“Jung Sangcheol, why are you such a rude little shit?”

“Sunbaenim, can you stop being so jealous of your juniors? It’s not like throwing a tantrum is gonna raise your grade.”

Sangcheol shook his head with a pitying expression—

And that’s when Jo sunbae finally snapped.

“You little bastard!”

Jo sunbae threw a punch at Jung Sangcheol’s face.

And Sangcheol didn’t back down—he punched right back.

The two of them tangled together, fists flying, sending a folding table crashing to the floor. Food spilled everywhere. It turned into a complete disaster.

I stood up, thinking I should stop them, but Kang Inho put a hand on my shoulder to hold me back.

“Don’t bother.”

“But...”

“Yeah, Yeonsu, just ignore it. They’re drunk and ran their mouths. Let them fight it out.”

Jihee noona, who had come over at some point, said coolly and guided me to her table.

Sitting there were a junior girl from the Changwi Guild and Kim Jun.

There were a lot of students in uniform at this table.

It looked like the first-years had gathered here.

While most of the older students had changed into casual clothes after class, the freshmen were still in uniform.

“Hello, sunbaenim!”

“So Eun, it’s been a while.”

“You remember my name?”

“Of course. We even had a meal together, didn’t we?”

Back in first semester, I’d bought her lunch to ask about Kim Jun’s schedule.

“Wow. I didn’t expect you to remember!”

“Of course I remember.”

As I chatted with So Eun, the first-year girl sitting next to her bowed her head.

“Hello, Yeonsu sunbaenim. I’m Choi Daeun.”

“Nice to meet you, Daeun.”

“Sunbaenim! Hello! My name is—!”

Starting with Choi Daeun, the juniors sitting around the nearby tables began introducing themselves one by one.

The mood felt like I’d come in as some upperclassman checking discipline, which made me a bit embarrassed, but Jihee noona was all smiles.

“Look at them, eyes sparkling just because you showed up.”

“They’re just being polite. I didn’t ruin the mood or anything, did I?”

By the time we’d finished with the introductions, the fight had been broken up.

The Student Council President had dragged both Jung Sangcheol and Jo sunbae out of the hall, and the collapsed table had been put back up.

Still, the atmosphere had sunk.

I felt guilty, like maybe it was my fault.

“That’s not true! We’re happy you came, sunbaenim!”

So Eun tried to cheer me up.

Just like when we’d eaten together before—she was a bright, kind person.

“Thanks for saying that. But... what’s up with Jun?”

Kim Jun had his head down on the table, fast asleep.

“He had two drinks and passed out. He can’t hold his liquor at all—I don’t know why he drank like that. Hey, Kim Jun! Wake up. Yeonsu sunbaenim’s here, say hi!”

So Eun shook his shoulder, but he didn’t budge.

“It’s okay. Let him sleep. Looks like he’s really drunk.”

“Okay.”

“Yeonsu, don’t let anything that jerk Jo Jinhan said get to you. He’s always been a piece of shit.”

Jihee noona poured me a cup of orange juice as she said this, and both So Eun and Choi Daeun chimed in.

“She’s right. That sunbae always starts fights with people above his grade and looks down on people below. He was a nightmare at the Student General Meeting too.”

“Seriously. No manners at all. And Joo Seunghyuk sunbae is amazing, you know.”

I guess they’d overheard Jo sunbae’s little outburst about Seunghyuk too.

Even though the tables weren’t that close.

Yeah, Jo Jinhan had definitely made sure to speak loud enough for everyone to hear...

“Right?! Seunghyuk sunbaenim is so handsome and his personality is—um, and his skills are incredible!”

Even while trying to cheer me up, So Eun couldn’t quite bring herself to say his personality was good.

She was nothing if not honest.

Choi Daeun added her voice.

“Skill is one thing, but when it comes to Joo Seunghyuk sunbae, it’s all about his pheromones. Just one whiff and he puts every other Alpha to shame. Who cares about the chaebol stuff?”

“......”

Hearing her say that brought on a strange wave of sadness.

Are Seunghyuk’s pheromones really that incredible?

I want to smell them. Just once. Even just once, I want to know what they’re like...

“Forget everything else—even just the pheromones are enough to make someone fall for him—ah!”

So Eun elbowed her in the side, and Choi Daeun let out a yelp.

“Ow! So Eun, what the hell?! Why’d you hit me?!”

“I didn’t hit you. You’re totally wasted.”

“You did hit me!”

“I didn’t. You just had lint on your clothes and I brushed it off.”

So Eun glanced at me nervously as she spoke.

“Lint, my ass. Anyway, Joo Seunghyuk sunbaenim’s pheromones are—”

“Here! Try this!”

Before Daeun could launch into another pheromone rant, So Eun stuffed a snack in her mouth.

“So Eun! What is wrong with you?!”

Daeun made a show of spitting it out, clearly irritated.

Then the other juniors at the table all started offering her food.

“Daeun, try this. It’s really good.”

“Hey, Choi Daeun! You’ve gotta try this one.”

They were probably doing it to distract her—so she wouldn’t say anything else about pheromones in front of me.

It was considered rude to bring up secondary gender traits or pheromones in front of a Beta who was dating an Alpha or Omega.

Still, I didn’t think Daeun had meant any harm.

She probably didn’t even know I was a Beta—or was just too drunk to remember.

But even so, I felt more depressed now than when Jo sunbae had made that whole scene about dating a chaebol.

It was just a drunk freshman making an innocent mistake. I should be able to laugh it off.

But I couldn’t shake this sinking feeling.

“Noona, Jun looks really out of it. I’ll take him back to the dorm.”

“You will?”

Jihee noona looked at me in surprise.

“Yeah.”

“You’re leaving already?”

“Yeah. I only planned to show my face for a bit anyway.”

I didn’t want people walking on eggshells around me.

I didn’t want to be here anymore.

I’d drop Kim Jun off and go home too.

“Alright, then.”

“Which building is Jun in?”

“He’s in Building 8. Room 201, I think... Hold on, I’ll ask Dongseok.”

So Eun called someone named Dongseok and quickly got the address.

“Building 8, Room 201.”

“Thanks, So Eun.”

“Ah—no problem!”

She waved her hands.

“Jun-ah, let’s go. Time to head back.”

I nudged Kim Jun, who was still passed out on the table.

“Mm... Yeonsu sunbae...?”

He slowly blinked awake.

“Let’s get you back to the dorm.”

“With you, sunbae?”

“Yeah.”

“O-okay!”

I reached to help support him, but he suddenly stood straight up.

Seeing him on his feet, So Eun narrowed her eyes.

“Kim Jun, are you... not drunk anymore?”

“N-no! Still drunk!”

Jihee noona chimed in.

“Jun-ah, if you’re sober, you can go back on your own.”

Kim Jun’s face turned bright red.

“No! I’m still drunk!”

He shook his head frantically.

It was both funny and a little pitiful, so I quickly came to his defense.

“Yeah, no way he sobered up that fast. Jun-ah, let’s go.”

“Okay!”

I slung his arm over my shoulders and helped him out of the hall.

“Ah... I’m fine, really. I’m not that drunk... I mean, n-not really...”

Despite what he said, his words were slurring and his tongue clearly wasn’t cooperating.

His legs tangled every step, and his big body kept swaying.

“You’re drunk.”

I gripped the arm slung over my shoulder more firmly.

Kim Jun looked sulky.

“Not that much...”

He’s cute...

But for some reason, watching this cute underclassman made my heart feel heavy.

If Seunghyuk saw Kim Jun like this right now... what would he think?

He’d probably think Jun was adorable.

Kim Jun was taller than me, had a better build, was handsome, and had solid muscle. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

And most of all, he was an Omega...

“Sunbae...”

“Hm?”

“Are you really... dating Joo Seunghyuk?”

“......”

The sudden question left me speechless.

“Sunbae... you can’t. Seriously. You really can’t. Joo Seunghyuk isn’t right for you...”

“...He’s not right for me?”

“No. I mean... I just think... you should be with someone kind. Someone gentle. Not someone like him...”

I was about to respond to his drunken rambling—

When a low voice pierced the air beside me.

“Hyung.”

I looked up—and saw Joo Seunghyuk.

“Seunghyuk...”

He strode toward us with long, powerful steps—

And practically ripped Kim Jun away from me.

“What is this?”

He actually said “this” to refer to a person?

“Jun got drunk at the department party, so I was helping him back to the dorm. And I was going to call you! I was planning to go home!”

Worried he’d flipped the switch on his possessiveness radar, I added that part quickly.

But he didn’t seem angry at all.

“...I’ll take him.”

“...What?”

Seunghyuk didn’t care about other people.

The only exception was me.

He never showed interest in anyone else.

Usually, even a hint of involvement pissed him off.

But now he was saying he’d personally escort Kim Jun?

“What room is it?”

He was even asking for the exact dorm number.

He was really going to take him.

“...Building 8, Room 201.”

“Why do you know that bastard’s room?”

His voice turned sharp.

Maybe I should’ve been scared—but honestly, I was kind of relieved.

“His classmate just told me.”

“Forget it. Don’t remember shit like that.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll drop him off. Go wait in the car.”

Seunghyuk handed me the ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) keys.

“Got it.”

And with Kim Jun on his back, he started walking toward the dorms.