For a brief moment, Jeongseo wondered if he had somehow provoked the guy first.
The man strode toward him with such intensity that it seemed like he was ready to throw a punch at any second.
Instinctively, Jeongseo glared back.
Their sharp gazes clashed in midair, and beside him, Junhee grew visibly anxious before abruptly standing up.
“Nam Seungho, don’t pick a fight over nothing.”
The man, who had been stomping toward them, shifted his gaze to Junhee, his expression darkening further.
His eyes, already sharp, became even more menacing, and Junhee swallowed dryly.
So his name was Nam Seungho.
“Hey, shut up and get over here.”
Tapping his chin toward the back of the room, Seungho surprisingly didn’t cause any more trouble and instead headed to the very last row, taking a seat.
Still baffled by the whole situation, Jeongseo glanced up at Junhee, who let out a long sigh before muttering with an apologetic look,
“Sorry… We’ve been friends since we were kids, but, well… he’s a weasel.”
Junhee trailed off as he looked at Jeongseo.
“No, actually, he’s just an asshole. Anyway, I’ll catch you later.”
With that, Junhee moved to sit beside Seungho.
Meanwhile, Seungho continued to glare at Jeongseo, but instead of looking away, Jeongseo found himself impressed.
‘We’ve been friends since we were kids, but he’s a weasel…’
‘A weasel…’
This was Jeongseo’s first time meeting another weasel beastkin in person.
He had a vague awareness of the negative perception surrounding weasels, but no one in his immediate surroundings had ever treated him differently because of it.
So he had dismissed it as a ridiculous stereotype.
But now, looking at Seungho, who looked like he was about to explode at any second, Jeongseo couldn’t help but wonder—
‘Are all weasels like that?’
Sensing that Junhee would have a harder time if he kept looking at Seungho, Jeongseo turned his attention forward.
He wasn’t particularly afraid of people who openly displayed aggression.
He was just a little disappointed.
It was his first time meeting another weasel beastkin, but it didn’t seem like they were going to be friends.
Seeing that Jeongseo remained unfazed, the people around him resumed their chatter.
“Guess that guy’s a weasel too. He’s exactly how I imagined weasels to be.”
“Yeah, I remember there was a weasel beastkin in my kindergarten class, and he used to get into nasty fights with his older sister all the time.”
As they exchanged stories about weasels, they all turned to look at Jeongseo.
“But Jeongseo’s really different. He’s… not very weasel-like, you know?”
When Jeongseo simply stared at them, the guy who had spoken hurriedly added,
“Ah, I don’t mean that in a bad way! I mean, it’s a good thing. Like, you don’t fit the usual weasel image in a good way, you know?”
He glanced around for support, and only then did a few others nod in agreement.
‘Not very weasel-like…’
For some reason, those words lingered in Jeongseo’s mind.
As time passed and the professor entered, the classroom fell into silence.
It was the first lecture of his college life, and most freshmen were fully focused.
The professor smiled warmly at the eager students and began the orientation.
Sitting in the front row, Jeongseo finally felt the reality of being in university settle in.
The atmosphere was completely different from high school.
Tuesday’s classes were supposed to last until 2 PM, but since this was just the orientation, they ended a little after noon.
There was a departmental welcome gathering scheduled for 7 PM, and participation was mandatory according to the group chat.
Jeongseo had planned on attending anyway, so it wasn’t a problem, but now he had a huge gap of free time.
As he debated what to do, Jo Hyunwoo, a classmate with a similar schedule, said,
“I live nearby, so I’m gonna head home for a bit. See you later.”
That prompted a few others to say they were going to the dorms or running errands, and soon, the group dispersed.
Thanks to that, Jeongseo was able to return home as well.
The moment he flopped onto the living room floor, his ears and tail popped out.
His classmates had been fun and kind, aside from the occasional rough language, yet for some reason, he felt completely drained.
On top of that, the university campus was ridiculously complex, making it difficult to find classrooms.
The cold from the floor seeped into his body, so he sluggishly moved onto the sofa and pulled out his phone.
Scrolling up in his chat with Pyo Yoontae, he found his class schedule.
“He should still be in class.”
Was Yoontae doing okay?
Now that he thought about it, Hayan was also in the same university, though in a different department.
Had they run into each other?
Just as he was lost in thought and sleepiness was creeping in, his phone vibrated.
It was Pyo Yoontae.
Jeongseo’s eyes snapped open, and he immediately answered.
“Yoontae! Did your class end?”
― Yeah, it was just an orientation, so it ended early. What about you?
The noise in the background suggested he had stepped out of the lecture hall right after class.
“Mine ended earlier, so I came home. But there’s a mandatory welcome gathering later, so I have to go. Are you going?”
― Nah, I’m skipping it.
“Wait, you can skip?”
“If I say I’m not going, who’s going to stop me?”
His tone was so matter-of-fact that Jeongseo accepted it without question.
It was true—no one could force him to go if he didn’t want to.
As expected, Pyo Yoontae was always firm in his opinions, and Jeongseo found that kind of confidence admirable.
“Jeongseo, what time is the semester-opening meeting? Where’s it being held?”
“At seven… where was it again…”
Jeongseo pulled his phone away from his ear and checked the group chat.
“Oh, it’s at Daebak Pocha!”
“Daebak Pocha? Send me the address later. And don’t drink too much. Call me when you’re heading home, got it?”
Yoontae sounded so much like a parent that Jeongseo couldn’t help but laugh.
Then, as if that weren’t enough, Yoontae even told him that if any weird guy started bothering him, he should kick him in the shin—just like he did to Kim Woosik before.
After chatting for a while longer, Jeongseo said he was going to take a quick nap before heading out and ended the call.
Before he knew it, six o’clock had already rolled around.
Jeongseo hurried to get ready and made his way to Daebak Pocha.
He had been there once before with Yoontae and, more recently, with Hayan, just the three of them for a casual drink.
But this was his first time attending a proper gathering like this, and the thought made his heart race.
At seven o’clock, the student council members from the department gave a brief introduction before officially starting the semester-opening meeting.
Since there were far more freshmen than upperclassmen, the atmosphere was easygoing, and Jeongseo found himself chatting with the new friends he’d made.
At some point, Shin Junhee, whom he hadn’t seen since their first class, came over to his table and started talking.
“Seriously, no matter how much I think about it, I still can’t believe you’re a weasel.”
“Okay.”
Jeongseo responded mechanically as he took a sip of the drink that some random guy had mixed for him, calling it “the perfect ratio” of soju and beer.
It just tasted like soju mixed with beer, but it was drinkable enough.
“When you said you were a weasel, my first thought was, ‘Shit, not another one.’ Oh, not you—I don’t mean you. It’s just that ever since we were kids, Nam Seungho was a complete psycho to me. And do you know what he’d always say when I got mad at him?”
“Hmm. That he was acting that way because he’s a weasel?”
Junhee’s eyes widened in shock. “How did you know?”
It wasn’t surprising.
This was already the fourth time Jeongseo had heard Junhee talk about his childhood with Nam Seungho.
It seemed like Junhee had been brainwashed into thinking weasels were naturally cruel creatures.
Though the repeated story should have bored him, Jeongseo stayed put.
There was too much to watch around him.
Across the room, one table had already stacked over twenty empty soju bottles, while another group had just shattered their fifth shot glass.
As the night wore on, the entire bar turned into a chaotic spectacle.
With so many large-built guys around, the noise level was insane.
And since there were also beast-hybrids among them, animal sounds echoed from different corners.
People always joked that heavy drinking turned you into a dog—but now, actual barking could be heard.
For some reason, Jeongseo suddenly wanted to go home.
He always thought he enjoyed socializing, but maybe that wasn’t really his personality after all.
Just as he was considering slipping away, someone plopped down beside him.
“Hey.”
It was a guy almost as big as Pyo Yoontae.
Under the dim bar lights, Jeongseo couldn’t tell if his hair was gray or black, but his eyes were pitch-dark.
There was something about him that felt imposing.
Jeongseo just stared silently before giving a small nod.
“Hello!”
“No need for formalities. You a freshman too?”
He looked older—at least a junior—Seo Jeongseo was surprised.
The guy lifted a soju bottle, and out of politeness, Jeongseo picked up his glass.
“Yeah. Freshman.”
“Name?”
Jeongseo poured him a drink in return.
The guy looked at him for a moment before letting out a quiet chuckle.
“I’m Im Woohyeon. How old are you?”
Their glasses clinked together with a crisp sound, and an uneasy feeling crawled up Jeongseo’s spine.
He took a sip of his drink and eyed Woohyeon warily.
“Twenty…?”
“I’m twenty-two. You’re cute.”
Before he could even react to the age difference, a faintly bitter fruit scent reached Jeongseo’s nose. His skin prickled.
This guy—he was an Alpha.
And judging by the strength of his scent, just as dominant as Pyo Yoontae.
Oop you better hurry yoontae, someone is tryna steal jeongseo