TATMFL - 66

What on earth was this man trying to do?

Not only had he barged into her lunch plans with Hye-sung, but now he was whining about not getting her attention. Raon didn’t bother hiding her discomfort as she stared at Do-kyung.

But Do-kyung, ever oblivious to her irritation, quickly flashed his usual charming smile and spoke up.

“The professor for Understanding Korean Art assigned a group project.”

“Ah.”

Raon leaned back instinctively as Do-kyung leaned forward, resting his chin on his hands.

“…So the class you’re taking with Hye-sung is Professor Park’s?”

Raon was well aware of the mentoring system. She remembered how Ji-an had complained endlessly during their freshman year about having to take general education courses with upperclassmen.

But she hadn’t expected it to be Understanding Korean Art .

Her inquiring gaze met Hye-sung’s, who awkwardly nodded.

“Yeah.”

He hadn’t thought to mention that they’d ended up in the same course she recommended. If he’d known this would happen, he might have said something earlier.

As Hye-sung guiltily dropped his gaze, Raon swallowed a sigh.

At that moment—

Tock, tock. A light tapping on the table drew their attention.

Reluctantly pulling her gaze away from Hye-sung, Raon turned toward Do-kyung.

Their eyes met, and his dark pupils curved faintly with amusement.

“You’ll come with us, right?”

Raon glanced at Hye-sung out of the corner of her eye, wondering if he’d told Do-kyung about her promise to help with the exhibition assignment. Catching the meaning behind her glance, Hye-sung quickly shook his head.

Though they were paired together because of mentoring, Do-kyung had barely attended class since midterms. The few times he did show up, they only exchanged greetings—nothing more. There was no way he could know about her offer to help.

Raon flicked her eyes toward Do-kyung, moving only her pupils.

“Why should I?”

Do-kyung’s smile widened.

“Then should Hye-sung and I go alone?”

“Hah.”

Raon let out a dry laugh at his deliberate emphasis on “alone,” not to mention the overly familiar way he addressed Hye-sung.

She knew full well he wasn’t interested in Hye-sung—it was just another ploy to provoke her.

‘Right.’

Hadn’t their relationship ended when she said “Alright” to his request that day?

So why was he shamelessly showing up now?

What excuse would he use this time to disrupt her life?

Hiding her inner turmoil, Raon turned to Hye-sung and spoke.

Unfortunately, there was only one response she could give to Do-kyung’s childish provocation.

“There’s a short exhibition next weekend that lasts for a week.”

There was nothing she could do about the class itself, but the thought of leaving Hye-sung alone with Do-kyung made her uneasy.

Especially since Do-kyung still held Hye-sung’s debt over him, making her even more reluctant.

“I heard the alumni hold an annual exhibition once a year. It’s happening next weekend.”

“…You’re going with him?”

At Hye-sung’s cautious question, Raon hesitated before slowly nodding.

“Yeah.”

Do-kyung exhaled sharply, covering his mouth with the hand propping up his chin. His narrowed eyes brimmed with dissatisfaction.

Mentioning Hye-sung had been a calculated move to lure Raon into spending time with him. He knew she wouldn’t willingly share space with him otherwise, but he wanted to be near her, even like this.

Still, hearing her agreement left a bitter taste in his mouth.

It was yet another reminder of how firmly entrenched Hye-sung was in her life.

Do-kyung bit down hard on the inside of his cheek, swallowing a frustrated sigh.

At that moment—

Hye-sung, who had been staring gloomily at the table, looked up at Do-kyung. Keeping his gaze fixed on him, he spoke to Raon.

“You don’t have to go, Raon.”

Do-kyung snorted at the defiant glint in Hye-sung’s eyes.

“Even if it’s a group project, you just need to take a photo together. She doesn’t need to come.”

“Do you really think ignorance is bliss? Or are you underestimating me, junior?”

Brushing off Hye-sung’s words, Do-kyung grinned mischievously at Raon.

“What will amateurs like us do at an exhibition? You need some knowledge to write a decent report, don’t you? Right, Raon?”

As always, his smooth talk was impeccable.

With a suggestive wink, he tilted his head twice for emphasis, eliciting an exasperated expression from Raon, who momentarily forgot the tension around her.

She wanted to ask what the other students in the class were supposed to do, but instead, she chose to stay silent.

Then, suddenly—

‘Ah.’

Sniffing lightly, Raon realized she was sitting unusually close to Do-kyung, engaging in what seemed like a normal conversation.

‘…Pheromones.’

Taking a deep breath, she felt her chest expand fully.

But no matter how hard she focused, all she sensed were Hye-sung’s sharp pheromones and the scattered ones around them. Do-kyung’s? Nothing. Not a trace.

[He’s been working hard to prevent any pheromones from leaking out, especially in front of you.]

Remembering Professor Yang’s words before she left the hotel, Raon’s expression grew peculiar.

…I thought he’d give up quickly.

She knew the only way to completely suppress pheromones was to forcibly shut down the glands—and how difficult that was.

When she left the hotel room, she assumed he was merely putting on a show of regret. After all, they had no reason to see each other again, so why go through such pointless effort?

She never expected him to appear before her, suppressing his natural inclinations despite supposedly feeling romantic interest in her.

It was too much effort for fleeting, shallow emotions—or so she had thought.

Yet here he was…

Raon gazed at Do-kyung with an indescribable expression.

Meeting his eyes, which curved even deeper with intensity, she felt a tightness in her chest. Her tongue felt inexplicably dry.

Just then—

“Raon?”

A worried voice called her name.

Startled, Raon turned away, biting her tongue as she realized she’d been staring at Do-kyung.

“Tsk.” Do-kyung clicked his tongue in mock disappointment, but Raon ignored it, forcing a small smile.

“I’m fine.”

Hye-sung’s eyes widened.

Seeing his reaction, Raon took a shallow breath and added,

“It’s an exhibition I planned to attend anyway.”

It wasn’t just her—almost all painting majors attended unless they had a compelling reason not to.

So no, her decision to join had absolutely nothing to do with Do-kyung.

Raon concluded firmly.

“Let’s go together, Hye-sung.”

That night, Raon popped a suppressant pill like a vitamin and set the empty glass down.

Despite returning home early for once, Hye-sung was out working, leaving her alone in the house.

“Hoo…”

Sinking into the sofa, Raon let out a heavy sigh.

Lately, she’d spent most of her time with classmates, so this kind of solitude felt unfamiliar. It was awkward, even hollow.

And somehow, stray thoughts began creeping in, growing louder and more insistent in her mind.

[“Let’s call it a day.”]
[“Raon.”]
[“Enjoy your lunch.”]
[“Don’t get too cozy with the junior.”]

Today at lunch, Do-kyung had followed Hye-sung to the café, greeted them with an uncharacteristically sweet tone, and left without a trace of pheromones.

Raon rubbed her nose unconsciously, closing her eyes. She didn’t want to reveal that she was paying attention to his pheromones—or lack thereof.

‘…After saying “Alright,”‘

Do-kyung had shown up as if nothing had happened, clearly still interested in her.

Otherwise…

Raon rubbed her cheek where his gaze had lingered and squinted. Her eyes landed on the phone sitting on the table.

The image of Do-kyung disappearing behind the hotel bedroom door overlapped with the dream where he shredded the contract and walked away.

Pressing firmly on her aching chest whenever thoughts of Do-kyung surfaced recently, Raon muttered,

“Hah.”

Han Do-kyung was one thing, but the real anomaly here was herself.

…Why did she keep thinking about him, incessantly and without warning?

Somewhere along the way, she found herself constantly preoccupied with thoughts of Han Do-kyung.

If it were pure anger or hatred stemming from her forced transformation, at least her mind wouldn’t feel so restless.

But no.

Instead of anger, she felt suffocated, as if a thorn were lodged in her throat.

…Almost as if she actually liked him.

Ha. Raon chuckled bitterly, rubbing her face.

What nonsense.

Unbeknownst to her, her gaze wavered erratically as it lingered on Hye-sung’s closed door.