축하하

Impending doom. It’s the feeling that has your stomach churning as you sit down in the rigid, black chair at the foot of the long conference room table. You’ve been given no reason to be worried, but knowing that you know something that she doesn’t know is enough to make bile rise in your throat. This cannot be good. All around you stone-faced women with clipboards are pulling out chairs, sitting down behind gold placards with their names engraved on them, lacing their fingers before them and staring attentively at the agenda on the projector. The board of directors doesn’t meet often. Under the table your foot taps an erratic pattern on the carpeted floor and sweaty palms fight for purchase on shaky thighs; on the surface your polite smile doesn’t falter, but there’s nothing you can do to hide the panic in your eyes when she clears to draw everyone’s attention. Your blood runs cold because what comes out of is exactly what you expected but not what you thought. Affronted hisses and angry glares are thrown your way; it’s not truly a concern because they fall on deaf ears and blur in teary eyes. This isn’t happening. And you flinch away from the hand ushering you forward, but follow the path it points out up to the podium where you let empty words pour from your mouth, bow until your face is but a breath from the ground, allow the tears to fall. Twelve of fourteen hands raise and it’s decided - it’s over, everything is over and it’s okay but it’s not because is this really what you want?

She stands on your left side, wrenches your arm from your side and extends it above your head, releases it to bring her hands together over and over, the sound sharp like fired shots. And when you’ve been released and told to pack up your office, you nearly lose it in the hallway, nearly buckle on weak knees, nearly scream in frustration. And what’s worse, Jungkook is sitting in the chair across from the small coffee table staring intently into a cup of black as if it holds the answers he doesn’t have and is about to divulge its secrets. He barely registers the door opening and closing with a snap, but the cold hand on his face pulls him to the surface and he didn’t know he was holding his breath. He stands.

“What are we gonna do, Kook.” It’s not a question because you know he doesn’t know, know he doesn’t have a plan because this is happening way too fast. You move to stand directly in front of him, but you can’t bring yourself to look up. “You said-” a loose fist lands on his chest, “You said it’d be okay, Kook.” Again your balled hand thuds against his chest in a pathetic attempt at a punch. “Kook-” He catches your wrist when you go for the third swat; he can’t meet your gaze either so his head hangs low, wet eyes focused on the floor.

“Congratulations,” he whispers, “you deserve it.”

But this is nothing like you imagined it would be - there’s too many tears, too much heartache, no satisfaction.

“Congratulations,” she had said, “Your work has exceeded all expectations; there’s no other more fit for this position.” And like that, you’re promoted from President to CEO.

“Congratulations!” Jung Hoseok smiles at you from across the small table in his office, genuinely happy for you in light of the good news. “So doesn’t that mean you’re done training? You get to be in charge now, right?” He’s quick to pick up on the lack of enthusiasm in your slow nod, and his thin lips turn down in a frown as he considers the feeble response. “Ya,” he starts, “Why do you look so upset? I’d be pretty whipped if I just inherited a 4.6 million dollar company,” he chuckles, then pauses to sneak a glance. Again there’s no reaction on your part; his frown deepens.

“I-” and god damnit, you’re already starting to tear up, “This isn’t what I wanted, but this is exactly what I wanted, well, what I thought I wanted anyways… But Hobi, this ing . This really ing .”

Hoseok watches you run frustrated hands over your face at a loss for what to do or say, stares down at his hands and tries to ignore the wrenching in his heart. A sniffle and a small sob have his head snapping up. “Ya… D-don’t cry, (Y/N).” An internal battle is raging in his head as he debates whether to reach out a hand in comfort or go for the full embrace; it comes to a halt when you stand abruptly, round the table, and plop down next to him, aching head dropping on his shoulder with a huff.

“Hobi, This is bad.” It’s not.

“But why?” It makes no sense. “You just got promoted to acting CEO and if all goes well, you’ll take over one of the strongest packs in Korea.” A timid arm slowly extends, settles carefully on a warm waist, and wow Hoseok feels like flying, “This is huge, (Y/N).”

And you’ve only ever told Jimin the secrets and insecurities and concerns that start slipping from your lips for the other to digest. Hoseok listens silently, realization pouring over his head like cold water and it makes sense because this situation really does and he feels dumb for not catching on earlier. “So he- lemme get this straight. This Jungkook kid is an alpha and because you’re both of high rank you can’t mate without someone giving up their status...” A small nod confirms this. “And you can’t submit because that means you’d have to give up the company, denounce your pack, reammerge an omega and a traitor, basically throw away your entire life for the sake of mating, all that ?”

“And it’s the same for him.”

His mouth drops open, “Well, .” This is bad. “And there’s no other alternative? Why can’t you just do the normal relationship stuff without mating?” You raise your head from his shoulder to glare into the side of his face; he can’t be serious. “Ok, ok, fine. Dumb idea,” he waves off the idea with a thin hand, “Resisting marking one’s mate is basically impossible once they both imprint; I can only imagine how stressful it’d be for a head alpha to avoid claiming their mate.” He’s uncharacteristically quiet for a while as he crunches the possibilities. “Wait,” he looks down at where your head has fallen into his lap, “Have you imprinted on each other?”

“I- I havn’t. I don’t know about him.” You knead a palm into your eyes, trying to hold back the torrent of tears, “What if he… If we imprint then it’s over; I’m done, everything is over.” A soothing hand rubs swirling patterns into your back as you cry for what seems like hours. Above you Hoseok is in the process of stacking bricks and smearing concrete; he’ll get hurt if he doesn’t.

“Then why don’t you-” he struggles to piece his thoughts together, “I’m a beta.”

“Ok, you’ve been staring at that same page for an hour now,” Yoongi throws one of the many thick contracts he has to review before tomorrow down on the table, “Spill it. What’s up?”

“We’re ed over, hyung,” his voice is hollow, detached, “And I’m too far gone to do what has to be done.”

“Eh?” It’s too late at night for Yoongi’s sluggish mind to process what the other is implying, “What do you mean ‘too far gone?’ Did she already accept the position? Did she- . Did she try to break things off??”

Jungkook slumps further into the chair, “Not yet, but I can feel it coming.” Clammy hands clasp onto the armrests, “She has nothing to gain by staying with me, so why would she?”

“Um, I don’t know,” Yoongi scoffs with a roll of his eyes, “Because she loves you?”

“I don’t know that.”

The blonde considers this for a minute. “Then just ask her. Write it on a tiny piece of paper.” He scribbles into the air as if writing, “‘Are you into me? Check yes or no.’”

The other’s failed attempt at humor doesn’t do anything for Jungkook’s mood. “It’s not that simple, hyung. At this point I feel like there’s nothing tying her to me even though I’m tied to her.” And he freezes because he’s said too much.

“Wait wait wait.” Pale hands flap around in confusion, “You’re tied to her? As in you’re tied to her??”

The younger sits motionlessly, mortified by the small slip, struggling to believe he just divulged what he’s buried and ignored for over a month. “I… I imprinted.”

A/N:

ILY guys, we’re up to 55 pages, 25273 words, and 55 subscribers <3 Thank you for reading and for all the support and kind words :D

Sorry this chapter is shorter than usual, I have two more midterms to not study for and a mountain of homework I’ve been ignoring all weekend (.-.)

Did you catch when Jungkook imprinted? It was back in Chapter 5 after you said his name for the first time - “And like that, everything changed.” Sneaky, huh? This obviously complicates things for your relationship tho T.T