The moving shadow seen from beneath the door confirms the presence of the owner in the room. Knocking a few times to announce his presence, Sangcheol opens the unlocked door and leans against it, greeting Taeyong whom he hasn't met in a while.
They used to be close, but being in different courses, they drifted apart naturally. Though they still hang out with each other once in a while, it is not how he had imagined their friendship to be at the beginning of their campus life. Taeyong is friendly with everyone so he is quick to form his own pack while Sangcheol cannot fit in any – because he is not used to being in one.
Unlike other alphas, he had always been one half of a couple instead of a pack. Hierarchies and natural orders, albeit not a strict one, never feels natural to him like it does others. Not hanging out with other alphas as much, and spending time with his then-girlfriend instead, Sangcheol turned mild.
He became more of a beta, trait-wise.
When he is supposed to be testosterone-filled aggressive alpha teenager, he became mushy with love instead. As a result, he isn't as easy to provoke, not eager to fight, and certainly, not crazy for other omegas. It occurred to him some time ago that the reason why their stronger kinds are meant to be with the weaker omegas, is to balance each other. It is a romantic thought, and he is always laughed at by his friends but he still thought it is true to this day, despite everything.
"Yo, Ryuu!" Taeyong welcomes him with a hug. Groaning from the force, Sangcheol laughs, inwardly thinking of a way to ask for Haneul's contacts without implying that he is interested in the omega that his friend is after. He thought returning the man's book can be a good chance to do so, but now that he is here, he realizes that is not enough reason. Still, he is already here with the book, it won't be right to leave with it. "Here."
Taeyong's face falls at the sight, surprising Sangcheol who is holding on to the man's excitement so they can talk about it and segue to the enquiry. This reaction, is unexpected. "You finally read it."
"Not really. I skipped a lot." He laughs, trying to ease the tension. "How'd you even finish it?" he tries again, hoping the man will bite the bait but instead, Taeyong only gives Sangcheol a forced smile.
What happened between the two? The last time they saw each other, his friend is still eager to get to know Haneul and gets very enthusiastic every time the name is mentioned. Now it seems, Taeyong has lost interest. He is not hating the man, Sangcheol doesn't get that vibe. It is like, the obsession he had is just, gone.
"I got into it. Maybe too much." Taeyong replies with a sigh, turning his face away from the book. "Anyway, you can have that. I'm done with Haneul."
The air is solemn. Sangcheol can only gave the other a bitter smile, as a condolence for his lost love. At the same time, although he wants to let it be and give his friend space, he cannot help but be curious of the reason. Because although the omega might be cold with his words, Haneul doesn't seem like a bad person. And, not to mention, they slept together so it must have meant something… If Sangcheol can talk to Haneul a few times after orientation despite their bad start, he doubt the omega will leave his gentle friend hanging.
Just, why?
"He's hopeless." Taeyong suddenly answers his question, understanding his obvious silence, "I mean, he's attractive and all but he's never gonna be a good mate."
"Owh…" Sangcheol cannot help but frown at the comment. That is a bit harsh, especially coming from Taeyong who apparently has been adoring the other since a while back. Although compared to hid friend, Sangcheol only knows the omega for a short time, Haneul doesn't seem like a bad person. Helpless, pessimistic, cold, maybe but not enough to say that he is going to be a bad mate. It makes him wonder what Haneul did to his friend to cause him to feel this way.
"You know he sleeps around right?"
"…yeah." Sangcheol drags his words, not liking the question. Despite his own ignorance, he knows that much about Haneul. Because the omega is infamous for it. But, Taeyong should know about it from the very beginning and yet he chose to chase Haneul anyway. That could not have been the tie-breaker. Not to mention, based on the rumours he heard about how notorious Haneul is, he imagined Haneul to sleep with different alphas all the time but the few times they met, he never smelled any alphas on the omega, not even the boyfriend's scent. Sometimes Sangcheol cannot help but wonder if the rumours are even true.
"People like that won't stick with one person for the rest of their lives right? You should know, your girlfriend's just like him- ahh," Sangcheol feels a pang in his heart at the sudden mention of his ex-girlfriend. Although he is trying hard not to react, he can feel his jaw clenches as he swallows to wet his dry throat. "Sorry Ryuu, I don't…"
"You're not wrong…" he forces himself to speak, trying to laugh it off. His friend is telling the truth anyway, she did, cheat on him and sleep with other people.
"I was just tryna make a point… He's like a male version of Gyuri so-"
"Point understood." He cuts the other off, not wanting to hear anymore excuse. He gets what Taeyong is trying to say; he can also understand his reasoning, and honestly, he would have agreed completely had he not seen the way Haneul has been reacting towards the alphas around him. Most of their meetings, the omega had been avoiding alphas for one reason or another. The man seems complex, but Sangcheol somehow gets the impression that Haneul doesn't enjoy his experience with alphas as much as people thought.
Unlike Gyuri.
But then again, he can be wrong. He was wrong about Gyuri, and he has only known Haneul for two months or less. Taeyong had been following the male omega for a few years, they even shared an intimate night together. It is obvious who is the better judge.
Not wanting to stay and torture his guilt-ridden friend, and himself from the reminiscence of his broken relationship, Sangcheol decides to leave Taeyong be, bringing the book with him. "I'll take this away then."
#####
Making his way back to his room, locking the door behind, Sangcheol throws the book on the bed, staring at it. He knows Taeyong only mentioned his ex-lover to emphasize his point but having Haneul being compared to Gyuri makes him despise the male omega. At least, for the few moments before he realized it shouldn't matter.
Because, it is not as if he is interested in the male nor will he ever go out with the omega anyway so, trivial things like that shouldn't affect him.
He didn't go to Taeyong to get to know Haneul. He just wants the contact details because he feels bad for what he said yesterday at the park and wants to apologize. They should be back to being strangers after this.
Yes, he shouldn't care about Haneul.