Kian’s POV

The next day, the moment I walked onto the college campus, every single pair of eyes turned toward me. The heavy, intense stares from the passing students gave me an instant chill.

Suddenly, Sun rushed up from behind me. "You're really something, Kian! Even without saying a single line of dialogue, your acting was so realistic! But... oh, look at your cheek! How could he slap you that hard? Are you okay?"

I just gave a small nod. What was I supposed to tell him—that I was completely fine?

"You have no idea what happened after you ran off!" Sun continued, his eyes wide.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Your acting was so emotional that it actually made half the audience cry!" Sun said excitedly. "Our drama group even won the trophy! But... right after you left, Senior Kai slapped the guy who slapped you on stage!"

I stopped dead in my tracks, my head spinning. "What... what did you just say?"

"We don't know what got into him!" Sun explained, lowering his voice. "Out of nowhere, Senior Kai walked backstage, delivered a harsh slap across that freshman bully's face, and just walked away without offering a single word of explanation!"

My heart hammered against my ribs. Why did Kai slap him? Was it... because of me? No, that can't be. Why would someone like him hit another person on my behalf?

Before I could wrap my head around it, Senior Moon walked up to us.

"Kian, right?" Moon said, giving me a rare, approving nod. "You actually did pretty well yesterday, even without saying a single word of dialogue."

"Thank you," I murmured, nodding meekly.

Moon then turned to Sun. "Sun, meet me at the student club room during lunchtime."

Sun gave a quick nod. "Understood, Senior."

After Senior Moon walked away, we headed toward our classroom. I turned to Sun, my curiosity sparked. "What do you think that's about? Why did he ask to meet you during lunch?"

"I have no idea," Sun admitted, scratching his head. "I guess I'll find out what he wants when I go there."

I nodded as lunchtime finally arrived. Sun and I headed down to the canteen together.

The moment we walked inside, whispering broke out across the tables. Several students walked up to me with wide eyes. "Kian, you were seriously so good at acting yesterday! You played that girl's role so well! Though... wow, your cheek is still bright red from just a simple slap."

I didn't know how to respond to them, so I just gave a tight, awkward nod.

Sun turned to me as we picked up our food. "Kian, you go ahead and eat. I'm going to head over to meet Senior Moon and see what he actually wants."

"Okay," I replied, nodding as Sun walked away.

I sat down at a table alone, taking a bite of my food. Suddenly, a shadow fell over my tray.

I looked up—it was the same actor who had slapped me on stage yesterday.

"Ha! Acting like a pathetic, weak victim in front of everyone, huh?" he sneered, leaning in close. "Why did Senior Kai slap me out of nowhere backstage?! Did you complain about me?!"

"No!" I said quickly, trying to stay calm. "I just ran off because I had something urgent to do."

"You liar!" the boy snapped, his face contorting with anger. "You just wanted to gain everyone's sympathy, didn't you?!"

He reached down and roughly grabbed me by the collar.

Oh no... not again...

Then, out of nowhere, his face went completely pale. His aggressive grip on my collar suddenly loosened, and his tone shifted into an unnaturally polite voice.

"Oh... wow, you're really good at acting, Kian!" the bully stammered loudly, sweating profusely. "We should definitely act together again if we ever get the chance, okay? And... uh, you really have soft skin! It turned bright red from just a simple touch! Well... sorry about that, even though it wasn't really my fault!"

I sat there, utterly bewildered. What on earth is going on with him?!

Then, I felt a familiar, cold presence standing right behind me. I looked over my shoulder—it was Kai.

Ah... that's why he suddenly changed his tone.

"I... I should go finish my lunch! Enjoy your meal!" the boy blurted out, bowing nervously before sprinting away as fast as his legs could carry him.

Without saying a word, Kai pulled out the chair across from me and sat down at my table.

My brain completely froze. I had no idea what was happening or why the most feared Alpha on campus was casually sitting at my lunch table.

Sun’s POV

I was really happy that I had made a friend like Kian. He was soft-hearted just like me. His performance yesterday was so moving—it felt like he was expressing real, bottled-up pain on that stage. I truly hoped all of our college dreams would come true together.

As I walked down the hallway, I wondered why Senior Moon had asked to meet me.

Deep down, I was an Omega. I was born a guy, but my second gender was confirmed as an Omega after my family had my lab tests done. Ever since the results came out, my family had constantly looked down on me. They never believed I was capable of achieving anything good. My dad even insulted me, saying that despite looking like an Alpha on the outside, being an Omega ruined the family's reputation.

Well, whatever... it's fine as long as I can just live my own life.

People on campus tended to avoid me, too. I wasn't sure if it was because I was an Omega or simply because I wasn't very good at communicating with others.

When I reached the room Senior Moon had specified, it looked completely empty. Suddenly, he stepped out from around the corner, stopping right in front of me.

"Did you ask to see me, Senior?" I asked softly.

Moon looked directly into my eyes, his tone surprisingly direct. "You know, I'm a very straightforward person. I saw the secondary gender report you submitted to the college office—the one stating you're an Omega."

I gave a silent, timid nod, lowering my gaze.

"To be honest, I liked you from the very first day I saw you with Kian," Moon continued smoothly. "Your smile and your gentle nature really captured my attention. It made me want to propose to you... so, how would you feel about that?"

My brain completely froze.

Is this real? This was the very first time an Alpha hadn't hesitated to say they liked me. Even though Omega males were often treated with disgust by society, Senior Moon was confessing to me after knowing me for only a few days! I had no idea how to respond. Wasn't accepting a proposal out of nowhere way too fast?

Seeing my hesitant, flustered expression, Moon spoke up gently. "Listen, we don't have to rush into anything. We can start as friends, hang out, and get to know each other better first. Then, if we both feel the connection, we can take things further. Does that sound good to you?"

My heart warmed. Oh my god... he actually noticed I was feeling uncomfortable.

"Yes," I murmured, giving a small nod.

Moon smiled warmly, reaching down to gently hold my hand. "Come on, let's head to the canteen for lunch."

I nodded again, and we walked down to the cafeteria together.

When we stepped inside, my eyes widened in total shock. Sitting right at a lunch table was my friend Kian—and sitting right across from him was Senior Kai!

What on earth is Senior Kai doing with my friend?! Did he come here just to eat lunch with him?!

Kian spotted me in the crowd and quickly waved his hand, signaling for me to come sit with them. Moon and I walked over and joined them, sitting down at the exact same table.