Leon leaned back against his chair, foot tapping nonstop against the floor.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Bro, chill," James said, glancing at him from the next seat.
Leon clicked his tongue. "I can't. Where's he now, by the way?" His eyes narrowed.
James shrugged. "Heard he's at the gym. Playing volleyball."
Leon's eyes lit up for a second. "Sporty huh." He looked away. "I wanna go, but the gym's in the other building. Don't wanna walk there just for him. I'll just wait after class."
James laughed, busy drawing a messy tattoo on his hand with a pen. "I heard Mingyue's gang's gonna have a fight later. You wanna join?"
Leon closed his eyes and propped his legs up on the table. "Nah. It's boring. I'll join later if I feel like it."
James stared at him, then burst out laughing. "Pwahahaha. You're really serious about Eunho, huh?"
Leon grinned. "Yeah, I wanna beat his alpha ass."
Their subject adviser finished his class and signalled the students to go. Leon stood up, cracking his neck, eyes already searching the hallway.
"Gonna go."
James nodded, walking in the other direction.
Leon found Eunho near the stairs, towel over his shoulder, talking with his teammates.
Leon walked straight up to him. Eyes glimmering with hope.
"Shin Eunho."
Eunho turned, surprised for a split second. "You again."
Leon crossed his arms. "Come on. Same deal. One-on-one."
Eunho sighed. "Didn't I already say no?"
Leon stepped closer. "Why? Afraid I'll embarrass you?"
Eunho looked at him quietly. Then he shook his head. "I just don't care."
Leon froze.
"I'm tired," Eunho continued. "And I don't fight for fun."
He turned away again.
Leon watched him leave, jaw tight, fists clenched at his sides.
"Tch," he muttered. "Annoying."
This time, though, Eunho's rejection didn't cool Leon down. It only made him more determined.
***
While walking down the road, Leon spotted an old lady struggling to cross. Without thinking, he rushed over.
"Here, grandma. Let me help you."
He guided her across safely. "There you go. Be careful."
"Thank you, son," she said with a smile.
Leon waved and continued walking.
When he reached his apartment, he opened the fridge and took out some pork. He cooked it quickly and sat down to eat.
As he chewed, his phone buzzed on the table. Out of habit, he opened Eunho's social media and started scrolling.
"W-wait… why am I becoming a stalker?" he muttered, staring at the screen. His face heated.
After finishing his dinner, he checked the calendar. "Oh no, my heat is coming next week. Shit."
He hurried to his room and opened his drawer, checking his suppressants. A pile of bottles stared back at him.
"There's still a lot…phew. Good."
He leaned back against his headboard, letting out a small sigh, checking his phone again. His fingers scrolled down Eunho's photos in Snapgram. "Alpha…"
***
The next day, Leon wasted no time.
"Eunho! Should I schedule later?" he called as soon as he saw him in the hallway.
"Go away," Eunho replied calmly and kept walking.
"No? Tomorrow then?" Leon asked, falling into step beside him.
"I said go away," Eunho repeated, sharper this time.
"Cmon! It'll be fast." Leon didn't give up, grinning. "Are you afraid I'll defeat you easily?"
Eunho stopped for a second, clearly annoyed. "Stop being smug, you don't know me."
Leon tilted his head, excited. Yes, finally a reaction.
All morning, Leon followed him like a shadow. Lunch. Hallway. Even when Eunho was in his senior class, Leon leaned against the doorway, smirking.
"You're persistent," Eunho muttered, eyes narrowing.
"And you're finally annoyed!" Leon said, barely containing his excitement. "Good, good. That's what I wanted."
Eunho's brows furrowed, but he ignored him and tried to keep moving.
By the afternoon, Leon cornered him again, this time in an empty hallway. The afternoon sun cast long shadows along the walls.
Eunho leaned against the lockers, arms crossed. "You really don't give up, huh?"
Leon grinned. "Of course not. You're fun to chase."
Eunho's calm smile didn't reach his eyes. Inside, he was furious. But something in Leon's determination made him feel slightly interested, maybe his energy, he stared at Leon's eyes that were full of hope.
"Fine," Eunho said finally, sighing. "After class tomorrow. One-on-one. Outside campus."
Leon's eyes lit up. "Finally! That's what I wanted to hear!"
Eunho gave a small, tight smile. He turned and walked away, already regretting saying yes.
Leon watched him go, heart racing. This is going to be fun.
***
Leon didn't sleep that night. He couldn't.
Instead, he did push-ups until his arms burned, then switched to sit-ups, counting each one out loud. After that, he tried a few pull-ups on the doorframe of his apartment, his muscles trembling but refusing to quit. He shadowboxed in the living room, imagining Eunho standing in front of him.
"Come on! Let's see what you got!" he shouted, punching the air.
By midnight, he was panting, sweaty, but grinning like an idiot. He ran a few laps around his apartment, jumped onto the sofa for lunges, and finished with some stretches while humming. Every move made him feel stronger, faster… ready.
Tomorrow, he thought, I'm finally going to beat that perfect alpha. Everyone's gonna see it. Everyone's gonna know.
Morning came too fast. Leon jumped out of bed, threw on his clothes, and sprinted to campus like it was a race.
Near the main building, he spotted James sitting on the steps, lazily scrolling on his phone.
Leon ran up and wrapped his arm around James' shoulders, practically shaking him.
"Hey! Guess what? Eunho finally agreed! After class, one-on-one!" Leon's grin stretched from ear to ear.
James blinked at him, then laughed. "You're serious? That guy actually said yes?"
"Of course! Can you believe it?" Leon bounced on his feet. "I'm finally going to show him who's boss!"
James shook his head, still laughing. "Dude… you're ridiculous. But okay, this I have to see."
Leon's heart raced. This is it. Today's the day. Nothing can stop me now.