Chapter 28: Mine to Torment

As his mind, which had been boiling with heat, began to cool down, what crowded into its place was the question of why on earth Jin Yooha had suddenly shown such a sudden change in attitude.

If he wasn’t on the morning shift, he would have had time to eat, so why did he go as far as lying to reject the offer?

It might be different if none of their classes overlapped, but they had to face each other at least once a week, so why did he tell a lie that would be exposed so quickly?

Did he think he had used him all he wanted just because he got one proper meal out of him?

“…f*ck.”

Shin Joowon, gripping the steering wheel with intense force, closed his eyes deeply and opened them.

The game had just started to get interesting, and the rage toward Jin Yooha, who had dragged his mood down into the gutter in an instant, surged through his entire body once more.

“…That won’t do.”

You shouldn’t think I’ll just let you go quietly now that you’re trying to back out.

He couldn’t let Jin Yooha slip out of his grasp like this.

While Yooha might describe himself as someone who knew how to repay a favor, Shin Joowon was actually a person who repaid what he received with a far more vicious revenge.

He had absolutely no intention of letting Jin Yooha go easily.

No matter what, he had to keep Jin Yooha bound to him.

Since he already knew Yooha’s schedule for tomorrow, he wouldn’t be able to lie.

Letting out a light, mocking laugh, Shin Joowon picked up his phone and slowly began to type a message.

[Yooha, let’s make sure to have lunch together tomorrow. ^^]

If nothing else, you have to pay the price for making a fool out of me, Yooha.

Having sent the message, Shin Joowon let out a sarcastic laugh and tossed his phone onto the passenger seat.

It wasn’t as if he hadn’t experienced this kind of thing once or twice, but today, his mood felt unusually foul and unpleasant.

Soon letting out a short sigh, Shin Joowon drove out of the campus, looking forward to an exciting tomorrow.

However, the anger that had already crossed his threshold did not easily subside.

****

Yooha sighed repeatedly as he climbed the hill toward the Business School.

Looking back, on Wednesdays, when he absolutely had to run into Shin Joowon, there didn’t seem to be a single day when his mind was at ease.

‘Yooha-ssi, someone came looking for you in the morning yesterday. Did they get in touch with you?’

‘…Me? There’s no one who would come looking for me….’

‘At first, I wondered if he was some weird person, but it turned out to be him. Shin Joowon. He’s in the same department as you, right?’

The conversation he had with the librarian yesterday kept catching in his chest, making it hard to even breathe.

After finding out that his lie had been exposed so quickly, his mind was so uncomfortable that it was difficult to swallow even a single sip of water.

He really hadn’t expected Shin Joowon to go all the way to the library.

There was no reason for him to come see him, he hadn’t said he would, and the phone call had ended smoothly.

Even so, the fact that he had casually made up an excuse because of the obsession that he shouldn’t be around Shin Joowon was an undeniable mistake.

Before he could even think of a way to decline gracefully, his voice had blurted out, so of course a clumsy lie had popped out.

He couldn’t tell you how much of a sweat he had broken out in after hanging up the phone, trying to soothe his pounding heart.

‘He said he came because he had something to hand over to you.’

Setting aside the dizzying memory for a moment, Yooha recalled the librarian’s words instead.

What on earth was he trying to hand over?

No matter how much he thought about it, no proper answer came to mind.

Hoping he might find even a small clue, Yooha took out his phone and entered the chatroom with Shin Joowon.

[Shin Joowon: Yooha, let’s make sure to have lunch together tomorrow. ^^]

The moment he saw that message, his fingers froze.

To think he could send such a sweet message even after knowing that Yooha had lied to him.

Just how generous of a person was Shin Joowon?

No matter how many times he thought about it, he could only reach the conclusion that Joowon, unlike himself, was a shining and wonderful person.

[Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow.]

Staring at the reply he had sent with trembling hands about ten minutes after the message had arrived, a long sigh escaped him.

What did Shin Joowon think when he saw this message?

He must have thought Yooha was incredibly brazen.

For a moment, he felt faint and stopped walking, but clutching his fists tightly, Yooha steadied his mind.

He decided to think of it as a good thing.

If Shin Joowon was disappointed in him, he would no longer show him kindness.

It would be fine to naturally drift apart like this.

No, there was no drifting apart to begin with.

Because he had never been close or friendly with Shin Joowon.

To beautify it as such a relationship was merely arrogance.

“…….”

He didn’t know why a corner of his chest ached as if pierced, but holding back the pain, Yooha resolutely walked toward the Business School building in front of him.

After stopping by the locker room to get his books, he found his classroom and entered.

As always, taking a seat on the left side, Yooha pulled out a tangled pair of earphones from his bag.

He didn’t usually listen to music, and the earphones had been broken long ago so no sound came out, but they were an item he frequently used whenever he felt the need to cut himself off from the outside world.

So as not to look strange in the eyes of others, Yooha plugged the earphones connected to his phone into his ears and opened his book.

He buried his head deeply to read words that didn’t even enter his mind.

In his heart, he was weighing the hope that Shin Joowon would pass by without recognizing him, and the hope that even if he did recognize him, he would ignore him.

Even though he had already read a whole page, he couldn’t bring himself to turn it, when someone lightly tapped the corner of his desk.

Startled, Yooha reflexively snapped his head up and hurriedly stuffed the earphones he had pulled from his ears into his hand.

“Ah… hello….”

The heart that had plunged down for a moment began to throb.

In front of him was Min Gihwan, wearing a smile with one corner of his lip raised higher, looking almost like a sneer.

“Looks like Joowon hasn’t arrived yet.”

Min Gihwan, scanning the inside of the room, muttered to himself.

The relief that it wasn’t Shin Joowon lasted only a moment; the moment he heard that name, an intense tension washed over him, making his entire body stiffen.

Min Gihwan took a seat next to Yooha without much hesitation.

Trying to act as if nothing were wrong, Yooha lowered his gaze back to his book, but there was no way he could be unaware that Min Gihwan’s gaze was pointedly directed at him.

Min Gihwan, who hadn’t even taken off his bag, sat there in silence for a moment, just scanning Yooha.

“There’s something I’m curious about.”

Min Gihwan, turning his body completely toward Yooha, spoke.

Slowly turning his head, Yooha made eye contact with Min Gihwan, who wore a sly smile with his head tilted.

Min Gihwan scanned the surroundings once more and then pressed his body close to Yooha.

Yooha, feeling goosebumps run down his spine, involuntarily shrank back.

“Are you, by any chance…….”

“Gihwan.”

Min Gihwan, who was leaning in close as if about to whisper, stopped his movements.

It was because of the voice calling his name.

Yooha and Min Gihwan turned their heads toward the source of the sound at the same time.

At the end of their gazes was Shin Joowon, smiling brightly as usual.

“What are you doing?”

“Huh? Ah, I just had something to ask him.”

Min Gihwan, gauging Shin Joowon’s mood, widened the distance between himself and Yooha.

Only then did Yooha slowly exhale the breath he had involuntarily held, but the moment he made eye contact with Shin Joowon, he forgot how to breathe and had to freeze again.

“Can’t I listen too? Is it some kind of secret?”

Shin Joowon, his eyes sparkling with curiosity, approached the front of Yooha’s desk.

However, he only kept his gaze on Min Gihwan, never turning his eyes toward Yooha.

Min Gihwan looked at Shin Joowon and Yooha in turn, then shrugged and shook his head.

“No, well… it’s nothing major. Shall we sit over there?”

“Sure.”

Min Gihwan, who stood up shortly after, pointed toward the right section with his finger.

Shin Joowon, who readily agreed, looked as if he was going straight there, but then turned his gaze to look at Yooha.

The moment that bright face, still wearing a smile, and those sweet eyes landed on him, Yooha couldn’t bring himself to meet his gaze and deeply bowed his head.

As Shin Joowon walked away without saying any particular words, Yooha only then lifted his head to carefully take in his retreating figure.

Seeing his straight, upright posture and confident stride as always, Yooha felt himself shrinking even smaller.

Lest Shin Joowon look back at him, Yooha quickly lowered his gaze and focused on the words in his book.

Taking his seat, Shin Joowon scanned Yooha with a cold gaze for a moment.

Ah, my mood is f*cking terrible.

Shin Joowon couldn’t focus throughout the lecture, staring only at the back of Yooha’s head.

He couldn’t take his eyes off those shoulders that looked exceptionally slumped today, and that listless back.

‘I guess he realized I caught him in his lie?’

Yet, seeing him look so dispirited as if he were the victim, without a single word of apology, made Joowon so dumbfounded he was utterly speechless.

He had intended to ask Yooha what happened yesterday with a peaceful expression while hiding his true thoughts, but his plan was ruined because of the bastard who didn’t have a single shred of tact.

The sight he saw the moment he entered the classroom was Jin Yooha and Min Gihwan stuck together.

At the memory, Shin Joowon had even clenched his fists to suppress his wildly racing pheromones and emotions.

There was no need to check what Min Gihwan had wanted to ask.

He surely wanted to know if Jin Yooha was an Omega.

After asking Joowon and not getting any proper answer, the next thing Min Gihwan could do was find out for himself.

Would anything change if he confirmed it?

Min Gihwan, who was a Recessive Alpha, would probably never be able to sense the pheromones of Jin Yooha, who was a Recessive Omega, for the rest of his life.

Yet, seeing him act up in front of his eyes was simply laughable.

Shin Joowon swallowed a sneer.

“…….”

What followed that mock was a possessiveness that was like an Alpha’s instinct.

Shin Joowon possessed a twisted obsession that, when it came to the person he had targeted, if anyone was going to torment him, only he should do it.

The pleasure of watching Jin Yooha tremble in fear was something only he should know.

He had absolutely no intention of sharing that with anyone else.