The Outsider Omega Wants to Be Alone! Chapter 30

Moreover, thanks to the miraculously well-executed division of labor, even though Lee Yuseong’s foot had fully healed, he still remained seated at the register, continuing only with cashier duties and managing waiting customers.

Where on earth could one find a place like this?

On top of that, every time he went to his part-time job, the owner cooked him a different dish each day. Korean, Chinese, Japanese, Western—the variety was extensive.

Once everyone found out that Lee Yuseong had a sweet tooth, all the leftover cakes and pastries became his alone. And that wasn’t all—without fail, once a day, the owner also made him coffee just the way he liked it.

Frankly, quitting a golden part-time gig like this would be no different from putting a gun to one’s own head.

Lee Yuseong was essentially weighing whether to press the trigger against his own temple.

“Isn’t that a Lamborghini?”

“Whoa, I’ve never seen one in real life before.”

It was around the time he reached the main gate. The murmuring voices of students drifted over.

Sure enough, a red Lamborghini was parked right in front of the main gate. Even Lee Yuseong, for all his obliviousness, knew that a car with such a difficult name was worth the price of a house.

‘The world’s gone to hell. Some punk shows up on a Harley-Davidson, and now this one’s rolling in on a Ramses.’

He casually swapped out the name he couldn’t quite remember and cast an indifferent glance at the person standing before the car.

Then Jo Eunha, standing in front of the Lamborghini, raised his hand.

“Hyung-nim’s here, Lee Yuseong.”

With a nasty smirk, he spoke.

“…”

Lee Yuseong clamped his mouth shut. He rolled his lips inward, averted his gaze with obvious disdain, and walked past Jo Eunha, ignoring him entirely.

Jo Eunha, with his long strides, quickly approached and seized Lee Yuseong’s forearm. It was expected. Of course. There was no way Jo Eunha would back down so easily.

What Lee Yuseong hadn’t foreseen, however, was that all the murmuring gazes in the vicinity were now fixed squarely on him.

As it was, thanks to Harley-guy Choi Jigu, Lee Yuseong found himself surfacing on the school community boards every now and then, just when he thought people might have forgotten. Faded jeans, a drab plaid shirt, thick horn-rimmed glasses. Since he naturally lacked presence, no one usually recognized him when he walked around campus, but it still bothered him constantly.

Lee Yuseong, stiffening up, unconsciously grew aware of his surroundings and spoke in a low voice.

“Let go.”

“Ah-ha. Right.”

Jo Eunha chuckled and swept back his already neatly styled hair. That habit of his was still the same.

“Lee Yuseong hates drawing attention from the people around him.”

Reciting the obvious as though it were some great revelation grated on Lee Yuseong’s nerves.

He knew all that and was still doing this. It wasn’t as if Jo Eunha—of all people—could be ignorant about Lee Yuseong. He was, after all, someone who probably knew Lee Yuseong inside out better than his own parents did during the Jigu era—no, who had known him that well.

“That’s exactly why I came like this. What a shame.”

Gesturing toward the Lamborghini with his eyes, Jo Eunha curled the corners of his mouth upward.

Lee Yuseong, shooting back a glare at that arrogant smile, could no longer hold out. Moreover, the crowd watching them seemed to be growing little by little. Lee Yuseong put force into his arm, trying to pull it free.

“Oh dear, don’t waste your strength in vain. You already know you can’t beat me physically anyway. Why is such a smart kid acting like this?”

“Let go.”

“Get in.”

Jo Eunha pointed to the Lamborghini. Just then, a security guard came out and was eyeing the car. Spotting Jo Eunha’s gesture, the guard called out from a distance.

“You can’t park here!”

What idiot would park right in front of the university main gate?

But Jo Eunha ignored the guard’s words and looked down only at Lee Yuseong. The characteristic ease of one who held the upper hand.

Once Jo Eunha had decided to put Lee Yuseong in his car, he would find a way to get what he wanted. After all, he was someone who knew in meticulous detail what made Lee Yuseong uncomfortable, what made him want to run away, what made him feel suffocated.

“Move your car! Shall I call a tow truck?”

The security guard, caught in an awkward situation, called out in a troubled voice. The gathered onlookers began to buzz. Some even pulled out their cameras.

See? This is how Jo Eunha strips away Lee Yuseong’s ground to stand on.

“…”

Lee Yuseong spun around. Reading his intent, Jo Eunha released him without hesitation.

Keeping his head as low as possible so that the other students wouldn’t see his face, Lee Yuseong walked toward the Lamborghini. Behind him, the leisurely sound of Jo Eunha’s heels followed at an irregular rhythm.

His stomach churned—he couldn’t tell whether it was from the hangover or from Jo Eunha.

∞ ∞ ∞

Clutching his large backpack, Lee Yuseong sat in the passenger seat, his gaze fixed out the window.

The car glided smoothly, leaving the university district behind. Silence filled the vehicle until they reached the Olympic Boulevard. Neither of them opened their mouths.

Even though he tried not to notice, the car was steeped in a familiar scent. It was a fragrance Lee Yuseong had once adored. Whenever he held Jo Eunha’s hand, the scent would cling to his fingers; when Jo Eunha threw an arm around his shoulder, it felt as though he was buried in that fragrance.

At the memory of the past, Lee Yuseong’s hand clenched tightly.

‘I want to get out.’

As he bit his lips hard, Jo Eunha turned on the music. A familiar intro began to play. It was a song he hadn’t heard in five years.

No words are needed, you know

Between us, just as we are, we’re complete

When I’m with you in the silence

I become whole, just like that

In high school, Jo Eunha used to cut class often. He’d ride his motorcycle, drink, smoke—and when he skipped, the place he headed to was the rooftop of the middle school where Lee Yuseong was.

He’d summon Lee Yuseong with a single text. When Lee Yuseong asked how he’d managed to unlock the rooftop, Jo Eunha would just say, “Hyung-nim has his ways.”

Sitting on the rooftop where no one came, gazing up at the vivid blue sky, the two would share a pair of earbuds, one each, and listen to music together.

When I’m by your side

Need you, need you, need you

I can be myself

Feel you, feel you, feel you

Only when we’re together

With you, with you, with you

You can be m—

Lee Yuseong turned off the music. He couldn’t bear to listen any longer.

“Well, well. You’ve completely thrown away your temper, haven’t you.”

Shifting lanes toward the road closer to the Han River, Jo Eunha clicked his tongue.

Of all days, the weather was gorgeous, and the dazzling sunlight poured over the Han River like a blizzard of light. The shimmering, glistening ripples were blinding. He didn’t want to see such a sight with Jo Eunha anymore.

“Who threw it away.”

“You make it sound like it’s me, don’t you?”

“…”

“So I’m still someone with that much influence over your life, am I?”

There was a subtly mocking edge to his tone. Lee Yuseong tore his gaze from the window and glared at Jo Eunha.

Jo Eunha briefly flicked his eyes toward Lee Yuseong. Curling the corners of his mouth, he said,

“What, I heard you’ve got three Alphas hanging around you.”

His gaze turned back to the road. Lee Yuseong felt like opening the door and jumping out, but that would be nothing short of suicide.

Even if he asked to be let out, Jo Eunha would clearly refuse, so it would only give him an excuse to play these word games.

You don’t feed a mad dog.

“You’ve got good game, Lee Yuseong. When was the time you were sniveling and whining about how much you needed me?”

“…Ha.”

Dropping his head, Lee Yuseong let out a breath. There was no lie in those words. He had wept and begged in the most pathetic state of his life.

He didn’t even have the energy to be annoyed. Leaning his temple against the car window, Lee Yuseong fell silent.

“Which one are you going to pick out of them?”

“…”

“From what I saw, that girly-looking one already seems head over heels for you.”