The Outsider Omega Wants to Be Alone! Chapter 24

Lee Yuseong could feel his heart rate slowly rising. His hand gripping the back of the sofa tightened, and sweat seeped into his palms.

His mind felt slightly hazy. He was dazed, like someone intoxicated. Between the light beams and the burst of camera flashes going off in succession, his vision felt like it was flickering.

“Mr. Wooju, could you lean your face against Mr. Yuseong’s shoulder just like that?”

Even at the photographer’s request, Lee Yuseong didn’t waver. He didn’t have the capacity. He just momentarily didn’t understand what was said, and so, without thinking, he turned his gaze toward the camera where the photographer was positioned.

At the same time, Kim Wooju leaned his face against Lee Yuseong’s shoulder.

Lee Yuseong could feel the hot breath against the side of his neck.

Click.

Along with the flash that felt like it blew away his entire consciousness, Lee Yuseong unconsciously squeezed his eyes shut.

That was his limit.

“A-cut! Great work, everyone!”

Along with the photographer’s shout, applause burst out. Great work. Good job. Voices overlapped as the quiet set gradually became noisy.

As if waking from a deep dream, Lee Yuseong snapped his eyes open with a dazed expression.

“Yuseong.”

From close by, Kim Wooju called him. Only then did Lee Yuseong realize that Kim Wooju was still holding him.

“Good work.”

And that wasn’t the end. Kim Wooju pulled Lee Yuseong into a tight, firm hug.

“Huff.”

At the same time as he made that foolish sound, Lee Yuseong came to his senses. The hazy fog cleared in an instant. Crazy. What just happened a moment ago?

“Wai—wait a sec. Hyung. Let me go, please.”

“Hmm, I don’t want to. I’m too tired to get up right now.”

“What does you not being able to get up have to do with holding me like this? If you keep this up, won’t it be even harder for you to get up because of me?”

Flustered, Lee Yuseong’s words came out faster. At that, Kim Wooju giggled. Every time he laughed, his body shook, and the vibration was fully transmitted. His thigh kept brushing against the underside of Yuseong’s bottom.

Lee Yuseong felt like screaming.

“Excuse me? Hold on. Hey.”

“Yuseong, you smell nice.”

“That’s fabric softener.”

Lee Yuseong answered immediately.

“I don’t think so.”

“I do laundry diligently.”

“Hahaha.”

Why is this hyung so generous with his laughter? Stop laughing all the time and just let go already.

Just when his patience was about to run out, something caught Lee Yuseong’s eyes—his neck and ears mottled red.

That place where people were gathering! That noisy spot over there!

‘Desserts.’

Now that the shoot was over, everyone was flocking to the reception table.

At this rate, all the desserts will be cleaned out.

Lee Yuseong broke free from Kim Wooju with superhuman strength and stood up.

“I’ll grab yours too, hyung.”

Even in the middle of that, he declared he’d save Kim Wooju’s share.

Watching Lee Yuseong’s back as he quickly scrambled off his lap and dashed to the reception table, Kim Wooju couldn’t help but smile.

Kim Wooju leaned sideways on the sofa, observing Lee Yuseong as he busily moved back and forth in front of the reception table—scooping up every kind of dessert, even deftly lifting a carrier holding two cups of coffee tied together.

Covering his still-warm thigh with his hand, Kim Wooju muttered softly.

“I let you off easy.”

∞ ∞ ∞

Lee Yuseong’s earnest wish to please, please go home alone was shattered into pieces. Because Kim Wooju had insisted on walking Lee Yuseong all the way to his place.

“…I can go alone, you know.”

“I know. But the world is dangerous. I can’t let you go home alone late at night. You saw the news, didn’t you?”

With a fairly logical approach, Lee Yuseong was convinced. Lee Yuseong recalled the headline of the news article he’d seen that morning.

/ 6th Omega Disappearance Case… Perpetrator the Same?

At two-month intervals, only “omegas” had been disappearing in succession.

The missing individuals had something in common.

/ Early 20s, attractive appearance, omega

It was hard to see as coincidence—the intervals were regular, and all the missing persons were people who “would have no reason to suddenly vanish or run away.”

When the fourth person went missing, the first omega who had disappeared was found dead at the Hangang Park dock. From then on, the police switched to a full public investigation.

Since then, two more had gone missing. Even the residence of the sixth missing person, which Lee Yuseong had seen on the morning news, was in Seoul—barely 12 kilometers from where Lee Yuseong currently lived.

Thanks to that, everywhere he went to attend lectures the other day was buzzing with talk of the omega disappearance case.

“Don’t you think I’ll be fine?”

Lee Yuseong personally didn’t think he met the “attractive appearance” criterion. However, the reflection he’d seen in the mirror that day was undeniably a pretty omega. Was it the power of makeup and styling? As someone who hadn’t taken off his makeup yet, he might be somewhat at risk.

“I don’t think you’ll be fine at all, Yuseong.”

“I am fine.”

“You’re not fine.”

Kim Wooju’s firmness pushed Yuseong back.

In the end, the two walked the night streets together. It was an exceptionally clear night. The deep purple sky was high, and there wasn’t a single cloud in sight.

Leaving the main road and passing large buildings, they entered a residential area. Just a ten-minute walk more, and they’d reach Lee Yuseong’s studio.

Perhaps because it was past midnight, the surroundings were quiet. Slowly moving his steps, Yuseong looked up at the night sky. Far more stars than one could usually see in Seoul were studded densely, twinkling.

‘Pretty.’

Lee Yuseong admired inwardly. Then, trying to find the North Star to see if any matched a constellation, Kim Wooju spoke to him.

“There are a lot of stars.”

He must have been looking at the sky too. Lee Yuseong answered.

“Yeah. Even the ones we don’t usually see are all visible tonight.”

“Do you like stars?”

Lee Yuseong nodded honestly. His name was “Yuseong” (star), and he’d gone to the Department of Astronomy. It was a trait anyone could guess.

“Choi Jigu’s friends keep calling me a star freak.”

“What? A star freak?”

“…My name’s like this, and my major is astronomy too. They’re all astronomy majors themselves, and they’re all star freaks.”

At Yuseong’s words, Kim Wooju pictured a scene of a bunch of kids who looked like Lee Yuseong all gathered together, each with a star perched on their head. Somehow, he imagined them as triangular-eyed, two-head-tall characters.

“Cute.”

“Pardon? Not at all.”

Lee Yuseong made an obviously displeased face.

“Not them. You.”

Now his face became even more unattractive. Kim Wooju grabbed Lee Yuseong’s cheeks and squished them.

“You shouldn’t wrinkle such a pretty face.”

“…Now hyung is prettier and saying that makes my mouth hurt.”

“What?”

“…”

Now saying hyung is prettier makes my mouth hurt too. Because his cheeks were squeezed, his words came out garbled like an idiot’s. Staring at Kim Wooju with fish eyes as he pretended not to understand even though he’d clearly heard everything, Lee Yuseong bent his knees and escaped his grip.

Lee Yuseong started walking about half a step ahead. After all, Kim Wooju was still “that suspect,” and it seemed he’d let his guard down too much, bewitched by his face.

Renewing his caution, one question came to Yuseong’s mind. Lee Yuseong’s name was Yuseong, but Kim Wooju’s name was Wooju. Did Kim Wooju’s Wooju also mean that same Wooju (universe)?

Around then, Lee Yuseong arrived in front of his house. Stopping his steps, he turned around to say goodbye—and at that moment, Kim Wooju said to Lee Yuseong:

“When summer comes, do you want to go stargazing with me?”

Lee Yuseong’s eyes rapidly blinked open and shut. Because they were open so wide, the lenses he was wearing for the first time felt like they were drying out quickly.

“Pardon?”

Hearing that dumbfounded reply, Kim Wooju let out a snicker. He took a step closer to Lee Yuseong.

“You don’t want to?”

“…Ah, no. It’s not that.”