From what he could see, Baek Yugyeong wasn't naturally sweet-tempered or bubbly. When even a simple collision with a second-year could make him get high-handed like that, at his baseline he probably had a slightly twisted disposition.
With Seo Hara there was a reason, but if this was his real self, then it was easy enough to imagine what Yugyeong would go on to do. Thinking about it, he could've just explained the situation, but Baek Yugyeong had gone straight to falling out with Seo Hara and arguing with her.
His personality wasn't good to begin with, and once things had gone sour with Seo Hara, he'd stayed on that path, and later, when some trigger made him fall for Seo Hara, he'd end up regretting it, too late to walk it back.
...You know you'll end up sobbing, right?
Chaheun let out a sigh watching Yugyeong beside him, plastered on and grinning like he could die from happiness. He couldn't guess exactly why the kid was acting this way, but the future was certain.
Female lead Seo Hara was of a temperament that could be loved. Whatever look Baek Yugyeong fell for, in the end he'd fall for her. In fact, there'd been many panels of Baek Yugyeong following Seo Hara with his eyes. Even if Baek Yugyeong was a little bent, if left alone he'd definitely be shedding tears a year from now.
Fine. Since it's come to this, until student Seo Hara transfers in, let me try turning this kid into a decent human. A year. That should be enough.
Enough to fix his personality to the point where upright-charactered Seo Hara could actually stand him.
Chaheun set two goals.
Return the body to Seo Chaheun.
Make Baek Yugyeong a person.
Thinking that, he put his hand into his blazer pocket.
"Huh?"
Something square caught in his hand, and when he took it out, it was a nametag. A red second-year nametag, the same kind Yugyeong wore.
[Min Haseong]
"Hm? What, hyung, isn't that a second-year nametag?"
"Looks like that kid's name from earlier... Must've slipped into my blazer pocket when he bumped into me."
The name was familiar. Now that he thought about it, this might be the name of that pretty-faced male student who'd handed him chocolate not long ago and just called it a gift before running off. Unfortunately, he'd dropped the chocolate by accident and hadn't eaten any of it.
...Ah, so that kid's an Alpha too.
Chaheun fiddled with the nametag awkwardly, then gripped it firmly.
"...Um, give that to me. I'm a second-year, right? I'll deliver it to my friend."
Chaheun looked at Yugyeong.
Taking in the boy holding out his hand while smiling brightly, Chaheun smirked and slipped the nametag into his own pants pocket.
"No, I'll return it."
"...Why? You don't trust me either, hyung?"
"No."
He honestly didn't trust him, but saying so wouldn't do him any good.
"Just. I want to hand it to that kid myself. For some reason it's bothering me."
Baek Yugyeong stared right at him, then smiled brightly.
Somewhere he'd read that venomous animals were flashy-looking. Chaheun briefly had that thought looking at Yugyeong's face.
"Alright, if that's what hyung wants."
For a high schooler, Baek Yugyeong had always felt oddly elegant and refined, but today for some reason that smile seemed unusually radiant.
Chaheun gave him one more glance, then took a step ahead first.
Baek Yugyeong just walked with a light step a pace behind Chaheun's back.
...But Min Haseong still, that really is familiar.
Was that kid a character too? Strangely only the name felt familiar, like he'd read it as text somewhere.
Having finally shaken off Yugyeong and heading back alone to the classroom, his eyes met a male student passing by with a flat expression. A pitch-black-haired, extremely large student was glaring at Chaheun.
...?
The boy staring at him, whose features were sharp and cold, just walked past.
The high schoolers here have got some intense personalities, huh?
He had no idea why he was glared at.
...Nerve-wracking.
Sure, aside from the fact that that boy's face was ridiculously handsome, his impression was pretty scary. A student who wasn't even an adult, but with a mountain-sized frame and a fierce face.
...But I feel like I've seen that look somewhere.
Chaheun thought for a moment then let it go. Just Baek Yugyeong alone was enough to give him a splitting headache.
"Hello, second-year friend."
"Ah, ...h-hello..."
Kim Seongun stared, disoriented, at the man standing in front of him.
The name written on a third-year green nametag, Seo Chaheun.
He was that famous transfer student who had, so to speak, arrived like a comet at the start of March.
First of all, with those looks and clean features, he'd been famous from the start of the semester, not only among the third-year sunbaes but also among the first- and second-years. The Beta girls had briefly gotten worked up, then, on hearing he was an Omega, gotten sad and given up. Which made sense—Omegas were born with pheromones and reproductive systems designed to seduce Alphas, so it followed that they'd end up dating outstanding Alphas.
Word was that he was one of the rare dominant Omegas, which had to be why his features were so put-together. With outstanding looks stacked with the "dominant Omega" title, essentially every Alpha in the school had shown some level of interest.
...I heard the scent is really nice.
Kim Seongun twitched his nose slightly. All he could smell was clean fabric softener. They were drawn to each other by their own scents, so as a Beta it was a system he couldn't perceive. Living in different worlds, it was awkward even to approach an Alpha or Omega, and distance naturally opened up.
...Well, whatever... At this point no Alphas even come near him anymore.
There was a nasty rumor that "Baek Yugyeong" was clinging to and following him, and after that, the Alphas eyeing Seo Chaheun had all dropped off. Human society wasn't much different from the animal kingdom, and even Betas didn't touch the woman an outstanding man was pursuing. Among trait-holders it was apparently even more pronounced. Baek Yugyeong was outstanding even among the outstanding Alphas.
Baek Yugyeong, publicly a boy with a good face and a solid family backing, who was always smiling, at peak popularity among girls and Omegas. He seemed to live like the protagonist in a world completely separate from everyone else.
Among the standout boys every school had, Baek Yugyeong was on a different level entirely.
On top of that his grades were top-tier, so teachers doted on him too, a model student and a moral exemplar as well.
That was Baek Yugyeong as far as everyone else knew.
...A psychopath, that fucker.
The reality was total duality.
Most students had no idea, but Kim Seongun knew because he'd seen it firsthand.
A year ago, not long after entering his first year, something had happened.
Among the third-year sunbaes there'd been a popular Alpha sunbae, and one day he'd blown up saying Baek Yugyeong had stolen his girlfriend. Baek Yugyeong had been walking down the hallway without knowing anything and taken a fist to the face. And even then, he'd told the sunbae he was sorry, smiling. Later they found out Baek Yugyeong hadn't stolen anyone, the girlfriend had used "I've come to like Baek Yugyeong" as her excuse to dump the sunbae.
Baek Yugyeong had taken an unfair punch and still said something like "That must be hard for sunbae," so of course the mood turned in Yugyeong's favor. Plus, that sunbae's ex-girlfriend had slapped him across the face right behind him, yelling, "I got sick of you and dumped you, and you hit our Yugyeong?!" That's how the situation ended.
In the end, Baek Yugyeong hadn't stolen the girlfriend, the sunbae's girlfriend had just needed an excuse to break up. Or maybe she'd genuinely had a one-sided crush on Baek Yugyeong.
After that, among the girls, Baek Yugyeong picked up the ridiculous title of "weak-hearted prince." Considering that most Alpha guys tended to live off their own arrogance, Baek Yugyeong, with his mild manner and soft speech, had a decent image among the boys too.
Occasionally there'd be tales of jealousy, of someone's crush stolen by Baek Yugyeong, but usually it was more like the person they liked had a one-sided crush on Baek Yugyeong rather than Baek Yugyeong actually taking anyone.
...They say Baek Yugyeong's a dominant Alpha, but he's fucking gentle.
Kim Seongun had thought the same thing watching the scene. He'd heard he was a dominant Alpha and a rich family's son, and figured he'd swallowed the punch to avoid making a scene. He hadn't even gotten an apology.
He'd thought the incident had been well-cleaned up and resolved. Then Kim Seongun, going to throw out the trash with a friend, ran into a horrifying scene at the school's back building.
Baek Yugyeong, smiling, gripping that sunbae by the back of the head and slapping him repeatedly across the face.
