* * *

“Where’s Iseo? Sleeping?”

“No, over there.”

His niece was off in the distance, doing the splits and ignoring both her dad and uncle.

“Iseo, aren’t you happy to see your uncle?”

“I am, but I’m busy right now.”

Sejun chuckled quietly.

He loved it when kids spoke like little robots.

“Busy with what?”

“I need to focus. I’m moving up to the competition team and participating in the spring tournament.”

“Huh? What tournament?”

Iseo folded her stretched legs, sprang up, grabbed a cheer pom-pom lying nearby, and struck a pose.

“Cheerleading!”

“Cheerleading? That’s a thing?”

“It’s a thing! Only for the best!”

Sejun stared at the giant bow on Iseo’s head.

It matched the shiny pom-pom, both clearly part of the cheerleading gear.

“Alright, do your best.”

“I’ll try, but effort doesn’t guarantee success.”

“Wow. Hey, Sis-in-law, is this kid living her second life or what….”

“Hahaha!”

Chae Yunmi, who had been covering Youngjun with a blanket, burst out laughing.

When Sejun moved away from his niece to talk to Yunmi, she handed him a glass of warm water.

“She’s only been doing it for a short time, but she’s so into it.”

“What made her take up cheerleading?”

“Who knows? Her friends were doing it, so she asked to join. She must hate being left behind because she practices like crazy. But being young, she’s learning fast.”

“She’s got a personality like mine when I was a kid.”

“Even Youngjun said that.”

“Coming from him, it’s probably not a compliment.”

“No way, it’s his daughter!”

Sejun laughed it off, but Yunmi suddenly grew serious.

“By the way, the academy’s deputy director is a man. Used to be a cheerleader himself.”

“A male cheerleader? Like those hype guys at baseball games?”

“Cheerleading isn’t just that!”

Iseo’s sharp ears picked up the comment.

She shouted from afar, “Cheerleading is way more than that!”

“Sorry, Iseo. Your uncle doesn’t know much about it.”

“Not knowing much or being a dimwit?”

“Not dimwit, Iseo. Just ignorant about the field.”

After calming Iseo down, Yunmi continued with a grin.

“The assistant director is a male Beta. And he’s really handsome. Makes dropping Iseo off totally worth it.”

“What? What about my brother?”

“Sejun, you and your brother are fine, but truly good-looking men shouldn’t be tied to one family. They’re a blessing for the public. The assistant director has this mature charm… If I weren’t married….”

“Okay, that’s enough weirdness, Sis.”

“What? I love my family. I mean, he’s just… nice to look at.”

Sejun rolled his eyes as Yunmi sheepishly stole his glass and drank the rest.

“Are you off tomorrow? Thanks again for all the help.”

“Well, I won’t tell my brother about your assistant director obsession. Enjoy your cheerleading drop-offs.”

“You’ll understand when you see him.”

“Yeah, sure….”

Just looking at Jin Sejun’s face should be enough of a treat.

How good-looking could he possibly be anyway?

Besides, it’s common knowledge that Omega women and Alpha men are generally attracted to different things.

And the phrase “a man doing cheerleading” only brought to mind images of a guy in a peppy skirt uniform with a giant ribbon, doing splits.

It wasn’t exactly appealing.

Well, maybe it’s someone’s cup of tea…

Jin Sejun’s apartment was in the same complex, just a slightly smaller unit, so the walk home was short.

But in those few minutes, the lingering buzz of alcohol surged, bringing with it an unexpected wave of melancholy.

“Plenty of people are having sex tonight, huh?”

It’s Friday night, after all.

Not that it has to be sex specifically… Just look at Jin Youngjun.

He’s nothing more than a plain drunk in Sejun’s eyes, but even he gets to return to a warm home with a partner who loves him and kids waiting for him.

That made Sejun incredibly jealous.

Standing by the window, Sejun counted the lights from the high-rise view before sighing deeply and burrowing into his blanket.

His suit reeked of alcohol, making it uncomfortable to wear, but the thought of taking a shower and changing into something more comfortable felt pointless.

People who couldn’t stand being alone often surrounded themselves with others.

Sejun had often mocked their inability to feel complete on their own, calling them shallow.

But why was it only now, at this age, that Sejun was starting to feel lonely?

Maybe it would’ve been better to figure this out earlier.

At least if he’d made mistakes or acted out of character back then, it could’ve been written off as youthful folly.

But now, anything he did would just seem pathetic and desperate.

The people who claimed to want to live alone always seemed to have lots of friends.

The closest Sejun could claim was his second brother, but even to his second brother, he was far from a priority.

Not that Sejun wanted to monopolize his brother’s attention—he wouldn’t take it even if offered—but he couldn’t ignore the longing for a relationship where they both prioritized each other above all else.

It wasn’t something Sejun could solve in his current situation.

The gloom brought on by alcohol and the Friday night atmosphere lingered stubbornly.

Life wasn’t particularly hard, and he made good money, but his knack for finding things to worry about was a foolish habit.

At least lately, he had the enjoyment of texting Kwon Juwan to keep him distracted.

But after their earlier conversation had ended on an ambiguous note, there hadn’t been any new messages.

Sejun debated whether to send one himself before letting out another sigh.

He wished he could just fall asleep.

Juwan: Did the dinner go well? You didn’t overdrink, did you?

Sejun: No, it ended early.

What if I had overdrunk?

Don’t get my hopes up for nothing.

Sejun, who had been thinking sarcastically, suddenly started typing furiously.

Sejun: That Omega didn’t say anything about your hair again, did they?

Juwan: Oh… After I went to the counselor, they haven’t brought it up again.

Why does a Beta even bother listening to their Omega friend’s complaints when they’re not dating an Omega themselves?

At least they haven’t brought it up again.

Actually… are they even just friends? Can you even be friends with an Omega?

…Well, Kwon Juwan is a Beta, though.

Without realizing it, Sejun smirked and tapped at his phone screen.

Sejun: How about now? Do you still feel uneasy?

Does this sound too provocative?

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Sejun wondered if he should add a cute animal emoji to soften the tone.

Just then, a new message appeared in the chat after a brief silence.

Juwan: If you say it’s okay, then I think I won’t feel uneasy anymore.

“If you say it’s okay, I don’t think I’ll feel anxious anymore.”

Jin Sejun felt as if the alcohol instantly evaporated from his system.

Despite having such a large frame and not particularly cute features, there was something subtly endearing about him, almost like he was being playful. It was disorienting, to say the least.

He wanted to act crazy, clingy even. He wanted to tease him.

“Want to come over for a drink? I’m home alone right now…”

…he wanted to say that!

If only the person he was talking to right now wasn’t a beta who was transitioning from a client to an acquaintance, but just one of many casual flings in the sea of hookups.

Feeling that way stirred up so many things he wanted to say, but…

“I shouldn’t make any decisions while drunk, right?”

A surprisingly rational choice for someone under the influence.

* * *