“You’ve never used the card I gave you, not even once.”

“Huh?”

“I’ve been waiting to see when you’d finally use it.”

“......”

“Are you secretly doing something behind my back?”

His tone was soft, but it somehow sent chills down my spine. The cold pressure swept over me, and I quickly shook my head.

“N-No! I’ve just been using the savings I already had.”

“Still, you must be running low by now.”

So he even knows the state of my finances... I thought he hadn’t paid much attention since he hadn’t said anything before—but maybe he was actually just waiting for my money to run out...?

“Or maybe you’re just looking for a chance to return what I gave you.”

“......”

That was the correct answer.

Too stunned to even come up with an excuse, I simply looked at Joo Seunghyuk, and he murmured under his breath.

“When will you finally give up, I wonder.”

“What?”

“It’s time. Let’s go in.”

He curved his lips into a smile—but his eyes weren’t smiling at all.

***

What he’d said kept weighing on me, but for now, I tried to focus on the movie.

Since Seunghyuk had picked the tickets, I assumed it’d be an action, thriller, or maybe some artsy film. But surprisingly, it was a romance.

The movie opened with a proposal between an old Alpha and Beta couple. From there, it followed their small conflicts as they prepared for the wedding.

So this is how he pressures me into marriage—through the movie now, I thought for a moment, but the film itself wasn’t bad.

Then the story got weird—after the male lead saved an Omega woman from getting hit by a car.

The man and the Omega instantly felt they were destined for each other. They quickly fell madly in love.

Before long, the Alpha male lead started lying to his Beta fiancée so he could secretly date the Omega.

“‘Destined partner’ my ass! That’s just cheating!”

Why are romance films so obsessed with this “fated pair” or “imprinting” stuff? It’s basically an urban legend, with no proof it even exists.

Betas must have it rough—can’t even date in peace...

As I grumbled to myself, a scene came up where the male lead releases pheromones to show his desire to be with his Beta fiancée. But she doesn’t pick up on them at all, and he’s disappointed—so he goes running back to the Omega.

What a bastard. The hell is wrong with him.

Like, didn’t you know Betas can’t sense pheromones? You cheated on her—why are you disappointed?

But... I guess that’s reality.

If the second semester came and, like in the original story, Joo Seunghyuk fell for Kim Jun or met another Omega, there’d be nothing I could do.

Only he could choose when it started or ended. I had no say.

If he decided to break up, all I could do was accept it. Even if he dumped me out of nowhere, I wouldn’t even be able to protest—because he was terrifying.

I felt a surge of frustration and reached for a handful of popcorn—but Seunghyuk grabbed my hand.

Huh? I can’t eat like this...

But what could I do? If Joo Seunghyuk wanted to hold my hand, I’d have to ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) let him.

I surrendered my left hand to him and tried grabbing popcorn with my right—only to have that hand taken too.

Was he upset about the caramel popcorn? Did he hate it so much that he couldn’t even stand me eating it? Did I make a clueless mistake picking it?

I blinked in confusion, flustered, and then Seunghyuk’s face came closer.

And his lips touched mine.

***

After the movie, we headed to a nearby restaurant.

“Was it fun?”

“Yeah.”

“What’d you think of the movie?”

Truthfully, after Seunghyuk kissed me, I hadn’t been able to focus. But I did clearly see the final scene.

In the end, the male lead still hadn’t chosen anyone by the day of the wedding. As the wedding march played, he walked down the aisle with his Beta fiancée. But when asked if he’d vow eternal love, his mind was flooded with thoughts of the Omega.

In his tuxedo, he ran to his “fated one,” and the Alpha and Omega kissed as the credits rolled.

Was that a happy ending?

They found “fated love,” so I guess that made it happy—but I felt grossed out.

To justify the male lead’s garbage behavior, the movie suddenly turned the competent Beta fiancée into a twisted villain in the last act. That annoyed me even more.

She was just like me—like Yeonsu. A convenient antagonist made to make the main character look kind and sympathetic.

In my relationship with Seunghyuk, I was always the powerless one. I couldn’t make any choices on my own. Everything moved by his will.

Even on our wedding day, if he decided to leave—I’d have no choice but to let him go.

Wait. What the hell am I thinking?

Not “have no choice but to let him go”—if a yandere says he wants to break up, I should be throwing a damn parade!

This ridiculous movie must’ve messed with my brain.

“My goal is to get away from this obsessive yandere and live peacefully. Don’t forget that, Yeonsu.”

“I just... So how about you, Seunghyuk? What’d you think?”

“I couldn’t watch. I was too busy looking at your face.”

He smiled sweetly, eyes narrowing into crescent moons. But it wasn’t just my face you looked at, right? You also kissed me and... other things.

“Haha. Still, you got the gist of the plot, right?”

“More or less.”

“If, let’s say... you were about to get married, like in the movie, and then met your fated partner—what would you do?”

“That’s not gonna happen.”

“If it did, though.”

“I don’t need ifs. I only have you, Yeonsu.”

Yeah, they all say that... right up until the real one comes along. Even that indecisive bastard Alpha in the movie said stuff like this at first.

“Then what if, let’s say...”

“Yeah?”

“What if I met someone I liked?”

“There’s someone like that?”

His gaze instantly turned icy. I waved my hands in panic.

“N-no! That’s not it. I was just wondering—what if, someday, I fell for someone else?”

“I don’t care.”

He answered, surprisingly cool.

“Really?”

“Yeah. Because I’ll just kill them.”

“......”

“And if you fall for someone else again, I’ll kill that one too. I’ll keep killing, and killing, until it’s just the two of us left in the world—and then you’ll have no choice but to choose me.”

“......”

“Right?”

“......”

He held my hand and asked brightly, almost cheerfully. So sweet he could burst with fruit juice.

You haven’t changed at all...

“Is there really someone else?”

When I couldn’t answer, his gaze sharpened again. I frantically shook my head.

“No! I was just talking about the movie. Who else could there be but you?”

“Then do you think about me every day?”

“Huh?”

“I think about you every day. Do you think about me too?”

“Yeah. Of course.” 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

I nodded right away.

“First thing when you wake up?”

“Yeah.”

“Even while you study?”

“Yeah.”

I answered easily. It wasn’t a lie—Joo Seunghyuk was on my mind 24/7.

Even when I spaced out for a moment, my thoughts always drifted back to him.

Why was I always thinking about him? Well, that’s because—because... right!

Because I want to escape from this yandere. Yeah, that’s why I can’t stop thinking about him!

“Then even when you’re... doing that, were you thinking of me?”

“Pffft!”

The moment he whispered that in my ear, I spat out the water I’d just sipped.

“What?!”

Lost in thought, I hadn’t misheard. I frantically looked around. This place wasn’t even private—how could he say something so embarrassing here?!

“Seunghyuk...”

“Why’s your face so red? You never did it alone?”

“I didn’t...!”

I shook my head furiously.

“Really? You never once did it after meeting me?”

His lips curled into a mischievous grin.

“N-Not exactly...”

“Then who were you thinking of when you did?”

“...Y-You.”

“Really?”

I was so mortified I couldn’t even speak. I just nodded.

“Really only me?”

I nodded even more violently.

“Swear it?”

“Yeah.”

“If there’s anyone else who came to mind—tell me now.”

“Why?”

Was he actually going to let it slide this once?

“So I can kill them.”

A chill ran down my spine. Of course it was 100% sincere. It’s Joo Seunghyuk.

“There’s no one else! It’s only you!”

I wasn’t lying—he was the only one.

Not just in this life, but even if I counted my past lives, the only person I’d ever had that kind of relationship with was Joo Seunghyuk. ...God, what a pitiful life I’ve led.

“Being each other’s first love is a pretty beautiful thing, isn’t it? Don’t you think so too, hyung?”

“...Yeah. I guess so...”

I knew I was his first—but he wasn’t mine. I couldn’t say it. I just pouted a little.

He gently stroked my face.

“Why’re you so red?”

Because of you! You and your shameless mouth, you damn yandere!

“Just... embarrassed...”

My words came out overly polite, the opposite of what I really felt. Seunghyuk caressed my cheek, then his fingers moved to brush below my eyes.

“Even your eyelids are red. The way you crinkle up is cute, but don’t cry, okay? It’s scary when you cry.”

“Scary...?”

“Sleep over at my place tonight.”

Instead of asking, he commanded.

“Uh, that...”

“Why?”

Of all places, I really didn’t want to go to Joo Seunghyuk’s house. It was way too dangerous. The cuffs and whip he’d bought at that auction were definitely still lying around. (And who knows what kind of ‘cozy trash can collection’ he’s added since then...)

“Uh... I need to head back early today. If I stay out too often, I get in trouble with the dorm rules. I’m already close to my limit this month.”

“Really?”

Technically, there was such a rule, but these days it didn’t really apply. Especially not to S- or A-ranks.

But I nodded quickly anyway.

“Yeah.”

“Well... I guess it can’t be helped. You’re the type who actually likes rules.”

Seunghyuk’s fingers brushed under my eyes one more time, slow and lingering.

“I’m looking forward to winter break.”

“......”