If there was a day in his past that Minseok enjoyed these galas even the slightest bit, he didn’t remember it. From the painfully bland finger foods laid out even though they’d all be having dinner soon enough, to the blindingly bright chandeliers making his eyes sting terribly, to the disgustingly fake smiles plastered on everyone’s faces as they attempted to play nice, everything about these events left Minseok with shivers down his spine and the strong urge to crawl into a hole in the ground and never come out.

            Still, he went along with it for his father’s sake. After all, as much of an—put mildly— inconvenience as these parties were, they were necessary for the company’s public image and, as a result, its success. After news of the CEO becoming ill hit the media, they’ve been doing all they could to keep the company away from the pitfall that was awaiting them. Now, if they could get investors and backers to keep them afloat until they managed to bring in more clients, it’d be another story. Hence, Minseok was here, running his mouth off with the sweetest words and flatteries to old founders, socialites, and whatnot, much to his own distaste.

            The entire night would’ve been so much better had his best friend been here to suffer with him, but alas, the man was back in China for business, work so pressing that he couldn’t take a single night off to support him in his time of need. Minseok had half a mind to send Lu Han something crude in the public post to stir up a scandal for him, but knowing the Chinese boy, he’d probably find a way to spin it in his favor. It was truly awe-inspiring, really, to see just how much control Luhan had over the media, to see how they were all just putty in his pretty hands. Usually, it was a pretty useful quirk, but now it just made Minseok more and more annoyed, his grip on his champagne class tightening just a bit.

            “Hm? Minseok-ssi, are you alright?” the old opera singer, now philanthropist he was speaking to questioned, and Minseok immediately forced himself to relax.

            “Oh, don’t worry Mina-yang,” he assured lightly, letting a bright smile spread onto his face to help ease the conversation. “It’s just a bit chilly in here, that’s all.”

            “It is, isn’t it? Winter’s coming up on us so soon, it surprises even me,” the woman chirped, clearly buying his excuse as she tittered lightly.

            Minseok barely managed to control his disgust as her smell hit his nose, a mix of the expensive fragrance she’d sprayed all over herself, her fishy breath from one of the small sandwiches the staff were handing out as appetizers, and her naturally repulsive scent. He didn’t usually mind the smell of other Alphas, but this woman in particular had him reeling internally. Or perhaps, it was just the mix of her scent with every other old greasebag in this room.

            “Ah, darling, there you are!” A man called out, and Minseok turned to see the woman’s husband coming up to them tailed by a few others that he couldn’t remember the names of. “Oh, and Minseok-ssi, what a pleasure!”

            “The pleasure is mine, Park Yoojoon-goon,” he replied easily, returning the handshake offered to him firmly and pairing it with a small bow.

            “Careful now, Minseok-ssi: we wouldn’t want you charming my husband now, would we?” Mina teased lightly as she linked arms with her husband, and Minseok fought the urge to roll his eyes.

            If only she knew how her husband was one of the many people who had propositioned him before. It was a bit strange, seeing as Betas were usually mostly immune to the Alpha scent, but Minseok had always been told his was stronger than normal. He found it repelling for the most part, but his father loved to use it as a strategic weapon. Really, it made everyone around him practically impossible to say no, so long as he played his cards correctly. It was one of the many reasons he was out here at these parties as opposed to his mother, who practically ran the entire company behind the scenes. Well, that was one of the reasons, but really, the main reason she never showed up these galas was because she was…

            “An Omega!” The exclamation tore Minseok out of his thoughts, and he couldn’t hide his surprise at it.

            “Oh, honey,” Mina drawled with a small snicker, “your nose must not be working like it used to; there’s no way an Omega could be here!” For once, Minseok agreed with the hag. His nose, however, was telling him otherwise.

            “Actually, Mina, I have to agree with Yoojoon this time,” another older man spoke up. “There’s definitely an Omega here.”

            “It’s a male,” Minseok blurted out before he could stop himself, and from the way the room broke out into gossiping whispers, he could guess that he wasn’t the only one who realized it.

            A female Omega could’ve had some sort of explanation, at the least. Perhaps it was a child, seeing as young girls usually couldn’t tell their status until they hit puberty and, as a default, smelt like an Omega—no, rather, Omegas smelled like the children. After all, an Omega’s scent was filled with the life and vitality of a child, so it would be an easy mistake for anyone to make. Or perhaps it could’ve been a pregnant Alpha or Beta woman. The scents were often similar enough to that of an Omega’s that any careless person could make the mistake. But a male? There was no explanation, no easily given answer that anyone could think of for a male Omega to be here. There was no smell of an Alpha in the mix, either, meaning it wasn’t just some lucky Alpha who smelt like their Omega mate. It was most definitely a male Omega, likely alone, wandering the party with no sense of stopping rather than staying at home as per usual.

            The very thought of it had adrenaline shooting through Minseok’s blood.

            “B-but, how?!” Mina was exclaiming in desperate confusion, loud and obnoxious as always. “It makes no sense—”

            “What doesn’t make sense?”

            The voice that cut in was light, as though skipping through the clouds, and it had shivers running down Minseok’s spine before he could even turn around to see its source. When he did, however, he couldn’t tell what make him more on edge—the man’s voice, or his face. High cheekbones, eyes that were framed beautifully by long lashes, lips that curled up ever so slightly at the edges to make him look like a content cat, and just the slightest of natural pink on his cheeks. Everything about him screamed joy and playfulness, but more so than his face, his voice, his pronounced Adam’s apple, his anything was just one thing: his smell.

            “O-Omega!” The splutter came from one of Yoojoon’s companions, a middle-aged Beta with a receding hairline and the worst beer-breath Minseok had ever encountered. “Omega, what are you doing here? Where is your Alpha? Are you lost? Should we call for someone to you to your chambers—”

            “Why would I go back to my chambers?” the boy shot back lightheartedly, though there was a firmness to his voice that told Minseok he wasn’t playing around. “I wouldn’t be a very good host if I stayed away from everyone, now would I?”

            “Y-you mean, you… you’re… this…” Mina was blubbering incoherently. Minseok’s heart pounded as the boy’s eyes crinkled up with his bright laugh.

            “Though, I suppose I’m still not a good host if I don’t introduce myself, am I?” The self-jab had Minseok’s lips curling up a bit despite himself, and it didn’t leave his face when the boy bowed lowly in greeting. “My name is Kim Jongdae, son of Kim Industries’ CEO and host of tonight’s dinner party. Thank you very much for coming, I look forward to getting to know you all.”

            The graceful, but somehow still forceful, introduction had Minseok’s knees trembling weakly, and god damn it wasn’t he better than this?

            “How?” some Beta woman was near-shrieking in shock. “You’re lying, it’s not possible—”

            “Well, I’ve always prided myself on making the impossible possible,” Jongdae chirped, as though none of this was a big deal. “Though of all the things I’ve done, I wouldn’t necessarily call this impossible.”

            “Omega, are you sure you wouldn’t rather be at home?” Mina was speaking now, her voice low as she reached her hand out and placed it on his shoulder in a pathetic attempt at comfort. Jongdae seemed less than thrilled at the gesture.

            “I do have a name, Park Mina-ssi, as you would know had you been listening earlier.” God, even the boy’s snark was beautiful. “It’s quite a nice name, too, if I could say so myself, though I do have the nickname if you’d prefer that: Chen.”

            “Like the word for morning in Chinese,” Minseok muttered lowly in interest, and suddenly those bright eyes were on him.

            “My parents said I remind them of the morning sun, so they came up with that,” Jongdae explained, suddenly becoming a little sheepish. “It’s a bit embarrassing, really, but who in the world can say no to something as sweet as that? You made the connection pretty quick though.”

            “Probably because I felt the same way as they did.” Minseok partially wanted to bury his face in a bucket of ice for that line because that was so ing cheesy—even if he was here to er up to and charm a bunch of people— but the flush that raised up onto Jongdae’s cheek was so worth it.

            “Oh come now, Kim Minseok-ssi, are you trying to make this little boy embarrassed?” Jongdae was teasing, but Minseok could see just how happy the little compliment made him, and it warmed his heart more than he was willing to admit. That warmth dulled a bit, however, as those eyes left his, instead moving to address the group. “While I’d love to stay and chat, I really should go make my introductions to others before dinner starts.” As though not everyone in this room was staring holes into his back. “I’ll be taking my leave, now.”

            As their eyes met once more before Jongdae walked away, Minseok willed the fluttering in his stomach to die down.

----

            Dinner was both eventful and uneventful at the same time, as Minseok saw it. Everyone was talking about Jongdae, about the Omega boy hosting the event and the Omega boy having no mate and the Omega boy doing practically everything he wasn’t supposed to do. Jongdae didn’t seem to care much for it at first glance, but Minseok knew that behind the scenes, the host was having people ‘escorted’ out of the party for the ruckus it was causing. He didn’t know what was more surprising: the fact that he did that, or the fact that the security forces (all Alphas) listened to him without question.

            Yet somehow, amidst all the chaos breaking out beneath their fingers, Minseok found himself getting bored. Toying with politicians and CEOs and philanthropists was somehow even less fun than before, and it even got to be annoying when he’d be faced with gossiping and judgmental ones staring Jongdae down. Who were they, the graceless pigs they were, to glower at the boy in such an ugly manner? Really, it was a surprise Minseok was able to hold himself back from strangling each and every one of them.

            Though perhaps it was more of a surprise that Minseok was acting this way over the boy. He wanted to chalk it up to just the natural draw Alphas felt to Omegas, but somehow, he didn’t think it was just that. Something not about the Omega in him, but instead about Jongdae made Minseok want to simultaneously cover the boy in a security blanket and flaunt him off to everyone who’d watch. The dichotomy had his head pounding, and he’d even considering pulling out his phone just to talk to Lu Han about it. He had investors to impress, though, so he pushed forward, trying to keep Jongdae out of his mind as much as physically possible (which was, as it turned out, not very much at all).

            “Smoking will ruin you, you know?” That voice sounded through Minseok’s voice like bells ringing on a silent night, and he felt a bit proud that he didn’t shudder once, even as he turned to face Jongdae.

            Even in this light—the strange mixture of moonlight and the remnants of the light from inside the party—Jongdae looked stunning. His eyes twinkled with a playful joy that could only be described as slightly childish. The half-darkness did nothing to hide his figure, lean but firm underneath the black slacks and light blue dress shirt, now ed at the very top. Even his hair was well done, parted just a little bit right of the center of his head and teased slightly at the roots to give volume at the top while his bangs hovered above his forehead. Perhaps he didn’t seem to most formal of all the attendees, but he certainly looked the best in Minseok’s eyes (and, in most others’ eyes, he suspected).

            “Believe it or not, I’m not actually out here to smoke,” he replied steadily as he leaned on the railing behind him. He’d been out here on the balcony to recollect his thoughts after the dinner, and to take a short rest from all the -kissing he still needed to do. “Shouldn’t the host of the party be inside?”

            “You’re my guest, aren’t you?” Jongdae shot back as he walked up to join him, and Minseok raised an eye at the sudden rhetorical question. “I can’t possibly let one of my guests looks so lonely out here, away from everyone.”

            The playful response had Minseok chuckling, and he shrugged his shoulders in a play of mock-nonchalance.

            “I wouldn’t say I’m lonely, per se, but I appreciate your effort anyway.” He was being a bit informal, he realized that, but for some reason he felt Jongdae wouldn’t mind. “If you’re here to smoke, though, I regret to inform you I have nothing for you to use.”

            “Well, I suppose just your company will have to do, then,” he drawled in mock-exasperation, and Minseok chuckled.

            “Really, though, why’re you out here?” Jongdae raised an eyebrow at the question, as though the answer was completely obvious.

            “Probably for the same reason as you. I mean, even if I’m the host, entertaining people twice my age is exhausting.”

            “But entertaining me isn’t?” Minseok shot back, and Jongdae giggled.

            “Something tells me you’d be fine whether I talked or not.” He probably would be— the other man’s presence was just so calming. But even if he was content to just stand there in silence until one of them had to go inside, something inside him made him want to keep talking, to get to know the other more than just a few words.

            “I was really surprised seeing you, though,” he blurted out suddenly, and it only took him an extra second to realize why Jongdae had tensed up. “O-oh, no, not like that! Just, you’re really young, most people don’t host their own galas ‘til they’re older, especially such grand ones like these.”

            “I’m not that young,” Jongdae protested. “Besides, you’ve already held your own, right? A couple years ago—my parents told me about it when they helped me put together the guest list for tonight.” Minseok nodded slowly, and Jongdae continued, “You started even earlier than I did, in that case.”

            “How old do you think I am, Jongdae-ssi?” Jongdae’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at the sudden question, and Minseok had a hinting suspicion of what his answer would be.

            “…Maybe like 21? I’m off, aren’t I?” Minseok chuckled at that and nodded.

            “Just a bit,” he paused. “That is, if you consider 9 years a bit.”

            “…What.”

            “I’m 30.”

            “…”

            “You okay there?”

            “…”

            “Jongdae-ssi?”

            “No ing way, I don’t believe you.” Minseok didn’t know what was funny—Jongdae staring at him, mouth gaping like a fish, or the fact that he cursed at his own formal dinner banquet.

            “I can show you my ID, if that’ll help,” he replied teasingly, and Jongdae snapped out of it to pout.

            “Don’t baby faces have like, a limit? Because that’s just ridiculous,” he whined, though a smile was curling up on his lips as he spoke.

             “How old are you then?”

            “24.” Minseok smiled at that.

            “Yet you act like a little kid.”

            “Excuse you!” Jongdae’s voice held no spite, only (adorable) frustration, and it had Minseok laughing all the more.

            “I may have to excuse myself, actually,” he teasingly shot back, but it was true. He’d been out here long enough, and he couldn’t forget his whole reason for coming to this party in the first place.  “Can’t spend all my time out of the sight, right?”

            “Well, you’re not technically out of the sight if you’re with the host.” The point made enough sense that Minseok was actually considering using at as an excuse to stand by and talk with Jongdae more but then the boy was waving him off. “You head on in, I’ll go back in a couple of minutes.”

            “You sure?” Jongdae nodded as he stared out at the gardens before them. “I’ll take my leave then.”

            “I’ll see you later,” Jongdae replied simply, raising his hand up to wave without looking back at him.

            As he returned to the festivities, Minseok couldn’t help but glance back at the boy, barely able to control himself from staring. There he stood, leaned against the railing of the balcony in what could only be described as relaxed elegance, practiced nonchalance. Minseok couldn’t even begin to imagine what thoughts were flying through Jongdae’s head, thoughts about the party, about his status, about him; for behind every strong front, a softer man sat and observed. Minseok’s heart warmed as he realized that he had been able to see the person behind that front, if only for a while. Both inside and out, Jongdae glowed like the moonlight currently shining down on him, laminating him amidst the dark night.

            Walking away, Minseok could only hope that Jongdae’s words would ring true, and soon.

this was supposed to be a oneshot and now its turning into a full story god what am i doing with my life
also ive been writing a ton of rich!exo fics lately havent i hm 

anyway i dont have too much to say rn so ill end it here! see you guys in the next update