MJ | Chapter 1

The fourth period was the notoriously boring Chinese characters class. As the warm sunlight poured in through the window, some kids started nodding off. Hajun, who was taking notes, pushed up his round silver-rimmed glasses that had slipped down his nose and glanced outside.

It was spring. A pleasant breeze came in through the open window. At the school gate, there was an old cherry blossom tree, and whenever the wind blew, petals scattered like snow. The security guard spent all day sweeping up the accumulating petals.

It had already been two years since he came here. It was spring then too, and he was in a weakened state right after surgery. As his health improved, his father wanted him to stay in Seoul, but Hajun insisted on staying here. Parting with friends he’d grown attached to over the year was sad, but there was a bigger reason.

Hajun, looking outside, opened the front of his bag to check a small box the size of his palm and smiled. Just then, the bell signaling the end of class rang. As soon as the Chinese characters teacher closed the book, the kids got up and rushed out of the classroom.

Youngwoo, who was right in front, also turned around.

“Hajun, let’s go.”

Youngwoo was also one of the friends he made after coming here. As they slipped out through the back door together, a male student running down the left side of the hallway bumped into them. Ah, damn it. Youngwoo cursed as he fell, and the male student turned back.

Youngwoo, who had fallen, flinched, and Hajun looked on with a tense face. The delinquent-looking male student was Park Seongyeon, who had been suspended recently and just returned to school today. With his nearly shaved head, he glared menacingly before turning away. Youngwoo sighed in relief, dusting off his clothes as he got up.

“That jerk is already out.”

“Yeah….”

“I should tell Jungin to be careful.”

Despite asking where Ryu Jungin was, there was no answer for over an hour. He definitely saw him come to school in the morning. Worried, Hajun sent another message.

When they arrived at the cafeteria, the kids were lined up all the way to the entrance. Hajun and Youngwoo waited, got their trays of food, and sat by the window. Seated, Hajun scanned the cafeteria with his eyes. Even while eating and talking with Youngwoo, he kept trying to spot someone.

Then, unexpectedly, he made eye contact with Park Seongyeon, whom they had bumped into in the hallway earlier. Feeling the danger, he instinctively looked away, but his concern soon became reality. Park Seongyeon approached with his tray, followed by his group.

“You’re Kim Hajun, right?”

Hajun looked up at Park Seongyeon. A scar was visible above his snake-like eyes. He knew well who was responsible for that. Park Seongyeon licked the inside of his mouth and smiled slyly.

“Is your family really that rich?”

The bustling cafeteria fell silent, and all eyes turned to them. Hajun sighed softly, gathered his spoon and tray, and stood up. Park Seongyeon pressed down on his shoulder.

“Sit down, you bastard. You shouldn’t just get up when your senior is talking.”

The threatening voice made his heart shrink. The kids watched with a mix of interest and worry, but no one dared to step forward. Park Seongyeon was notorious for bullying his target until they completely surrendered. Several kids had transferred because of him. Moreover, his father was a well-known figure in the area.

“You’re the one who got Ryu Jungin out of the police station, right?”

When Hajun didn’t respond, Park Seongyeon lowered himself to stare directly at Hajun’s face. The stench of cigarettes was overwhelming. Hajun’s hand gripped the spoon tightly with tension. Don’t be scared. It’s all about taking the initiative in a fight. The stronger the opponent, the stronger you have to be. He recalled Jungin’s words, but putting them into action was too much.

When he lowered his gaze, Park Seongyeon chuckled and draped an arm over Hajun’s shoulder.

“Tell Ryu Jungin this. If he doesn’t come to the classroom by the end of today, I’ll find him and destroy him.”

The sound of grinding teeth was chilling. As the arm was removed and Park Seongyeon was about to leave, Hajun, who had been holding his breath, finally spoke.

“Don’t… bully Jungin.”

His voice trembled slightly from the tension. Youngwoo, who had been sighing in relief across from him, turned pale. The look in Park Seongyeon’s eyes changed from earlier. He approached and looked down at Hajun closely.

“What did you say?”

When Hajun remained silent and glared, Park Seongyeon lightly tapped Hajun’s cheek. Say it. What did you just say? The atmosphere in the cafeteria turned hostile.

“Don’t bully Jungin,”

Tap, this time he slapped his cheek.

“Say it again.”

Hajun gritted his teeth.

“If you bully him one more time, I’ll,”

Smack! With the sound, his glasses flew off into the distance.

“What are you going to do if I bully him?”

Hajun glared at Park Seongyeon with a flushed face. If you touch him again, I’ll kill you. The words pushed up to his throat, but he couldn’t bring himself to say them.

“What are you going to do? Huh?”

As soon as he finished speaking, a hand as big as a pot lid slapped his face. With a thud, his body fell sideways, and Youngwoo, who had been watching, jumped up and shouted for them to stop.

At that moment, a gym teacher with a stick appeared at the cafeteria entrance.

“Park Seongyeon, you bastard! What are you doing!”

The gathered kids quickly dispersed, and Park Seongyeon sent a warning look to Hajun, who was staggering to his feet. See you again, Kim Hajun. Then he casually smiled and left the cafeteria.

Hajun hurriedly gathered Jungin’s bag and sneakers and headed to the nurse’s office. While the cafeteria was in chaos, a message had arrived. When he opened the door to the nurse’s office, he saw someone lying under a blanket by the window.

The wind blew from outside, and the curtains fluttered, letting a subtle scent reach his nose. It was similar to the smell of spring, but it was Ryu Jungin’s scent. The smell of an omega. The scents from kids’ bodies varied, but Jungin’s scent was particularly pleasant.

Hajun quietly walked over and gently shook Jungin’s shoulder. Jungin-ah. Ryu Jungin.

“Mm.”

As Jungin turned over, he frowned and lifted his eyelids. His eyes, as black and large as his hair, stared at Hajun. His long eyelashes fluttered like a butterfly, his white cheeks were like peaches, and his slightly upturned lips were strangely alluring even when still.

Jungin stretched out his arms. Instead of hugging him, Hajun sat on the bed and helped Jungin up.

“Let’s go quickly. You shouldn’t be here.”

“Why?”

He asked in a voice still heavy with sleep, then immediately leaned his head on Hajun’s shoulder. Hajun straightened him up and placed the white sneakers in front of him.

“Park Seongyeon is looking for you.”

Jungin smiled with a sleepy face. You should’ve brought him here. I could’ve beaten him up. After lowering his legs from the bed, Hajun knelt on the floor and put Jungin’s sneakers on.

Jungin’s brows furrowed as he looked down at Hajun’s head. The missing glasses were one thing, but his left cheek was red. A clear handprint. It couldn’t be that the model student Kim Hajun got into trouble and was hit by a teacher.

Considering the circumstances, it was easy to guess who did it. Jungin grabbed Hajun’s chin and lifted his head. Without glasses, he looked even more handsome, but seeing the cheek made his insides boil.

“Was it Park Seongyeon?”

Hajun didn’t answer and led Jungin out of the nurse’s office. Just then, Park Seongyeon’s gang appeared in the distance. An angry Jungin said he wouldn’t let it go and started running toward them, but Hajun managed to coax and drag him out of the school.

Jungin laughed as he looked at Hajun’s back and his own hand being held. This timid guy, who wouldn’t even hold hands at school, must have been really urgent. He held on tighter, fearing Hajun might let go.

When they reached the bus stop near the school, Hajun sat Jungin down and went to buy drinks. He returned with grape-flavored drinks that Jungin liked and checked his forehead. He’d been having unexplained mild fevers for days, so Hajun was worried.

“You still have a fever.”

Jungin nodded. They’d gone to the hospital two days ago for tests, but nothing unusual was found in his body. He complained that they’d drawn blood for no reason. On the other hand, the nurse had advised that the symptoms were similar to those before a heat cycle and suggested preparing medication just in case, which secretly excited him.

If a heat cycle came, he hoped Kim Hajun would be by his side. Experiencing the first heat cycle with the person he loved. Just thinking about it made fireworks go off in his head. As he imagined it alone and giggled, Hajun asked with a worried expression if he was okay.

Jungin suppressed the sinister thoughts rising within him and sat close to Hajun. As their thighs touched, Hajun swallowed hard and subtly moved away. Jungin pouted. This timid guy.

“Go straight home. Say you’re sick and take a few days off. I’ll think of a way.”

“Why should I? What’s so scary about that jerk Park Seongyeon? Just wait. I’ll beat him up tomorrow.”

As he spoke with the drink in his mouth, it spilled onto his shirt. Oh, damn, he wiped it roughly with the back of his hand, and Hajun took out a handkerchief from his pocket to clean it. So kind. Jungin looked around and then puckered his lips. Want to kiss since no one’s around?

“No!”

Hajun jumped in surprise, and Jungin’s face crumpled. Isn’t this guy a eunuch? It’s been a year since we started dating, and nothing’s changed. I’m always the one making the first move. As he looked at Hajun with a disappointed gaze, Hajun’s ears and cheeks turned red.

“Do you really like me?”

Hajun nodded shyly.

“Yeah….”

As soon as he answered, Jungin shouted.

“Damn it! Then why don’t you do anything?”

Hajun swallowed hard and forced a smile. His heart pounded just holding hands, so what more could he do? It was a bit sad that his feelings weren’t understood.

Jungin stared intently at Hajun’s face. Not a single feature was unattractive. Without glasses, his face seemed to shine even more today. As he brushed Hajun’s dark brown hair aside, Hajun’s ears turned red again. After touching the swollen cheek, he let go with a frustrated face. Yeah, I should coax him gently instead of scolding him.

“You haven’t forgotten the promise we made at the valley, right?”

Hajun nodded without hesitation. Last summer, they talked about marriage while visiting a valley and promised to get married as soon as they became adults. People might think they were crazy, but he wanted to keep Jungin by his side, even if it meant that. Studying could be done after marriage. It would be nice to have a pretty child who looked like Jungin. As he imagined it, he smiled awkwardly, and Jungin casually said something.

“Just wait. When we get married, every day, I’ll, hehe.”

Without finishing his sentence, Jungin laughed slyly, and Hajun’s ears turned red as he told him to stop. Jungin found Hajun’s reaction adorable. Kim Hajun was so innocent that teasing him was fun.

While they were talking, a bus appeared in the distance. As soon as Jungin stood up, he quickly kissed Hajun’s cheek and hurried onto the bus. After finding a seat and looking out the window, he saw Hajun shyly waving.

As the bus departed, Jungin looked back. Hajun was still in the same position. He was sure Hajun would stay like that until the bus disappeared. Jungin let out a longing sound and banged his head against the window. Fool. So innocent, how will he make a baby later?

As he sighed, his phone in his pocket rang. He was going to ignore it since it was an unknown number, but the call didn’t seem to end.

“Hello?”

The caller was none other than the nurse from the hospital they visited two days ago. She explained the test results in a businesslike tone. After saying there was nothing unusual in the blood test, she hesitated a bit.

[Have you ever had a separate pheromone test before?]

Jungin fixed his gaze on the rapidly passing scenery outside the window. Usually, it’s tested at birth, but he hadn’t had one since. Could it be that I’m an alpha? He’d heard that sometimes traits change as one grows. Nervously, he asked, but she said that wasn’t it. Whew, thank goodness. Just as he sighed in relief.

[Actually….]

The nurse’s voice was cautious as she explained. The smile on Jungin’s face completely disappeared. He asked again with an incredulous expression.

“Could you please repeat that? What did you say?”

The bus stopped, and the few remaining people got off in a rush. At the stop, a couple stood holding a child. He’d imagined such a scene before. Marrying Kim Hajun and having a child that resembled them. He hoped the child’s temperament would be like Kim Hajun’s, even if the looks weren’t.

[The test results show that Ryu Jungin is not an omega but a beta. If you want a retest, please inform your parents and visit the hospital.]

“…….”

[Did you hear me?]

The strength in his hand holding the phone weakened, and it fell to his lap. The nurse’s voice continued from the phone that hadn’t been hung up. Jungin stared out the window with a stunned expression. The image of the child and parents he’d seen earlier vanished without a trace.