Why Is This Omega Stalking Me…?

Chapter 80

.

.

"Shen Yu... you don’t have to worry. It was just a little sprain."

He Lian tried to reassure him, though a small wince escaped her when Shen Yu carefully touched her swollen ankle. His hands were almost unnaturally gentle as he examined it, his dark eyes widening with every glance at the redness around her skin. He looked far more distressed than the person who had actually been injured.

"No," Shen Yu immediately replied, shaking his head. "You should go to the hospital. What if you can’t walk properly anymore? How are you going to do cheerleading or modeling?"

There was genuine panic in his voice. His concern was so obvious that He Lian couldn’t help but laugh softly.

"Not everyone has that kind of money, Yu’er," she murmured.

Before she could explain further, Shen Yu suddenly bent down and lifted her into his arms.

He Lian gasped in surprise, instinctively wrapping her arms around his shoulders as he turned toward the door.

"We’re going to the hospital, Hyung. We’ll see you later."

Shen Yu had only recently learned that Teahyun was Korean and that younger people commonly called an older male they were close to "hyung." For some reason, he had immediately started using the word for Teahyun, despite the older Alpha never quite understanding why Shen Yu had become so attached to him.

Teahyun, meanwhile, remained leaning against the wall, watching the entire scene with a bored expression. His arms were folded loosely across his chest, and he looked as though he couldn’t care less about Shen Yu carrying He Lian away.

At least, that was how he appeared.

The moment Shen Yu turned his head, however, Teahyun caught sight of his eyes.

They were filled with panic.

Worry.

Something far too intense for a simple friendship.

Teahyun’s expression changed slightly.

Was Shen Yu...?

He tilted his head, studying the younger man for another moment before letting out a quiet hum. It was strange, certainly, but at the time, he decided it wasn’t his business.

He was wrong.

Weeks later, Teahyun discovered that his suspicion had been correct.

Shen Yu began carrying He Lian whenever they were forced to walk long distances. If her ankle hurt after practice, he would quietly support her weight. Sometimes, even when he was already running late, he would carry her all the way to her department before rushing back to his own.

One afternoon, Shen Yu came running toward Teahyun, breathing heavily from the effort.

Teahyun was sitting outside the lecture hall with an iced Americano in his hand, casually sipping through the straw while staring at his notes. His frameless glasses had slipped slightly lower on his nose, and he pushed them back up when he noticed Shen Yu approaching.

"Why did you do that?" Teahyun asked, still sipping his coffee.

Shen Yu looked down, his cheeks slightly flushed from running. Despite his exhaustion, there was a small smile on his lips.

"Ah... she’s my friend. I can’t let her limp all the way to her department. You know how far it is."

Teahyun raised an eyebrow.

That was a flimsy excuse.

He stared silently at the boy standing in front of him, taking in the flushed cheeks, the slightly disheveled hair, and the softness that had appeared in Shen Yu’s dark eyes whenever He Lian was mentioned.

Teahyun couldn’t help but chuckle.

He was so cute.

"If you care so much, you should have helped me!" Shen Yu complained, lightly pushing Teahyun’s shoulder. "You’re stronger than me, Mr. Dominant Alpha."

Teahyun grinned, revealing the slight points of his canines.

"Why would I do that? The sun is blazing hot today."

Shen Yu immediately glared at him.

Without saying another word, he snatched the iced Americano from Teahyun’s hand and began drinking it himself.

Teahyun stared at him for a second before laughing.

"Are we even allowed to eat here?"

Shen Yu paused.

"What?"

Teahyun shrugged, deliberately refusing to clarify what he meant, and Shen Yu’s eyes widened as realization dawned on him. He quickly hid the coffee behind his back, glaring suspiciously at the older Alpha.

Teahyun laughed again.

He really was cute.

After the lecture, they eventually went their separate ways. Teahyun didn’t care where Shen Yu and He Lian went afterward, but there was something he noticed that afternoon.

The moment He Lian walked away, Shen Yu’s expression changed.

The smile disappeared.

The brightness faded.

His face became strangely dull, as though someone had reached inside him and switched something off.

It reminded Teahyun of a color-blind person suddenly seeing color for the first time—but only when one particular person stood in front of them.

And that person was He Lian.

Then the money began.

One hundred thousand yen.

Then two hundred thousand.

"Yu’er... my mother is sick. I don’t know what to do."

A few days later, she would look at him with worried eyes and tell him, "Yu’er, you should stop giving me so much money."

But she never actually stopped accepting it.

Teahyun didn’t initially care. If Shen Yu and He Lian eventually started dating, he wouldn’t have interfered. Shen Yu’s feelings were clear enough that even someone deliberately trying not to notice them would have eventually understood.

But gradually, Teahyun began noticing something else.

He Lian knew.

She knew exactly how Shen Yu felt about her.

And she was using it.

Teahyun’s eyes darkened whenever he saw Shen Yu comforting her. One evening, he watched from across the room as He Lian cried against Shen Yu’s chest while Shen Yu gently rubbed her back.

Teahyun sat nearby, slowly eating a lollipop.

His expression remained calm, but something inside him had begun to turn black.

She was a snake hiding beneath human skin.

And Shen Yu was too innocent to realize that he was being slowly wrapped around her fingers.

...

"Lian’er is so lucky to have someone like Shen Yu. Seriously, how did you manage to make a rich, handsome guy like him fall for you?"

One of He Lian’s friends said it while they were sitting inside the dressing room before cheerleading practice.

Another girl immediately joined in.

"Right? That’s why Lian is so rich these days."

The girls giggled.

He Lian, who had been tying her shoelaces, finally looked up.

"It’s not like that. The money he’s been lending me is for my mother’s treatment. Besides, he’s just a friend. He’s a Beta. I could never see myself marrying someone who can’t give me the kind of life I want."

The room became noticeably quieter.

"Huh? He’s a Beta?"

"Mn. How could I date someone who wouldn’t even be able to help me through my heats? Someone who couldn’t protect me with his pheromones?"

She pouted as though the idea itself was ridiculous.

Ni Xue’s eyes widened slightly.

"Then why don’t you tell him? It’s obvious that he likes you."

He Lian sighed.

"He’s been my friend for years. I like him, but not in that way. He’s a really nice person, and it would be difficult to break his heart."

The girls hummed sympathetically.

"And if I did tell him, I might end up cutting ties with Shen Yu. Then I wouldn’t be able to see Hyun-gege."

Her expression softened at the thought of Teahyun.

The other girls immediately gasped.

"Don’t tell me you like Teahyun!"

"I don’t blame her, though!"

Outside the door, Teahyun stood completely still.

In his hand was a bottle of watermelon-flavored water and a snack bar. Shen Yu had begged him to give them to He Lian because he knew she disliked plain water and often became dehydrated after dancing for hours.

Shen Yu had even specifically asked him to buy the snack because He Lian often didn’t have time to eat.

Teahyun stared down at the items.

All of that consideration.

All of that kindness.

Wasted on someone who didn’t deserve it.

His innocent Shen Yu deserved better.

Teahyun slowly smoothed his expression, refusing to allow the anger inside him to show. He thought about the way Shen Yu’s eyes softened whenever He Lian’s name came up, and that thought alone made something bitter twist inside him.

When He Lian eventually left the dressing room with her friends, Teahyun handed her the drinks and snack.

"Shen Yu asked me to give these to you."

He Lian barely reacted.

She was too busy smiling to herself after hearing Teahyun’s name.

Teahyun watched her walk away.

Something had already begun forming in his mind.

There was nothing more fitting than two evils ending up together.

At least, that was what he told himself when he began pursuing He Lian.

He couldn’t separate her from Shen Yu easily. Shen Yu trusted her completely, and any attempt to expose her would probably only make Shen Yu defend her.

But if Teahyun dated her, everything would become easier.

That was what he thought.

He convinced himself of it while he kissed her.

He convinced himself of it when Shen Yu opened the door to their shared apartment and saw them together.

But he would never forget the expression on Shen Yu’s face.

The pain in those dark eyes.

The tears gathering before they spilled down his cheeks.

The way his expression seemed to collapse as though something precious inside him had suddenly been destroyed.

Teahyun would remember that moment for the rest of his life.

Later, everything became even more complicated.

During a rut, Teahyun lost control of himself. He Lian was the only omega present, and the consequences of that night were permanent.

She became pregnant.

Teahyun had no choice but to take responsibility, and eventually, they married.

Everyone around them seemed happy.

Everyone congratulated them.

Everyone acted as though everything had worked out perfectly.

But Teahyun remembered looking toward the far end of the room.

There, standing alone, was Shen Yu.

His eyes were wet.

He was crying.

His innocent Shen Yu.

The same Shen Yu who had once clung to him, told him everything, and looked at him as though Teahyun was someone he could always trust.

Teahyun had never meant to hurt him.

He had never thought that protecting Shen Yu would eventually become the very thing that destroyed him.

But he understood it far too late.

He had been so focused on protecting Shen Yu from everyone else that he failed to notice the person he was slowly destroying was Shen Yu himself.

The dark eyes that had once been so soft became dull.

The innocent curiosity disappeared.

The bright smile that had once appeared so easily became rare, then almost nonexistent.

His laughter faded until Teahyun could barely remember what it sounded like.

And the cute, warm-hearted Shen Yu he had once known seemed to disappear little by little, leaving behind someone colder, quieter, and painfully empty.

Teahyun had once thought he was protecting the person he cherished most.

Instead, he had slowly killed the light inside him.

Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!