UNEXPECTED MEETING

THE one who rushed inside was a tall young man with sharp, handsome features. His black hair was in a messy state, showing just how much he probably rushed to this place. His pair of gray eyes showed a mix of urgency as he scanned the restroom, assessing the situation.

Haneul's eyes widened when he saw Jung Taeyang. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that he would see the other this soon after the public audition. Despite his surprise at seeing Jung Taeyang, he still had the presence of mind to remember the current situation.

Obviously, Jung Taeyang knew the girl, and he was probably the person she mentioned earlier. But Jung Taeyang was most likely an Alpha. And the girl right now had just manifested into an Omega, as evidence of the fact that Haneul was not being affected by her pheromones.

He might be new to this world, but he understood that Alphas could easily be affected by an Omega's unfiltered pheromones. No matter how Jung Taeyang knew the girl, the posibility that he might be an Alpha superseded that.

Jung Taeyang also seemed very surprised when he saw him, but Haneul ignored that because there's something much more important right now.

"Please, don't come closer," he said. "This girl just manifested as an Omega. If you're an Alpha, it would only put her in danger if you are in close proximity to each other. I have a medicinal perfume with me. I can use it on her to mask her pheromones. If you can just wait outside for a moment."

"It's fine. I appreciate your concern, but there's no need for that. Although I'm an Alpha, the chance of me attacking my cousin is close to none. I can't smell pheromones, you see, so it could hardly affect me," Jung Taeyang said in a rather matter-of-fact manner.

Oh, so they were cousins. No, wait--! That's not the issue here. The thing he should have focused on was the fact that Jung Taeyang was an Alpha who couldn't smell pheromones! What was he thinking, really?

Even if he was still not used to the societal dynamics of this world, Haneul was certain that an Alpha who couldn't smell pheromones could not be considered normal. But that was neither here nor there. The important part here was the fact that the girl's pheromones wouldn't affect the other.

Haneul nodded and turned to the girl. He took out his medicinal perfume and gave it to the girl. "Here, you can use this. Have your cousin spray it on your nape." Ater the girl took the perfume, Haneul turned to Jung Taeyang. "Then I'll leave you to it."

As he was about to leave, he felt something tugging at the hem of his shirt. He looked down and saw the girl looking up at him. "Can I have your KakaoTalk ID? So, I can thank you later?"

Haneul blinked and then smiled. "You can just thank me now."

The girl, Lee Yoona, stared in a daze. It was probably the most beautiful smile she had ever seen. So entranced, she could only manage to say, "Thank you..."

Haneul smiled once again. "You're welcome."

Then he nodded at Jung Taeyang before walking out of the restroom.

When Yoona returned to her senses, the guy had already left.

"Give me the perfume, I'll spray it on you," Taeyang said.

Yoona turned to his cousin. "Oppa, you should have stopped him!"

Taeyang looked at her as if she were crazy, then took the perfume from her hand. He turned his cousin around and sprayed the perfume on her nape.

"Let's take you to the hospital," he responded instead.

"Oppa, you're not going to tell my Dad that you found me here, right? If they asked, please tell them that it happened while we're on our way home or something," Yoona said, looking at Taeyang with those big eyes of hers.

Taeyang sighed. "Fine. Let's just go."

As they walked out of the restroom, Yoona remembered the kind student who offered his help earlier. "That oppa earlier, he's really pretty, right? It's a shame I didn't get his KakaoTalk ID."

Taeyang furrowed his brows. "That 'oppa' is probably an Omega like yourself."

"So? Can't two Omegas be together?" Yoona said with a raised brow. "Besides, I'm not interested in him in that way. I only asked for his KakaoTalk ID because I sincerely just wanted to thank him. And, it's a fact that he's really, really pretty. Don't you agree?"

Taeyang didn't answer, but the face of the person his cousin was talking about flashed in his mind.

When he saw the other earlier, he quickly recognized him, despite the fact that he had only seen his eyes during the public audition a few days ago. A beautiful pair of amber-colored gems.

He didn't know why those eyes had stuck in his mind, but now, with a face to go with them, he might not be able to forget the person anytime soon.

Taeyang couldn't understand why, and he didn't care enough to figure it out. Especially if the other passed his audition. Because that meant that the two of them would be competitors. And he didn't need this weirdass feelings he couldn't explain to get in the way of his better judgment.

After all, his goal was to debut, and he wouldn't allow anything to hinder that — most especially not his personal feelings.