The Mask of an Innocent Alpha

[Why aren’t you looking?] 5:37 PM

A short while ago.

Having finished his consultation with Dr. Nam and stepped out of the hospital, Seon Ji-ha was anxiously biting his fingernails. The tip of his thumb was already a mess.

He had climbed into his car, intending to head toward Yoon Dae-eon the moment he found out where he was, but no reply came. Like a lost child, Ji-ha simply sat in the car, staring blankly at the screen, waiting for Dae-eon’s text.

Then, a notification arrived. Since Ji-ha’s phone rarely rang unless it was Dae-eon, receiving a message from someone else was a rare occurrence. The sender was Dae-eon’s friend, Oh Dong-cheol.

[This user is not in your contacts. Beware of financial scams.]

[Oh Dong-cheol: Sunbae, hurry up and go catch Yoon Dae-eon!] 6:02 PM

[Oh Dong-cheol: Photo]

[Oh Dong-cheol: Photo] 6:03 PM

Ji-ha sat still in the driver’s seat, scanning the photos Dong-cheol had sent. It was a shot of two men on a motorcycle in front of the university’s main gate. Though Dae-eon was wearing a helmet, Ji-ha recognized him instantly.

Dae-eon was wrapping his arms around the waist of the man sitting in front of him.

Ji-ha stared down at the image with an expressionless face. Sitting in the dark interior of the car, illuminated only by the bright screen, he looked utterly sinister.

He pushed aside Dong-cheol’s chat and began messaging Dae-eon again. If he had been waiting patiently for a reply before, he could no longer do so. Every time the numbers on the digital clock changed, he felt the nerves in his brain fraying with anxiety.

And finally, when he discovered where Dae-eon was and who he was with…

Ji-ha didn’t clearly remember what he did after that. He simply felt as if he had blinked, and suddenly he was standing in front of Yoon Dae-eon.

Having just struck the face of the Alpha who dared to try and steal Dae-eon away from him.

“Sunbae!”

“Kyaaa—!”

CRASH!

Yoon Ju-myeong, having taken the punch, tumbled backward and collided with a chair. Simultaneously, Dae-eon called out Ji-ha’s name with a scream-like shout. Naturally, every customer in the restaurant turned to look at them.

“Sunbae, what—what on earth is this……!”

“Ah, f*ck…….”

Ju-myeong, his lip split open, wiped his mouth with his arm and checked the blood. In contrast, Ji-ha was so composed it was hard to believe he was the one who had just swung his fist.

Looking back and forth between the two, Dae-eon knew he had to step in. First, he had to calm the angry Sunbae. But just as he grabbed Ji-ha’s arm to pull him outside…

“Shit, Yoon Dae-eon. If you walk out like that, our friendship is over. Everything is over.”

Ju-myeong, who had been sprawled on the floor, slowly stood up. Standing unsteadily, he spat the words at Dae-eon.

Just as Dae-eon knew Ju-myeong well, Ju-myeong knew Dae-eon just as well. He knew exactly where Dae-eon’s natural weakness lay. He simply hadn’t exploited it out of human decency until now.

Dae-eon was always weak when it came to people. He carried a deep-seated loneliness that Ju-myeong could never fully understand. Now, Ju-myeong reached out and twisted that weakness.

“You always put your friends first, you bastard.”

“…….”

“So let go of that son of a b*tch’s hand and come here.”

To Dae-eon, friends were essential. Ever since his parents passed away, he hadn’t allowed anyone to take precedence over his friends. No, he couldn’t.

That was why a weak and cowardly Ju-myeong had chosen to remain Dae-eon’s friend. He had been convinced his choice was right.

Just as Dae-eon hesitated and began to shift his feet, Ji-ha gripped his wrist tight. Ju-myeong had no choice but to step forward.

He had only been hit because Ji-ha hadn’t looked like the type to throw a punch; Ju-myeong wasn’t the kind of person to just take a beating and stay down. But just as Ju-myeong moved to pull Dae-eon away from Ji-ha…

“Haa…… gasp.”

It was the sound of ragged breathing.

The moment Ju-myeong approached, Ji-ha began to hyperventilate. By the time Dae-eon turned to look at him, Ji-ha’s eyes were rolling back, and he seemed unable to control his own breathing.

Even Ju-myeong, who had been ready for a fight, was caught off guard. As Ji-ha swayed as if he were about to collapse, Dae-eon caught him in a supportive embrace.

“Sun—Sunbae! Sunbae, are you okay? Breathe! Just breathe!”

With a face full of panic, Dae-eon looked only at Ji-ha, trying to help him catch his breath.

Ridiculously, as soon as Dae-eon cupped his cheeks and helped him breathe, Ji-ha seemed to recover somewhat. But only somewhat; his breathing remained labored.

Ji-ha whispered something small toward Dae-eon. It was hard to hear, but it sounded like he was asking to go outside.

The soft-hearted Dae-eon couldn’t refuse. Supporting the Alpha, he led him out of the restaurant before Ju-myeong could even grab him.

“Oh my, what do we do……”

“What happened?”

Ju-myeong, who had been half-expecting Dae-eon to choose between a friend and a lover, was left alone in the restaurant. Contrary to his expectations, the opportunity for Dae-eon to “choose” never actually came.

Because that son of a b*tch didn’t even give Dae-eon the chance to make a choice.

Ju-myeong didn’t know if Ji-ha’s hyperventilation and seizure-like reaction were fake or real. But whether intentional or not, Ji-ha had blocked Dae-eon’s choice.

Perhaps that was the biggest difference between Ju-myeong and Seon Ji-ha. Ju-myeong bit his lower lip hard.

******************************************

“Sunbae, are you feeling better?”

“……Yes…….”

Only after they had reached an alleyway a distance from the restaurant did Ji-ha finally catch his breath. Now that the crowds were gone and only Dae-eon remained, he seemed to be recovering.

Dae-eon had seen Ji-ha’s breathing get heavy before, but he had never seen his eyes roll back like that. His heart was still racing.

Overwhelmed, having left his friend behind in the shop, Dae-eon ran a hand over his tired face.

“Since you say you’re better, I have to ask……”

“…….”

“Sunbae, why did you really do that?”

You hit Ju-myeong…….

There was a faint trace of resentment in his voice. Of course, Dae-eon couldn’t blame Ji-ha entirely.

He had acted carelessly, ignoring an Alpha who firmly believed they were in a one-sided imprint. Dae-eon probably knew deep down that Ji-ha might hate it.

However, Dae-eon, who loathed loneliness, felt a void when Ji-ha—who had been filling his side recently—was absent. That was why he hadn’t refused Ju-myeong’s invitation.

Only after everything had exploded could Dae-eon look back at his actions objectively.

“I tried…… to hold back…….”

“……And?”

“When he asked if Dae-eon was mine, my mind just went blank…….”

Ji-ha didn’t hide his remorse, as if he knew he was in the wrong. Seeing Dae-eon’s stiff expression, he looked down at him, seemingly at a loss. The large hand that had just punched someone moved restlessly up and down, unable to stay still.

As Dae-eon grew angry, Ji-ha became fidgety. Seeing this, Dae-eon finally felt like the Sunbae he knew had returned.

Right. There’s no way. That indifferent Alpha who had just punched someone with a blank face…… Dae-eon didn’t know that side of him.

“Are you going to do that again next time?”

“……Next time?”

“If I eat with someone else without telling you…… are you going to do that again?”

Dae-eon admitted to himself that he was speaking sharply. His tone was jagged, likely because he had just witnessed his friend and his boyfriend fighting.

“……Why would there be a ‘next time’ like that?”

However, upon hearing Dae-eon’s question, Ji-ha made a momentary slip. His twitching hand dropped to his side, and he looked at Dae-eon with those familiar, dry eyes.

As if asking why there would ever be a reason for Dae-eon to eat with someone else without him knowing.

In that moment, Dae-eon realized.

Do I really not know this face? Do I really not know this other side of this Alpha?

Was it really just unfamiliar?

“There won’t be any more situations like that…….”

Whispering almost to himself, Ji-ha pressed close to Dae-eon. It almost felt like a gesture to hide his face, which wasn’t moving according to his will.

As Ji-ha crawled into his arms pathetically, Dae-eon stayed still, letting him.

‘If I go in a little deeper, will Dae-eon break?’

‘Don’t keep moving, Dae-eon. You’re making me miss. Haa, f*ck, where should I break first……’

Ah, he knew.

He had simply closed his eyes to it all this time because he didn’t want to be lonely—because he liked the way Ji-ha pushed himself onto him.

Dae-eon had known about Ji-ha’s other face but had pretended not to see it. Because he liked him.

To be precise, he liked this masked version of the Alpha—the innocent and clumsy man who was obsessed with him and didn’t know what to do with himself.

“Sunbae.”

So, Dae-eon made a decision.

He would break the mask of this Sunbae who was clinging to him. Only then could the two of them start over from the beginning.

“Let’s go and check if your one-sided imprint is real.”