Correction Chapter 8

“Sunbaes?”

Just as they arrived at the school gate, Kim Joohwan’s voice came from behind.

“Wow! Joohwan!”

Youngmin detached himself from Jungmin and quickly ran to Joohwan.

“Joohwan, long time no see!”

“Long time no see, Youngmin sunbae. I heard you presented.”

“Oh? How did you know?”

“News of the sunbaes’ presentations is probably the most anticipated news in this school. Everyone who should know already knows.”

“Wow, really. That’s right! I’m curious about your pheromones, Joohwan!”

“Hmm, a little bit then. Sure.”

Youngmin, with his hand raised and a beaming smile, brought his nose close to Joohwan’s body and inhaled.

“Wow, so this is the scent of a Dominant Alpha. Amazing. It’s cool~”

“So you’ve learned about pheromones now.”

“Of course. I’m an Omega! But is this all of your pheromones?”

“There’s no way. I haven’t released my pheromones at all.”

“What? Then this is what’s leaked out??”

“Yes. Even so, because I’m Dominant, a little bit inevitably leaks out.”

“Cool. I’m just a regular Omega.”

It was an incomprehensible conversation. Of course, he didn’t know the meaning of the words or what they were talking about, but as someone who hadn’t presented, Jungmin couldn’t understand exactly what they meant.

“What kind of scent do I have?”

“Hmm…”

This time, Kim Joohwan buried his nose in Youngmin’s neck. Youngmin laughed, saying it tickled, but his face didn’t show any displeasure.

“You have a sweet floral scent. Close to the scent of lilies. Charming.”

“Whoa~ I see. You can’t smell your own pheromones. Even close family members don’t know. I finally feel relieved! Jungmin! I’m a lily!”

Youngmin looked back at Jungmin with a proud look and smiled brightly as if he was born with light. Lily… it really suits you.

“Yeah, congratulations. I’m going first.”

Jungmin replied perfunctorily and strode into the classroom. He put his bag on his desk and looked at Youngmin, who hadn’t come in yet. He could see him slowly entering in the distance with Joohwan.

“Amazing. Look at Youngmin. He’s really pretty.”

“I heard he presented as an Omega? I knew it.”

“Who else would be an Omega if not Youngmin? I want to smell his pheromone scent.”

Even classmates who normally weren’t interested in Youngmin praised and admired his appearance. Does time flow differently for those who have presented? Youngmin is shining even brighter than this morning. Are his hormones still changing? I don’t know. Why am I not presenting?

“Ha…”

It’s okay. It doesn’t matter if other people are interested in Youngmin. As long as Shinwoo hyung isn’t.

Jungmin stopped organizing his books, threw his bag down, and ran up to Shinwoo’s class. The third-year classrooms, now that the CSATs were over, were much more relaxed. Those who had been accepted to college could skip school if they were at other schools, but since this school valued attendance, even those who had been accepted had to come. However, sometimes there were no classes, sometimes they were short… It was really relaxed.

“I heard the younger of those twins presented?”

The third-year classrooms were also buzzing about Youngmin. As Kim Joohwan said, it seemed to be big news in this school. I didn’t know our twins were this famous.

“Shin Youngmin is an Omega! Yoo Shinwoo, was it worth the wait?”

“That’s right. Shinwoo, you lucky bastard.”

Hearing Shinwoo’s name, Jungmin couldn’t help but stop. He pressed himself against the wall and listened to their conversation coming from Shinwoo’s classroom.

“What’s so good about it.”

“We all know you’re interested in Shin Youngmin, right? You’ve been waiting for him to present as an Omega!”

“What are you talking about.”

“Don’t play coy. But that guy next to him is a Dominant Alpha, shouldn’t you be wary?”

“Really…”

Despite speaking as if he was uninterested and indifferent, Shinwoo looked outside with a slightly anxious expression and then ran out of the classroom. He didn’t see Jungmin, who was right next to him. He left the classroom with a flushed face… filled with joy. His friends in the classroom cheered and teased him, but it seemed as if he couldn’t hear anything. It was obvious where he was going. Jungmin slid down and sat on the floor. He felt like a loser.

✽✽✽

From that day on, Youngmin became the flower of the school.

Not only Alphas, but even Betas started showering Youngmin with gifts and confessions. Shinwoo watched this, and Jungmin watched Shinwoo’s back.

The day Youngmin first went to school after presenting, Shinwoo congratulated him and asked if he wanted to go home together. Youngmin, finding Shinwoo’s behavior unfamiliar, joked around and said, of course, he would go with his hyung.

But Jungmin wasn’t with them. Because Shinwoo hadn’t called him.

By the time he found out that night that the two had met separately and spent time together, a sadness beyond jealousy had taken over Jungmin’s entire being.

Unaware of Jungmin’s feelings, the excited Youngmin put down the luxury shopping bags he had brought onto the floor.

“What’s all this?”

“Shinwoo hyung bought them for me to congratulate me on presenting as an Omega!”

Shinwoo always celebrated the twins’ birthdays. He gave them many gifts, but this was the first time he had given such expensive gifts. Moreover, there was a wide variety. Bags, clothes, watches, even shoes… It was like receiving a mountain of wedding gifts, minus the roses.

“Do you know what Shinwoo hyung said to me?”

“…What did he say?”

“He said my pheromones were so fragrant that he couldn’t breathe! Ugh, so cheesy!”

Youngmin scratched his arms and looked at the clothes he received as a gift in the mirror, turning this way and that.

Although he said it was cheesy as if it wasn’t a big deal, Jungmin could tell it was Shinwoo’s confession. He was a kind hyung, but he wasn’t someone to say such sweet things… Saying something like that must have taken immense courage, and he must have been waiting. For the day Youngmin presented as an Omega…

“So what did you say?”

“I told him his pheromones were like warm sunlight! Just like Shinwoo hyung, they were really cozy pheromones!”

So that’s what hyung’s pheromones are like. Lucky you. I’m so envious I’m going crazy. Youngmin… I want to smell hyung’s pheromones too. I want to be intoxicated by those pheromones. I want to spend the night together, look into each other’s eyes, and bond. Why am I not presenting?

“So… are you two dating?”

Jungmin asked, mustering all his courage. He was prepared to die from a broken heart. But he had to know… Even if they had mutual feelings, he had no intention of giving up, but he thought he could decide his course of action.

Youngmin’s reaction was unexpected. His expression twisted as if he had bitten into something rotten.

“Why would you think that?”

“Why… because it sounds like you two confessed to each other.”

“No, it’s not like that~ Both hyung and I are like siblings, so what!”

“You… said you could marry hyung if you became an Omega.”

“When did I?”

“Huh?”

“When did I ever say that~ And even if I did, it was a joke. Did you really think I meant it? I just presented as an Omega! Even if Alphas are precious, hyung isn’t the only Alpha. I’ll meet this Alpha and that Alpha and decide who I want to spend my life with. Who knows? I might meet my destined one!”

Those words were also a shock to Jungmin. Back in middle school, when they briefly talked about presenting as an Omega, Youngmin had definitely said that. That he would marry Shinwoo. That’s why Jungmin was even more anxious. He thought Youngmin liked Shinwoo. So, he thought it would be a good thing if they had mutual feelings.

But it wasn’t. Did that mean Shinwoo had unrequited feelings? If it was one-sided, wouldn’t the possibility increase? He couldn’t help but think that way. Suddenly, half of the resentment, blame, and jealousy he felt towards Youngmin disappeared. He always disliked Youngmin’s frivolous attitude, but not today.

“Yeah, meet this Alpha and that Alpha. You’ll be able to be introduced to good Alphas through Mom and Dad too.”

He felt sorry for Shinwoo, but Jungmin couldn’t help but cheer for Youngmin.

“Of course! I’m going to enjoy the Omega life!”

Youngmin clenched his fist with determination, and Jungmin clapped for him. He thought all he had to do now was change Shinwoo’s mind. He thought it would be easy. He thought Shinwoo would give up on Youngmin… he thought. But it wasn’t.

Shinwoo’s feelings were deeper and more sincere than he thought. Even though he heard Youngmin’s declaration to enjoy the Omega life, he remained by Youngmin’s side. Jungmin couldn’t forget Shinwoo’s shocked expression when Youngmin first dated another Alpha.

As they inflicted pain and loss on each other, growing with a love that only left them wounded, Yoo Shinwoo graduated first and entered university.

And the twins became third-year students. Jungmin… still hadn’t presented.