The Transparent Secret

Yun Dae-eon didn’t even know if the tomato spaghetti he was eating was going into his mouth or his nose. His mind was entirely consumed by one singular, earth-shattering fact: Seon Ji-ha is a Dominant Alpha.

“Why on earth is a Dominant Alpha carrying around suppressants for Dominant Omegas?!”

As soon as Oh Dong-cheol stepped away to the restroom, leaving him alone, Dae-eon gripped his hair in frustration. The only reason he had misunderstood was that Ji-ha had dropped a box of ‘MyCycle: For Dominant Omegas’ on the floor that day.

In hindsight, the logic was simple. Out of the two boxes of suppressants Dae-eon had bought for him, Ji-ha would have taken one immediately, meaning he would naturally be carrying the remaining, unconsumed box.

Because Dae-eon was born a Beta and had never touched a suppressant in his life, he hadn’t thought that far ahead. Now, only one terrifying thought filled his head:

Did he find out?

Did he realize Dae-eon is actually a Beta? Perhaps he already knew and was approaching him out of curiosity. What if he was just pretending not to know, only to eventually report Dae-eon to a national research institute for being a “scientific anomaly”?

With his overactive imagination, Dae-eon was already picturing himself being dragged away in a hospital gown. If that happened, he’d never live a normal life again. No—forget a normal life, he’d be lucky to stay alive.

Despite trying to act cool, the rumors that Dominant types occasionally “disappear” Betas were something the real Beta, Yun Dae-eon, worried about more than anything.

“Yun Dae-eon. What are you doing?”

“Huh? Oh, you’re back? Let’s go. The bill is—”

“Forget it, I already paid. You bought the braised chicken last time.”

Dong-cheol spoke curtly and trotted out of the restaurant. Dae-eon, sitting by the window, quickly stood up to follow him.

Knowing that Seon Ji-ha was a Dominant Alpha complicated things, but there was nothing he could do right this second. It was still uncertain if Ji-ha even knew his secret….

Stepping forward unnecessarily might just give Ji-ha the opening to catch him. Dae-eon looked down at the ‘Senior Seon Ji-ha’ notification on his phone with conflicted eyes. Needless to say, he had no intention of tapping it.

“Which study cafe should we go to? I heard a new one opened near the intersection.”

“Let’s go to the one we went to last time. I think I still have time left on my pass.”

“Ah, the place we went for the group project? If you have time left, I should too—”

Thud.

Dong-cheol, who was walking while looking back at Dae-eon, collided with someone. It was someone so massive that a shadow loomed over the 168cm tall Dong-cheol.

The impact was significant; Dong-cheol was knocked backward. Dae-eon reacted quickly, grabbing Dong-cheol’s arm to steady him.

“Ugh… what the—? Who… huh?”

“Oh Dong-cheol, you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. But… Senior Seon Ji-ha?”

Dae-eon, whose attention had been on his stumbling friend, snapped his head around at the mention of the name.

Just as Dong-cheol said, Seon Ji-ha was standing there. The massive wall that Dong-cheol had just bounced off was indeed him.

Ji-ha, who looked completely unfazed by the collision, looked down at the two of them with chilling eyes. Specifically, his gaze was fixed on Dae-eon’s hand gripping Dong-cheol’s forearm, though Dae-eon didn’t notice the weight of that look.

“Senior, are you alright? You aren’t hurt, are you?”

Dong-cheol, assessing the situation, quickly checked on Ji-ha. Obviously, the relatively small Dong-cheol wouldn’t have injured him, but Ji-ha was a senior. Not wanting to cause trouble, Dong-cheol looked up at him.

After staring down at them in silence, Ji-ha finally spoke.

“……Why…… didn’t you reply……?”

“Pardon?”

Dong-cheol frowned, having missed the mosquito-quiet mumble. He thought he heard something about a “reply,” but what reply? Dong-cheol didn’t even have Ji-ha’s phone number.

Dae-eon stepped in. He wedged himself between Dong-cheol and Ji-ha, offering an awkward smile.

“Hahaha, Senior! What brings you here?”

“Dae-eon….”

“Wow. Running into you in a place like this, what a coincidence.”

“……Why no reply…….”

By now, even Dong-cheol could grasp the situation. He tilted his head and whispered into Dae-eon’s ear.

“Did you seriously ghost a senior’s text?”

Dae-eon shook his head frantically. Ghosting? He’d never do that. Leaving it on unread, however, was a different story.

“Yun Dae-eon, was the ‘place you had to be’ today actually going to see Senior Seon Ji-ha?”

The quick-witted Dong-cheol deduced the truth instantly. Before Dae-eon could respond, Dong-cheol’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.

“No, it’s not like that.”

“Hey… you should have told me.”

“That’s why I sent a text saying I couldn’t see him today….”

Dae-eon glanced at Ji-ha, gauging his mood. While the guilt of a double-booked schedule lay with Dae-eon, he felt Ji-ha wasn’t entirely blameless.

If Ji-ha had just said ‘See you next time’ when Dae-eon mentioned being busy this week, they wouldn’t be in this high-pressure situation. If he had just agreed to meet a week after midterms….

Dong-cheol, who was particularly sensitive about such things, began to express his hurt feelings immediately. Dae-eon spoke up quickly to mediate.

“Senior, I’m sorry. I was busy, so I couldn’t read your text…. I have a prior engagement with Dong-cheol today.”

“…….”

Dae-eon was still tightly holding onto Dong-cheol’s arm from when he had almost fallen. Only Dae-eon failed to realize how “intimate” that looked to the socially awkward and defensive Seon Ji-ha.

In the eyes of Ji-ha—who hated others touching him or having to touch others—the two of them looked practically like a couple. The corners of Ji-ha’s mouth began to pull down coldly.

“Senior? Are you okay?”

“……Dae-eon.”

“Yes? I’m really sorry. But we can study tomorrow instead of today….”

Dong-cheol, watching the scene unfold, stepped up. He simply didn’t want his friend to be snatched away by a senior who had appeared out of nowhere.

“Senior Seon Ji-ha, we’re a bit busy. May we go first?”

“Hey, Oh Dong-cheol. What are you doing?”

“Well, how long are we going to stand here? Was it some important appointment?”

Dong-cheol’s eyes were sharp. Beneath his words was the unspoken question: “Is an appointment with this senior you just got close to more important than your plans with me?”

Dae-eon, knowing Dong-cheol would sulk for a week if he ignored this, fell silent for a moment.

Eventually, he looked at Ji-ha and said tentatively:

“Senior, if you have something to say, call me later. Not via text!”

“……You’re leaving?”

“Huh? Yes, I have to go?”

“You’re leaving just like that… with that bastard?”

Bastard?

Did I hear that right?

Dae-eon’s eyes went wide. He couldn’t believe those words had come out of the mouth of the Seon Ji-ha he had known to be nothing but gentle. Even when Dae-eon had handled his precious “comfort items,” he hadn’t sworn.

But Ji-ha just continued to look down at Dae-eon with quiet, still eyes. Dae-eon began to worry. Dong-cheol was small, but he was a fighter who never backed down from a verbal argument….

“Hah… hah….”

“……?”

A sudden sound of labored breathing made Dae-eon whip his head around. There stood Dong-cheol, clutching his chest and struggling for air. His face had turned deathly pale.

As Dae-eon stood paralyzed with shock, Dong-cheol managed to choke out:

“Ph-Pheromones…. The pheromones are too, cough, aggressive….”

Dong-cheol’s bowed head was directed straight at Seon Ji-ha.

He had released his pheromones. It was likely a type of “emotional pheromone” that Dominant types release when overwhelmed by anger or intense feelings. But that wasn’t the issue right now.

The biggest problem was…

“…….”

“I—I can’t… breathe… hah….”

Out of the three people standing there, Yun Dae-eon was the only one who couldn’t feel a thing.