The Main Character is Obsessed With a Foreign Substance

During the last vacation, Suhwan interned at a company. And probably once the midterms end, he’ll submit his employment form to the school and attend classes halfheartedly. After the final exams are replaced with reports, he’ll start working at the company in earnest.

Suhwan, who had been calmly reviewing his schedule, frowned and looked around the room.

This place is spacious enough, should I just buy a mattress? His back was starting to hurt from curling up on the sofa to sleep.

“Hmm.”

After contemplating, Suhwan closed the calendar and opened a shopping app. Since it was something he might throw away after using for about a month, Suhwan casually ordered one that fit the size of the room.

***

When he stepped outside, a rather cool breeze swept over Suhwan’s body. It seemed like it was hot summer until recently, but the weather changes so quickly.

Additionally, it rained all day on the day before the semester started. Suhwan slowly walked across the damp ground.

First day of the semester. Today, Suhwan only needs to attend one liberal arts class. Thanks to his relaxed schedule in his final semester, he could come out in the afternoon without rushing and walk leisurely.

As he approached the school, a small café caught Suhwan’s eye.

D.Clare. The café where he had met Seunghyun recently, where he worked.

“Hmm.”

Suhwan hesitated a bit in front of the café. My throat is already dry, should I buy a drink here? To go to another café, he would have to cross to the opposite side.

After hesitating, Suhwan just entered the café. The semester had started anyway, so Seunghyun probably wasn’t at the café now.

Ding.

The small bell sound echoed through the café, and Suhwan slowly approached the counter.

“Welcome…”

As soon as he approached the counter, Suhwan was staring at the menu board, so he didn’t notice how the employee was looking at him. Suhwan scanned the menu written in stylish handwriting with serious eyes.

First of all, since he can’t drink coffee, all coffee types were passed. He skipped the ade types because he hadn’t eaten breakfast. And latte types were all passed because his stomach felt bloated.

After such selection, there weren’t many options left. Lemon tea or grapefruit tea? Suhwan’s lips opened slowly as if it were a matter of life and death.

“Grapefruit tea, hot please.”

“…Pardon?”

“Pardon?”

Only then did Suhwan meet the surprised employee’s eyes. A beta-looking woman was staring at Suhwan with trembling eyes. Why is she looking at me like that? Is there something on my face?

Unconsciously raising his hand to brush his cheek, Suhwan belatedly understood the situation. This was the café where Seunghyun worked. Before being manifested, would Jin Suhwan have never visited the café where Seunghyun worked? With that personality, he might have come and gone like it was his own home, causing trouble.

Sure enough, the café employee was looking at Suhwan as if she was seeing a thug. What kind of trouble would make an employee look at him like that? Suhwan gulped nervously.

“Ah, hot grapefruit tea. Yes.”

“…”

“It’s, it’s 4,500 won.”

The employee, trying hard to compose herself, spoke with difficulty. Suhwan couldn’t even raise his head properly as he handed over his card. He really wished there was a mouse hole he could hide in. Damn this foreign substance. Not just the main character, but causing trouble to those around him too.

As the employee left the counter to make the drink, Suhwan bit his lip and barely averted his gaze.

“Here, you go.”

“Thank you.”

“Pardon?”

“…”

“Ah, yes.”

At Suhwan’s expression of gratitude, the employee paused while giving him the grapefruit tea and opened her eyes wide like a surprised rabbit.

I see, she’s surprised even by basic human courtesy.

Clicking his tongue inwardly, Suhwan received the drink and bowed his head slightly.

“Take care.”

“Huh? Yes, goodbye…”

The employee nodded dazedly at Suhwan’s greeting. Receiving a startled gaze as if seeing a ghost, Suhwan quickly left the café. Let’s never come back here again, whether Seunghyun is here or not.

Making this promise to himself, Suhwan blew on the hot grapefruit tea and took a sip.

Ah, at least the drink tastes good. Not bland at all.

It’s close to home, perfect for stopping by for a drink on the way to school. Suhwan grumbled inwardly with drooping eyebrows. Why does Jin Suhwan have so much bad karma that he can’t even go to a nearby café?

Phew, Suhwan sighed and shook his head as he headed back toward the school. Glancing at the time, he quickened his pace. He hurriedly walked towards the main gate, slurping the still-hot grapefruit tea.

Unfortunately, his day had not even begun yet.

***

When Seunghyun entered the major lecture room, he faced familiar faces.

“Seunghyun!”

The first classmate to spot Seunghyun raised his hand high and smiled broadly. Seunghyun also approached his classmates with a faint smile.

“Everyone’s early?”

“Seunghyun, hi~”

Min Gahyun, with elaborate nail art, waved her hand. Baek Chanwoo, who had waved to Seunghyun earlier, put his hand on Seunghyun’s shoulder intimately and said:

“Did you have a good vacation? This guy, completely out of contact all vacation. I really thought you’d been sold off somewhere.”

“Hey, you think Seunghyun was just playing around like you? If he cut contact, there must be a reason, reflect on yourself first.”

“What, you jerk?”

After a brief scuffle with his classmate Ha Eunchan, Chanwoo turned his head again. Seunghyun, who had already taken his seat, wore a slight smile as if accustomed to his classmates’ exaggerated reactions, and put down his bag.

“Hah, it wasn’t just me who was worried? Heeyoung was so worried too, contacting me every day from a month ago, and asking other classmates about Seunghyun’s well-being…”

“Really?”

At Chanwoo’s words, Seunghyun turned around with a puzzled face. Kwon Heeyoung, wearing black horn-rimmed glasses that covered half her face, was staring at Seunghyun with a face that somehow looked paler than usual.

“You, are you really… okay?”

“Huh? Well, as you can see.”

Seeing his classmates making a fuss since morning, Seunghyun shrugged.

He certainly had almost completely cut off contact with his classmates during the vacation. The reason was, of course, because of Jin Suhwan. Jin Suhwan, whose obsession intensified during the vacation, would casually mention the names of Seunghyun’s close classmates as threats. So he deliberately distanced himself from his classmates, but that seemed to have worried his friends even more.

“I’m really fine. Nothing happened.”

Probably, at least until now.

Swallowing the words inwardly, Seunghyun smiled a picture-perfect smile. His classmates, while relieved, couldn’t completely let go of their concern and chatted among themselves.

“I thought that crazy bastard had finally done something.”

“Hey, why are you talking about that jerk, it’s ominous.”

“What? Shit. Just because he’s a chaebol heir? With that horrible personality.”

Seunghyun could tell who they were talking about. Yet, he maintained his silence. Ignoring Seunghyun’s silence, his classmates continued their conversation.

“He brags about being an alpha, but is his heat any different from a normal alpha? No different from a beta even.”

“And his personality is so nasty. Always coming on to Seunghyun too. Disgusting bastard.”

“How is he so different from Ju Geonyul?”

“Hey, you shouldn’t compare him with such a heavenly figure.”

“Right?”

Ju Geonyul was a person famous throughout the school. A freshman in the same department as Jin Suhwan, he was a dominant alpha with good manners, so he was often compared to Jin Suhwan like this. Of course, trashy Jin Suhwan was on the negative side, and Ju Geonyul was on the positive side.

Seunghyun himself had met Ju Geonyul a few times since they were in the same club, but due to his generally unfavorable feelings toward alphas, he unconsciously avoided him. And unlike Jin Suhwan, Ju Geonyul didn’t persistently follow Seunghyun around. As if respecting the line Seunghyun had drawn, he would stand outside it and stare at Seunghyun observantly.

“Ah, I ran into Ju Geonyul during the vacation, and he asked how Seunghyun was doing these days.”

“Really?”

When Gahyun, blowing on the Swarovski parts on her nails, spoke, the classmates’ attention focused on her. She glanced toward where Seunghyun was sitting and continued.

“Yeah, he just asked casually. When you meet him at the club room later, tell him you’re fine.”

“Ah, I will.”

Seunghyun nodded perfunctorily. He wondered why someone from a different department was checking on him, but he supposed it made sense since they were in the same club and the same age.

But that was it. As the professor entered the lecture room, thoughts of Ju Geonyul completely disappeared from Seunghyun’s mind.

***

“Ugh, I thought I was going to die of boredom.”

“Shall we go to the school cafeteria?”

Despite it being the first day of the semester, the major professor who had filled the class time to the brim left the lecture room with a satisfied face. And the remaining classmates’ faces had turned corpse-like blue.

“Is our next class a liberal arts one?”