"YOU CAN’T even throw a punch, so why did you provoke those bastards?"

To be fair, Cho Euntak slightly regretted fighting with their class bullies.

That sent him to the school clinic, after all.

Fortunately, his injuries weren’t severe. The school nurse patched him up and said he didn’t have to go to the hospital. But the school nurse gave him permission to go home early.

So, here he was now, walking towards the bus stop.

He didn’t want to call his parents or his driver to pick him up because everyone would just worry about him, so he decided to just commute back home.

But, for some reason, Baek Jeho followed Cho Euntak.

I didn’t ask him to walk me to the station— he just does what he wants.

"Those ’bastards?’" Cho Euntak scoffed at Baek Jeho’s words. "You mean your friends?"

Baek Jeho rolled his eyes. "Just because I hang out with them doesn’t mean they’re my friends."

"Then why are you hanging out with them?"

"I’m just tolerating them because we’re in the same circle."

Haaah.

Cho Euntak almost forgot that Baek Jeho was from a chaebol family.

Meaning, he was surrounded by wealthy people.

Yes, the class bullies are from prominent families. That’s why they act high and mighty. The teachers also turn a blind eye because they are afraid to offend those jerks’ rich parents.

Cho Euntak wouldn’t lie— his family was also comfortable.

But we’re just a normal middle-class family, far from being chaebols.

"Cho Euntak, I’ll make those bastards apologize to you tomorrow."

"It’s funny hearing you call your friends ’bastards’ as if you aren’t one," Cho Euntak said, sitting on the bench in front of the bus stop. "It’s like the pot calling the kettle black."

"You look meek, but you have a pretty sharp tongue," Baek Jeho said, sitting next to him. "But you should probably start working out, Euntak-ah. Or start doing sports. You’re a man— you should at least learn how to throw a punch or two."

"Stop being sexist."

"Hey, I’m just saying you should learn self-defense for your own safety."

"Then say it like that. You don’t have to say "you’re a man— you should blah-blah-blah." It’s not hard to be a decent person, Baek Jeho."

"Why are you so hostile towards me?"

"Because I realized how awful you are as a person," Cho Euntak said bluntly. "You’re not obliged to reciprocate the feelings of people who confess to you. Heck, you don’t even have to reject them gently. But you shouldn’t make fun of them. What’s so disgusting about an Alpha confessing their feelings to a fellow Alpha? That’s discrimination."

"You wouldn’t understand because you’re not an Alpha— you’re a Beta, Cho Euntak."

"What does my Secondary Gender have to do with my morals?"

Baek Jeho let out a frustrated sigh. "You know what? Just go home, Euntak-ah. You’re probably tired because of what happened today." He then gently patted his back. "I’ll make sure those bastards apologize to you tomorrow. And I’ll stop hanging out with them."

"I don’t care."

"Don’t be like that, Cho Euntak. We’ll be graduating in two months. You won’t see them again since they’re going overseas for college. They don’t have the brains to attend a prestigious university here, so their parents decided to just send them in a university abroad that they can bribe."

"But you and I are both attending Yonhee University."

Baek Jeho frowned as if he were offended. "You make it sound bad, Cho Euntak."

"I don’t know," Cho Euntak said, standing up when he saw his bus arriving. "To be honest, I don’t know if I still want to be friends with you, Baek Jeho."

***

AS SOON as Cho Euntak stepped out of the car, he felt the urge to throw up.

But he held it in.

He simply thumped his fist against his stomach gently while walking.

Am I sick?

Cho Euntak woke up with a heavy body and a splitting headache this morning.

But when he checked his temperature, it was normal.

Hence, he forced himself to go to school.

He really felt sick, though.

Plus, my nose is clogged for some reason. I don’t have the flu, but I can’t smell anything. And I don’t think I tasted what I had for breakfast.

"Cho Euntak."

Aigoo.

Cho Euntak was surprised when the bullies from yesterday immediately approached him as soon as he entered the classroom.

And, just like that, his sense of smell suddenly returned.

He scrunched his nose when an awful scent hit him.

It seemed like the bullies misunderstood because everyone glared at him.

Oh.

Cho Euntak was about to apologize, but the bullies seemed to hold back.

But why?

"We’re sorry about beating you up yesterday, Cho Euntak."

"Yeah, we won’t do it again."

"We’ll also leave you alone, so..."

Cho Euntak raised an eyebrow. "So...?"

"Tell Baek Jeho that we apologized properly."

Aigoo.

So, this is why they apologized.

Haaah.

I don’t really need a half-hearted apology, but I’m not in the mood to fight.

"Fine," Cho Euntak said weakly. "I’ll tell Baek Jeho that I accepted your apology."

The bullies looked relieved.

Cho Euntak rolled his eyes internally and was about to return to his seat when...

"Is it over already?"

Huh?

Cho Euntak was surprised when a very fragrant scent hit his nose.

It smells so good.

When he turned around to look for the source of the scent that almost made him fall in love on the spot, he was surprised to see Baek Jeho standing behind him.

What?

The nice scent is coming from Baek Jeho?

"Yah, Cho Euntak. You’re so pale," Baek Jeho said, and then he touched Cho Euntak’s forehead. "Are you sick?"

Oh.

Cho Euntak didn’t know what happened to him, but he fainted as soon as Baek Jeho got closer— the nice scent coming from his friend overwhelming him.

***

"CONGRATULATIONS, Cho Euntak-ssi— you manifested as an Alpha."

What?

Cho Euntak blinked slowly, staring at Dr. Seong Kyungmin— a trusted doctor in the Alpha-Omega field— in disbelief. "But isn’t it already too late for me to manifest my Secondary Gender?"

"Yes, that’s true. Manifestation usually happens between 10 and 12 years of age. But that’s not always the case," Dr. Seong Kyungmin explained. "You are what we call a late bloomer, Cho Euntak-ssi."

Cho Euntak should be happy.

After all, many people dreamed of being an Alpha.

But not him.

I didn’t ask for this...

Actually, he wanted to cry.

Now Baek Jeho won’t really like me...

Yes, Cho Euntak had always been in love with Baek Jeho.

I’m in love with an Alpha who finds other Alphas who like him disgusting...

***

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