Correction Chapter 24

Several days of quiet had passed. Even though his heart ached, time continued to flow. Shinwoo, belatedly realizing he had to endure this daily life, decided to embrace the stillness.

“Ah, fuck… I’ve lost my appetite.”

His friend slammed down his spoon and looked towards the cafeteria entrance.

“Why?”

Shinwoo followed his friend’s gaze, only to have his face grabbed and forcibly turned towards the window.

“Don’t look, man.”

“Why not?”

Despite his friend’s protests, curiosity won, and Shinwoo turned his head. At the entrance, like a queen bee surrounded by her drones—betas and a few alphas—a beautiful butterfly… no, a butterfly entered, smiling. It was his ex-fiancé, the lovely omega.

He thought he was over it, but the tightening pain in his chest whenever he saw Youngmin was unavoidable.

“Hey, I told you not to look.”

His friend pulled Shinwoo’s neck, redirecting his gaze back to his tray. But Shinwoo’s movements slowed, and the smile on his face vanished. Seeing this, his friends sighed heavily.

“Hey, don’t be so down. Fuck… What did you do wrong?!”

Knowing that Shinwoo’s engagement had been broken off and that he had even broken up with Youngmin, his friends seemed to have firmly taken his side.

They insisted he had done nothing wrong, but Shinwoo disagreed. He had done something wrong. He couldn’t give Youngmin what he wanted most. That’s why he was abandoned. It was only natural.

“Don’t say that. Youngmin isn’t a bad person.”

“This guy’s still got a long way to go. The world is full of pretty omegas. So don’t get so hung up on that guy. You’re the only one hurting. He’s living just fine.”

Seeing his friends shoveling food into their mouths, insisting he should eat more in times like these, Shinwoo finally managed a smile.

Shinwoo’s house and the twins’ house were close. So, they often ran into each other on the way to and from places. Even if they didn’t meet directly, he could still see their front gate.

Shinwoo trudged home from the library as the sun began to set. The twins had always been by his side. On his right, the beautiful Youngmin would walk arm in arm with him, and on his left, Jungmin would grumble along.

Realizing that the shadow that was once three had become one, Shinwoo’s heart felt heavy.

‘I wonder if Jungmin’s presentation fever has subsided. He hasn’t come to school today, so I guess he’s still in the hospital… I’m worried because it seems to be lasting a long time. He must be dehydrated because it takes a lot of energy…’

He reached the crosswalk. It was the same place Jungmin had stopped him when he was walking home heartbroken after Youngmin’s words.

It was where Jungmin had declared he would become Shinwoo’s omega. He told him to look forward to it. Shinwoo thought it was so typical of Jungmin to make such a bold statement and then go into presentation fever the next day.

Having always seen the twins together, he had assumed Youngmin would be the omega and Jungmin the alpha, so he had never imagined Jungmin as an omega.

‘With his personality, if he became an omega, he’d be a cool, refreshing one. Well, he’s already popular with everyone, regardless of whether they’re omega, alpha, or beta, but he’ll be even more popular after he presents.’

“Sigh…”

Suddenly imagining Jungmin as an omega felt both fitting and awkward, filling him with a strange mix of anticipation and discomfort. Shinwoo smiled as he waited for the crosswalk signal. Then, a sweet omega scent wafted on the breeze. He looked up to see Youngmin on the other side.

He stared blankly as Youngmin chatted and laughed like a bluebird, arm in arm with an unfamiliar alpha. Youngmin, recognizing the familiar alpha scent, also saw Shinwoo but didn’t avoid his gaze.

The only unfortunate thing was that he had to part with his alpha here.

‘Of all days, I have something urgent and need to leave early.’

Youngmin clicked his tongue and, as the light changed, sent the alpha on his way.

Then, he approached Shinwoo with a bright smile.

“Hyung, long time no see.”

“…Yeah.”

Just like before, they were back to being hyung and dongsaeng (refers to younger sibling/friends), nothing more. Youngmin wanted that, and he was acting accordingly. Shinwoo had no choice but to do the same.

“Let’s go.”

“Are you taking me home?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, good. I was getting bored walking home. I’m bored to death without Jungmin. I wonder when he’ll present.”

“…Still no news?”

“Nope.”

They walked together, making small talk. Their conversation was so ordinary that it was hard to believe they were once lovers who shared sweet nothings. After a few exchanges, they arrived at the twins’ house. As Shinwoo bid Youngmin farewell and turned to leave, the twins’ family car pulled up to the gate, and their mother rushed out.

“Youngmin!”

She ran over and grabbed Youngmin’s shoulder.

“Yes, Mom. What is it?”

“Have you seen Jungmin?”

“What? Why are you looking for Jungmin here? Isn’t he at the hospital?”

“He left the hospital! But I don’t know where he is. What am I supposed to do?”

“What?!”

Both Youngmin and Shinwoo were speechless, staring at each other.

‘Leaving the hospital during his presentation fever? Is he out of his mind?’

After hearing the mother’s story, Shinwoo told Youngmin to take his mother inside.

“What about you, hyung?”

“I’ll look for Jungmin.”

Since Shinwoo knew the twins’ favorite haunts and usual hangouts, he was better suited for the search than Youngmin.

‘Shin Jungmin, where on earth did you go?’

What could be wrong that he would disappear in his condition during his long-awaited presentation? He ran around diligently searching for Jungmin, but couldn’t find a single trace.

“Huff… huff…”

He ended up back at the crosswalk, the last place he could think of. But there was no one there. Only silence lingered. Wiping away his sweat, Shinwoo answered his ringing phone.

“Hello, Youngmin.”

─ Hyung, we found Jungmin.

“What? Really? Where is he?”

─ He’s at the hospital. He came back. Mom and I are going to the hospital now, what about you, hyung?

“I’ll go to the hospital right away.”

Shinwoo quickly hung up, caught a passing taxi, and arrived at the hospital after a 30-minute ride. He ran to the room Youngmin had told him about without hesitation, but stopped at the door. He couldn’t bring himself to enter because of the faint pheromones emanating from within—alpha pheromones.

“Oh? Shinwoo hyung! You’re here?”

After standing outside for a while, he ran into Youngmin, who was just coming out.

“Shinwoo, thank you for your trouble. Thank you for finding Jungmin.”

The twins’ mother expressed her gratitude to Shinwoo.

“Jungmin! Do you know how worried Shinwoo was? Hurry and thank him.”

“Hyung, Mom and I haven’t eaten dinner yet. We’ll go grab a bite first.”

“Okay… I’ll stay with Jungmin.”

After the two left, Shinwoo stood outside the door for a moment before stepping inside. Jungmin was sitting with his knees drawn up, his head buried between them.

“Jungmin.”

The sight made Shinwoo’s throat tighten. He cleared his throat and cautiously approached Jungmin.

“Jungmin. Where did you go? We were so worried.”

He wasn’t trying to blame him. He wasn’t angry. He was just curious about where Jungmin had wandered off to. He just wanted to hear his story.

“I’m sorry….”

He spoke in a voice choked with tears. Just like Shinwoo himself had, not long ago.

“I’m sorry… I… I became an alpha.”

‘Ah… so this pheromone is yours. The repulsion and clash I feel as an alpha towards another alpha. This is yours.’

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry….”

Shinwoo embraced Jungmin. It felt like he was embracing his own wounded self. That’s how he knew how much Jungmin’s heart was hurting right now.

Because he knew better than anyone how devastating it felt to be unable to give the person you loved something they desperately desired, Shinwoo held Jungmin tighter and stroked his back.

But that was all he could do.

Shinwoo couldn’t give him any other answer.

“Why are you apologizing? There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

“I couldn’t keep my promise. I’m sorry….”

Jungmin apologized. He kept apologizing. He apologized for becoming an alpha and waited for Shinwoo’s response.

Shinwoo continued to hold and comfort Jungmin without saying a word. It was then that Jungmin realized something.

He didn’t want to apologize to Shinwoo.

He wanted to hear the words, ‘It’s okay.’

Feeling sorry for his selfish, disgusting self… and for Shinwoo, who ultimately couldn’t give him that answer, Jungmin continued to cry.