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Around the second week after the semester began, that was when Enjin started noticing that man.
The man always chose to sit in the very last row. If not in the deepest corner, then on the outermost seat close to the door. The habit of always sitting in the same place and not getting in anyone’s way was probably for the same reason as Enjin—both of them were extremely tall. If they went and sat right in front near the whiteboard, the people sitting behind might start glaring at them.
When the man was just sitting quietly, he was not particularly noticeable. He always wore plain, baggy clothes, with dark colors and no patterns, had an unfriendly expression, and did not try to befriend anyone.
But whenever the professor asked a question, the man raised his hand to answer almost every time.
When class ended, he would walk up to the professor with a notebook and a single pen in hand—or sometimes the textbook—to discuss something for about two or three minutes.
Enjin thought to himself that the guy was practically the model example of a nerd.
It really wasn’t any of his business to keep secretly watching a classmate whose name he didn’t even know for an entire week without any reason.
Except there was a reason.
The man was completely Enjin’s type. His appearance alone easily passed any standard by a mile. As for his personality, that was still uncertain until they actually talked, but that was not a big issue for him. Because more importantly than anything else, the man was an Alpha. That alone was enough to hold Enjin’s attention.
Enjin himself was also a male Alpha. According to the usual societies’ norms, Alphas were expected to pursue Omegas they found attractive.
But Enjin had always been openly rebellious about that sort of thing.
He had never glanced twice at any Omega. Even during the time when his teenage Alpha hormones were raging, what attracted him instead were the physical characteristics of other Alphas. He liked the sense of challenge that came from clashing with stubborn Alphas far more than the desire to gently admire the softness and submissiveness of Omegas.
Powerful and study frames, resilient spirits, proud of themselves just as he was.
It wasn’t that Betas or Omegas couldn’t possess those traits. Of course, many of them did. But Enjin knew very well that the key factor he had always looked for in a partner was that, no matter what, the other person had to be an Alpha like him.
It obviously didn’t mean most Alphas would agree with that. No Alpha easily bowed their head to another.
So Enjin waited patiently for the right opportunity rather than foolishly rushing forward and making his intentions obvious enough to scare the person he had his eye on away.
That opportunity finally arrived in the form of a paired assignment.
After the professor finished explaining the assignment details at the end of class, everyone was told to choose partners freely.
Enjin stood up from his seat with a clear target in sight.
“Hello there, Mr. honor student. If you don’t mind, how about pairing up with me?”
If someone asked whether a such studious guy would really want a partner who was a heavily tattooed man with an undercut hairstyle that made him look like a thug, Enjin would answer from experience that Alphas like him would not fixate on trivial details and were not afraid of anyone. So he was confident it wouldn’t be a problem.
The man lifted his head from the notebook packed full of neatly organized scribbles. His pitch-black eyes looked up and stared at Enjin for only a moment.
“Sure.”
There it was. Perfect.
.
The man’s name was Zodyl Typhon. He really was the quiet, serious, and nerdy type just as Enjin had guessed. He was five years younger than Enjin and was studying psychology as his second degree.
You’re also a psychology major, right? That’s why you’re taking this class? Zodyl had asked.
No, mine is humanities, Enjin replied.
Zodyl was not actually the antisocial introvert with terrible social skills that he initially seemed to be. He never looked annoyed when Enjin tried to start conversations or asked him to grab coffee together before class. He also never hesitated when Enjin arranged to meet outside of class under the excuse of working on assignments.
Enjin felt like his plan was going smoothly. Even though he still wasn’t sure whether Zodyl preferred Alphas as well, but if he kept gradually getting closer like this, he would probably notice some clues sooner or later.
Just like the saying went—ask and you shall receive.
There were clues.
Just not the kind Enjin expected.
Enjin was driving along the street that led to the college. On the way there was a dormitory building he had never paid much attention to before. But today, while stopping at the traffic light, boredom made him glance around.
He saw a sign clearly stating that the building was an Omegas-Only dorm.
The large main gate was a long sliding iron fence that opened and closed automatically. It was tall and sturdy, almost as if it had been built to prevent prisoners from escaping rather than to protect residents. There was a security guard booth at the entrance, and next to it was a smaller gate where residents could use to enter or leave without having to went through the main gate.
Overall, it seemed reasonable. People in this city seemed to take Omega safety quite seriously.
Enjin then looked toward the sidewalk and was surprised to see someone familiar.
Zodyl was standing there only a few dozen meters away. He hadn’t noticed Enjin’s vehicle—or even if he had, he probably wouldn’t recognize it. Enjin almost rolled down the window to call out to him, but then he noticed Zodyl was talking to a girl.
She had a small frame and delicate features. Freckled face and large eyes with slightly drooping corners like a doe. Enjin could tell immediately that the girl was an Omega. The simple black standard collar around her neck also confirmed her identity.
The girl waved, said something to Zodyl with a light smile on her lips, before walking back into the dormitory though the small gate.
Zodyl stood still for a moment, dark eyes following her as if making sure she had truly disappeared behind the tall fence, before turning around and walking away in the opposite direction.
Suddenly Enjin felt like smoking a cigarette or two.
It wasn’t exactly heartbreak, but he felt pretty annoyed and a little disappointed.
So that guy already had a girlfriend. Damn it.
.
That gloomy mood didn’t cling to Enjin for long. In the first place, he had never taken things that seriously with Zodyl anyway. They continued talking normally and worked together on assignments better than expected.
One day, Enjin only had two morning classes, so he decided to stop by the supermarket afterward. Food and household supplies at home were running low anyway.
He wandered around slowly without really looking for anything in particular. If something looked decent, he bought it. If something was on sale, he bought that too.
While listening to an advertisement describing a new product, he suddenly saw someone he hadn’t particularly wanted to think about.
“Zodyl!”
His brain told him not to think about him, but his mouth reacted faster and called out the name.
Zodyl had sharp hearing and immediately turned around. When he saw it was Enjin, he simply nodded in greeting in his usual quiet manner.
It was only after Enjin walked over that he realized they were standing in the middle of the Omega hygiene products aisle.
Two tall male Alphas standing there together must have looked very out of place. One female Omega glanced at them briefly before quickly pulling her small child away.
“What a coincidence. Uh… you came to buy something?”
Zodyl, who had been seriously comparing two brands of sanitary pads, turned to look at him with an expression that seemed to say: We’re in a supermarket. If I’m not here to buy something, what else would I be doing?
But apparently, he was more polite than Enjin had thought so he simply answered “Yes.”
Enjin tried to avoid looking at the pastel-colored packages decorated in Zodyl’s hands, but didn’t succeed very well. He couldn’t help but quietly admired the courage of a man who could hold those things openly without any embarrassment. Maybe Alphas with Omega partners did this kind of thing all the time.
Thinking that made him feel slightly less awkward.
“You don’t have class today?” Zodyl asked.
“I only had morning classes. I’m free now. What about you?”
“I have one in the afternoon.”
“It’s almost time, isn’t it? Are you heading there now?”
“I need to drop these off for Momoa first. At the dorm across the street.”
For a moment Enjin wanted to ask who Momoa was, but he didn’t think he really wanted to hear the answer.
“Oh, the Omega dorm, right?”
“Yes.”
“I can give you a ride. I’ll drop you off.”
“If it’s not a bother.”
“It’s fine. I’m going that way anyway.”
On the way there, Enjin heard Zodyl talking to Momoa on the phone. She seemed to be asking whether he had bought everything she needed. Of course, Zodyl got everything exactly as requested.
Having a considerate boyfriend like that must be nice.
.
Enjin began to anxiously hope their partner project would end soon.
But then for the next assignment, Zodyl himself asked whether Enjin wanted to partner up again.
Enjin intended to refuse. But in the end, he agreed, like a fool.
“This report requires field references, so the sooner we collect the data the better. That way we’ll have more time to write. When are you free?” Enjin tapped on the keyboard rhythmically, keeping his tone as professional as possible.
He had already decided to treat Zodyl as just another classmate. Nothing special. At one point in his life Enjin might have been a bit of a reckless flirt, but that didn’t mean he didn’t know how to back off when someone was already taken.
“I promised to go to the town library with Momoa this Saturday. You can come along if you want. That way we can finish everything at once.”
Enjin quietly sighed at how casually Zodyl said things.
“Are you sure?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I don’t really want to be the third wheel for a couple, do I? I could go gather the data myself and then you write the first draft. That sounds fair, right?”
Zodyl fell silent for quite a while.
“What are you talking about?”
“Huh? You don’t want to split the work like that?”
“No. I mean about Momoa.”
“Yeah, just what I said, you and Momoa.”
Zodyl raised an eyebrow and slowly repeated Enjin’s words.
“Me and Momoa?”
Enjin paused his typing and slowly looked up from the screen. A rare look of confusion appeared on Zodyl’s face. He closed his laptop and folded his hands on the table.
“Aren’t you two dating?”
“Why would you think that?”
Caught off guard, Enjin scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
“It’s not like I was spying or anything, but I’ve seen you walking with her to the dorm a few times. And you always bring her things.”
Hearing that, Zodyl tilted his head slightly as if things were starting to make sense.
“We just live in neighboring rooms. And some days our class schedules are similar, so we walk together.”
“Oh… I see. So you’re just neighbors.”
Zodyl nodded.
And Enjin suddenly felt like he had finally released a breath he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding.
They weren’t dating!
That meant he still had a chance!
But wait… wasn’t there something strange about what Zodyl just said?
“Isn’t that an Omega dorm?”
“Yes.”
“The kind that only Omegas are allowed to live in?”
“Yes.”
“Then why do you…” Enjin stopped mid-sentence.
“Why do I what?” Zodyl looked at him with narrowed eyes. Even though he wasn’t smiling or laughing, his usually expressionless gaze clearly carried amusement.
“Why do I what, Enjin?”
Enjin realized far too late. And if he wanted the ground to swallow him up now, it was already too late for that also.
.
“So the tall, dark, and handsome Alpha guy you’d been eyeing for months… is actually an Omega?”
Mildretta gave him a sideway look and grinned. While Tomme cleared her throat loudly, but Enjin knew her face was beet-red not from the beer but from trying really hard not to laugh.
“I only tried pursuing him at first. Once I thought he had a girlfriend, I backed off immediately…” But everything had flipped upside down. Zodyl was still single—but also not an Alpha like Enjin had assumed.
“God, that’s embarrassing.”
Male Omegas were the rarest population group. On average, they had small, slender builds that sometimes almost similar to female Betas or female Omegas. Was it really that strange for Enjin to mistake Zodyl for an Alpha at first glance?
Who told that guy to be so damn huge?
“You’re lucky he didn’t hate you for it. For some people, things like that are sensitive.”
Yes, Enjin should consider himself lucky that Zodyl hadn’t taken offense or started disliking him outright.
After the misunderstanding was cleared up, they never brought it up again. Zodyl went to act the same as usual.
But Enjin found himself even more confused than before.
.
“Do Zodyl and I really look like a couple?” Momoa casually asked one day. Enjin nearly spatted out his iced coffee.
“That was almost a month ago. Stop reminding me already.”
The girl laughed softly, clearly enjoyed teasing him. Enjin quickly learned that her personality wasn’t quite as sweet and delicate as her appearance suggested.
“He usually acts like an overprotective big brother. But from the perspective of someone who thinks he’s an Alpha… maybe he does look like a territorial Alpha?”
Momoa touched her chin thoughtfully.
“This isn’t the first or second time people have mistaken. When Zodyl frowns especially, even some Alphas don’t dare mess with him.” She continued.
“We—l mean the Omegas at the dorm—like going out with him because it feels safe.”
“So you guys use him as a bodyguard.”
The girl smiled.
“Even so, you mistook Zodyl for an Alpha for months. That’s a bit much. It’s obvious he can enter and leave the dorm freely. Normally the guards wouldn’t allow Alphas to walk in like that.”
“I thought he was visiting his girlfriend.” Enjin tried to argue, albeit weakly.
“Even then, the boyfriend has to wait outside.”
“How was I supposed to know there’s that kind of rule?”
Momoa tilted her head while looking at him. In some ways she resembled Zodyl. Thinking of them as siblings almost made more sense.
“You don’t know many Omegas, do you?”
Thinking about it… that was true.
In this day and age, Alphas and Omegas normally used pheromone suppressants. The medication was also part of the college welfare program. Students could receive it regularly from the medical center by showing their student ID.
Because of that, people couldn’t identify someone’s designation just by pheromones anymore. At best they could guess from appearance or ask directly.
Come to think of it, why had Enjin never noticed Zodyl’s fangs, or lack thereof? Probably because Zodyl usually spoke softly, and did not open his mouth wide enough for people to see whether he had the long, sharp Alpha-like fangs or not.
“What about the collar?”
“What about it?”
“You wear one. Your Omega friends in the dorm wear them too. Why is he the only one who doesn’t? Then how was I supposed to know he’s an Omega?”
“Do you realize how rude that sounds?”
“….”
“Don’t you dare ask him something like that.”
Considering all these points, it really wasn’t entirely Enjin’s fault for misunderstanding for so long.
.
Everything should have simply gone back to normal.
Sometimes Enjin made mistakes. It was embarrassing, but nothing serious. They could still remain good friends.
So why couldn’t Enjin stop thinking about Zodyl?
Okay, the guy was single. So what?
Even if he was single, he was still an Omega.
And Enjin had never been interested in any Omegas in almost thirty years.
So what on earth was making him started to change his mind now?
Enjin desperately wanted an answer. So he called Zodyl at three in the morning.
“Why are you still awake?”
“I’m studying.”
“Well then, nerd. Did you know there’s a breakfast place near campus that’s open 24 hours? Ever been there?”
“No.”
“I’ll come pick you up.”
In front of the building Enjin became much acquainted to as of late, he parked along a street where parking wasn’t allowed. But at this hour, he figured no police officer would appear just because he stopped for a moment.
The small gate creaked open. Zodyl walked out and nodded when he saw Enjin’s familiar car. Then he turned and nodded toward the security guard by the main gate.
The guard, who looked old enough to be Enjin’s father, squinted toward the car. Upon seeing an Alpha behind the steering wheel, he probably started imagining all sorts of things—like some strange Alpha coming to pick up an Omega from the dorm this time of the night.
It felt like a strange new experience for Enjin. He had never been regarded as a potential kidnapper when he used to go out at night with his previous Alpha partners.
Inside the 24-hour restaurant, there were a quite few patrons—probably people craving for a late-night snack or those just coming back from bars. Not bad business for the owner.
“I’ve been thinking for a while now that you seem a little different,” Zodyl suddenly talking while opened a bottle of maple syrup and poured it generously over a pile of bacon.
Enjin felt like he wasn’t ready for the conversation. He set down the fork he had been using to poke at his plate of waffle and tried to meet Zodyl’s gaze.
“You think so?”
“Yeah.”
“In a good way or a bad way?”
“Neither. Just… different.” Zodyl chewed thoughtfully.
“It’s like you’ve been acting more awkward ever since you found out I’m an Omega.”
Enjin lowered his head in resignation when it became clear Zodyl had seen right through him. Whether Zodyl was simply too observant or Enjin was worse at acting than he thought.
“Sorry.”
“Sorry for what?”
“Did I make you feel uncomfortable? Like… do I make you feel uneasy being around me?”
“No.” Zodyl answered briefly.
.
You’re a strange Alpha. Zodyl said to him.
You’re a strange Omega too. Enjin thought. But he didn’t say it out loud.