joowon was still tolerating him for now, but Lee Yunseop often acted without tact like he was doing today.

Shin Joowon swept his hair back, skillfully smoothing his expression, and asked Min Gihwan while still keeping his gaze on his phone.

“Why, if I am interested?”

“No, well… I just feel like it’s the first time I’ve seen someone you’re interested in. You even sat together. You told me you had plans and to eat lunch on my own, but I didn’t know you were eating with him.”

Somehow, the voice that seemed full of laughter grated on Shin Joowon’s nerves.

When he turned toward Min Gihwan with a cold gaze, Gihwan smirked and lowered his voice so only Joowon could hear.

“…Is he an Omega, by any chance?”

I wish I could just slap him across the face.

Min Gihwan’s expression and voice were so filled with vileness that Joowon felt a violent impulse.

Shin Joowon put his hand in his pocket, fiddling with his lighter as he answered.

“I wouldn’t know.”

“Didn’t you feel anything?”

“No.”

As he clearly felt the intent behind Min Gihwan’s prying questions, Shin Joowon’s brow twitched.

As a Recessive Alpha whose pheromone sensitivity was inferior to that of a Dominant Alpha, Min Gihwan viewed his own traits as a complex; because of that, he had a tendency to obsess over Omegas and tell exaggerated stories about his experiences.

Shin Joowon neither liked nor had any interest in Omegas, but Min Gihwan constantly tried to bring up the commonality of being Alphas to discuss Omegas with him.

Naturally, Shin Joowon had no desire to engage in such low-quality conversation.

“The others say they’re finishing up and coming down now?”

As Shin Joowon stood up and approached the door, Lee Yunseop hurriedly sat up and asked.

Shin Joowon roughly shook the pack of cigarettes in his hand and immediately walked out of the student lounge.

As he strode down the hallway toward the smoking area, he saw a familiar back among the crowd pouring out of the elevator.

It was Jin Yooha.

Perhaps because of his dejectedly slumped shoulders, his frame looked even smaller today.

Shin Joowon quickly shoved his cigarettes and lighter into his pocket and followed Yooha’s back with his eyes.

If he crept up and tapped him on the back, he’d probably widen his eyes in surprise.

He felt that seeing that comical face would help clear the foul mood Min Gihwan had put him in.

“Where are you going?”

“To have a smoke.”

Shin Joowon gave a brief answer to the classmates he happened to run into in the hallway, then hurried his pace so as not to lose Yooha.

While everyone was leaving through the first-floor exit in small groups, Jin Yooha had stepped aside for a moment and was rummaging through his bag.

‘I thought he only took Wednesday classes alone, but is he taking today’s alone as well…?’

Until the second year, there were many required major courses, so there shouldn’t be much reason to walk around alone, yet Jin Yooha seemed to be alone every time he saw him.

Come to think of it, there was a mention of him being an “assa” in the comments of that sighting post.

Exactly what kind of school life had he led to be branded as a loner? It wasn’t easy to understand.

There are people who choose to be outsiders and walk alone, but in the Business Department, such people were a tiny minority.

After all, networking is essential if one wants to get the “genealogy” of past exams passed down through generations or snag a good internship.

To begin with, it was a department that naturally attracted more extroverted and active people than introverted ones.

‘Well, it has nothing to do with me. Whether Jin Yooha has friends or not.’

Shin Joowon brushed off the thought and lightly acknowledged the greetings of those who recognized him.

He followed a short distance behind Yooha, who had finally exited the door, but Joowon had to stop again shortly after.

It was because Yooha had stopped once more to connect his earphones to his phone.

Clicking his tongue in frustration, Shin Joowon stealthily approached Yooha from behind.

He didn’t want to put any more effort into a simple prank.

He just wanted to refresh his mood with a moment of amusement and then head back to the Business School building.

This time, looking over at Yooha, who was standing still while putting his earphones in his ears, Shin Joowon grinned and tapped him on the back.

“Ah…….”

A low groan was heard first, followed by a face that clearly showed surprise and bewilderment.

When the expected situation was perfectly reproduced, his foul mood vanished without a trace.

“Are you going home?”

“Yes… Hello, Sunbae-nim….”

“Joowon-hyung.”

“Ah, hello, Joowon-hyung….”

Yooha, who hurriedly pulled the earphones out and stuffed them into his pocket, repeated the title Shin Joowon had taught him.

Hearing the voice that clearly conveyed the embarrassment lingering in his wide eyes, Shin Joowon couldn’t hold back a leak of laughter.

Perhaps due to the satisfaction of a successful prank, the cigarette he had craved just moments ago now seemed useless.

Shin Joowon scanned Yooha, who was standing facing him, and then asked.

“No work today?”

“Yes…. Fridays are days I don’t work.”

Jin Yooha originally lacked confidence in his voice, but for some reason, he seemed even more listless than usual today.

The way he anxiously toyed with his phone made him look like someone who clearly had something on his mind.

Shin Joowon looked down at Yooha’s calm hair and thought.

‘There is… a reason for him to be this despondent.’

“Why are you so low on energy? Did something happen?”

Pretending to know nothing, Shin Joowon asked with a voice full of concern.

No matter how much of an outsider one claimed to be, there was no way he could be unaware that his story had been posted on the school community.

Even Joowon himself had heard the whispering and felt the gazes that gathered and dispersed like a swarm of ants; Jin Yooha’s experience must have been even more intense, not less.

Given that there were even comments that clearly looked down on Jin Yooha, it was only natural that he would be bothered.

“…Did you happen to see the post on Korea University Town, Hyung?”

Yooha, who had struggled to start the conversation while anxiously checking his surroundings, spoke cautiously.

As expected, it was the subject Joowon had anticipated.

“Ah, the one posted as a sighting of me?”

“Yes….”

The people who had approached him with an ulterior motive were all shamelessly identical, but Jin Yooha seemed to have a personality that was very conscious of others and prone to worry.

Since Shin Joowon was used to being the center of attention and public interest, he wasn’t one to be swayed by such a minor incident. He had already experienced it many times during middle and high school.

Rather, it was better to just ignore such things.

Even if he were to step forward and make a fuss, it would only stay on people’s lips for longer.

Since the post had already been taken down, there was no reason to care about something that would be buried on its own if left alone.

So, Shin Joowon truly didn’t care.

“You must have been… bothered by it because of me….”

Until Jin Yooha brought up something he hadn’t expected.

“I feel like I keep making things difficult for you, Hyung…….”

‘What is with this guy?’

Shin Joowon could not understand Jin Yooha, who kept defying his expectations and whose face darkened as if he were truly sorry to him.