001

A black-haired, solemn-eyed boy shifted in his seat nervously, trying to loosen the tie wrapped around his neck and adjust his glasses on the bridge of his nose.

"Could you settle down?"

He winced at the harsh tone and stopped fidgeting immediately, sitting on his hands as he stared at the menu in silence. Beside him, his mother sighed and continued her conversation with his father, ignoring his existence.

"—they have the biggest reputation in our network, and arranged marriages have been conducted for hundreds of years. There's no doubt our Junhong will be safe with their son."

"His safety isn't the priority; are you sure the Bang family will be willing to accept Junhong after they realise the severity of his condition?"

Junhong bit his lip nervously, still looking down as his parents voiced his own fears. Their comments only added to his nerves; the two of them had talked about today for the last month, emphasising the necessity of the business deal and how important it was for him to be obedient and not screw up. Junhong thought that was easy enough, but he had never met the Bang family before, and the way his mom talked about them made them seem terrifying.

His family was pretty well off, but his parents always wanted more. They operated a national pharmaceutical manufacturing and distributing company, but were convinced that marrying one of their sons into a family who owned renowned hospitals around the globe would further secure their company’s success. As the favourite child, Junhong’s alpha brother Junseo was allowed to marry whoever he wanted; he was already declared the heir of the Choi company, and was in a happy relationship with a beta girl from an upper-class family. On the other hand, omega Junhong was still single, and yet to inherit anything from his parents - the obvious choice for a business marriage.

The boy took a sip from his glass, hoping the cold water would calm him down and quieten his worries. It only made him shiver.

“Junhong.” He looked up at his father, who stared at him coldly, wrinkles hardened on his forehead. “We expect you to be on your best behaviour tonight. Do not disappoint us,” the elder said stoically, and Junhong bowed his head. “The Bang son is older than you, but try to keep him entertained while we talk with his parents.”

“Yes father,” he said obediently.

The three of them lapsed into a silence that was neither awkward nor comfortable. His mother was probably reciting her business proposal in her head whilst his father was choosing wine from the menu. Junhong looked around the darkly-lit room, privately booked for the two families, bored out of his mind.

He didn’t particularly mind the marriage, at least he wouldn’t complain if he was forced to marry the Bang’s son. His parents didn’t give him a choice, so he had decided to accept it and try to look upon the matter with a positive attitude.

His parents only told him what the marriage was going to be like, and the importance of the deal, but nothing about the partner. Despite trying to research the company and the family, Junhong couldn’t find anything about his future partner. Hell, he didn’t even know his name; the Bang family had two sons and they were identical twins, as if the world was trying to make it even harder for Junhong.

Junhong’s eyes flicked to the door as it cracked open, and he stood up quickly. A young man stepped into the room first, wearing a well-fitted dark suit. His parents followed from behind him as he strolled forward, holding his hand out to Junhong.

The boy reached out to shake his hand, startled that the man had approached him first, instead of his parents.

“Bang Yongguk,” he introduced, low voice matching his dark appearance. At the sense of Yongguk’s alpha aura, Junhong tensed, hand still in his.

When Yongguk’s expression turned into one of curiosity, he averted his eyes shyly, murmuring, “Choi Junhong. Nice to meet you.”

Yongguk gave a polite smile and dropped his hand, moving onto Junhong’s parents as Junhong greeted the Bang parents.

Internally, the omega berated himself. Ever since he learnt he was especially sensitive to alpha pheromones, he tried to calm his initial reaction whenever he met a new alpha. It had been a while since an alpha had caused him to react, but clearly the son from the Bang family was particularly powerful.

They all sat down, Yongguk across from Junhong. Junhong’s mother immediately launched into discussion about the marriage, telling Yongguk’s parents how the deal would benefit both families.

Junhong drowned out his mother’s voice, having heard the speech multiple times before, and decided to try and sneak a look at his possible future partner.

Yongguk was undoubtedly handsome, with dark hair that curled over his forehead and a figure that could only be described as thick and muscular. Junhong admitted he wouldn’t mind looking at the alpha for the rest of his life – he was hot.

The alpha was listening intently to Junhong’s mother, nodding his head occasionally.

His mother’s monologue came to an end, and Yongguk’s eyes met Junhong’s, making him freeze up again.

“How do you feel about the union, Junhong?” he asked curiously, and Junhong’s mouth went dry. Both sets of parents watched the both of them.

“Um, I don’t mind,” he said quietly, quickly glancing at his parents to see their expressions. They sat tight-lipped, unimpressed with his answer. “I believe it will be useful for both parties,” he echoed his mother’s words.

“That’s not what I asked, Junhong,” Yongguk said in what Junhong could only describe as a reprimanding tone.

Junhong swallowed nervously, suddenly wanting to please this man, this stranger, more than his parents. “Uh, I guess I feel…” he trailed off and searched his mind for every adjective he knew. “Excited,” he finished, “curious and… a little nervous.” His confession made Yongguk’s parents laugh. “Mainly excited though!”

“Me too,” Yongguk said smoothly, dark eyes meeting Junhong’s, causing the other to shiver. He could feel Yongguk's aura; it was stronger than an ordinary alpha’s. He stared back, biting his lip as he shifted in his seat.

Suddenly, he found himself hoping the marriage would go through, anticipating further interactions with the handsome alpha.

Yongguk’s mother could only be described as a small ray of sunshine. She seemed very caring and motherly, even when dressed in a pantsuit. Apparently, she was very perceptive as well, as she noticed Junhong’s mother was ready to launch into another speech about the union. Before all five of them were subjected to a ten-minute long essay, she spoke up.

“Shall we order some food before continuing this discussion?”

Junhong’s mother agreed reluctantly, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

With a plate of pasta in front of him, Junhong’s mood lightened considerably. Along with the pasta, he also had a glass of soda, still too young to drink wine (or – as he liked to call it – ‘a grosser version of grape juice’). He speared a cherry tomato on his fork and ate it happily, unaware that Yongguk was watching him with amusement.

“So, Junhong,” said alpha started, taking a sip of his wine. “You’re in your first year of university, right? How are you finding it?”

The omega was flustered, not expecting the attention to be on him. Yongguk’s parents also seemed more interested in him than his own parents. He set his fork down and answered, “It’s a pretty big change from high school, but it’s not that difficult. How about you, Yongguk-ssi?”

“Call me hyung,” Yongguk requested, chuckling, “and I graduated from university a year ago.”

Junhong froze and stuttered, before just lowering his head in embarrassment. He had known Yongguk was already out of university – he was working for his parents’ company already – but he’d blanked because he was so nervous. According to his research, Yongguk was 24, six years older, which was kind of daunting since Junhong never really talked to anyone that much older than him.

But Yongguk was easy to talk to, and he made conversation with Junhong, not just because he was being polite, but because he seemed genuinely interested in the omega. Junhong felt his nerves dissipate as he became more relaxed with him, and found that he was just as curious about the older alpha.

“What do you do in your spare time, hyung?” Junhong asked interestedly, forgetting about his parents. He had long finished eating, and had set his plate aside to fully engage with the alpha.

Yongguk hummed, about to answer, but was interrupted by Junhong’s mother.

“Perhaps we should continue our discussion about the union?” she enquired. Yongguk quietened, and his parents nodded in agreement.

Junhong was pretty sure his father was more interested in his spaghetti than his wife, but he didn’t say anything.

Yongguk’s father smiled kindly, “Before you begin again, Mrs. Choi, I’ll just let you know that Yongguk here will be the one making the decisions around the marital union. My wife and I are here, simply to be acquainted with the family of our potential future son-in-law.”

Junhong’s eyes widened.

“Oh,” his mother said in surprise.

“Actually, I have already decided to agree to this marriage,” Yongguk spoke, eyes not leaving Junhong’s, “as long as Junhong agrees as well.”

“O-oh.” Junhong stuttered, shocked. His mother nudged his foot urgently and he nodded fervently. “Oh, of course!” He faltered, realising one major issue. “B-But…”

Yongguk’s mother tilted her head.

“Have you fully examined my son’s health records?” Junhong’s mother elaborated. “Our main concern is that his… condition is rather difficult to care for.”

“I assure you I’ve done the research,” Yongguk said calmly. “His Blood Omega status is not a problem, although we will have to discuss it in further detail sometime in the future.”

Junhong breathed a sigh of relief.

“Since that’s sorted, I’ll have my secretary draft a contract and we’ll send it over by Tuesday,” Yongguk told the Chois. “You can tell us after if you would like any modifications, and we’ll negotiate some other time.”

The Bang family began to stand up, so Junhong and his parents did as well. The parents began to banter about who would pay, and Junhong sighed, knowing the argument could last forever.

The alpha noticed he was growing bored and gestured for him to follow as he strolled out of the private room. Junhong glanced at his parents for permission, but they were busy ‘polite-fighting’ with the Bangs, so he followed Yongguk like a lost puppy.

When he realised Yongguk was headed for the counter, the omega panicked, “W-Wait, no, hyung, my parents can pay! You don’t have to–”

“It’s fine, Junhong,” Yongguk assured, paying quickly with one swipe of his card. Junhong’s complaints died on his lips and he pouted. The alpha held out his hand, “Hey, pass me your phone.”

The omega complied quickly, and Yongguk keyed in his number before texting himself. A beep was heard from the alpha’s back pocket and he returned Junhong’s phone.

Junhong stared at him wordlessly, wide-eyed, amazed at how cool and collected the man was.

“Let’s hang out some time,” the alpha told Junhong, as the parents got ready to leave. “Alone, preferably,” he added.

“Of course,” Junhong smiled, and held out his hand to shake.

Yongguk took it, but to Junhong’s surprise, the alpha held his hand tightly and linked their fingers together. “Don’t be so formal anymore, Junhongie.”

Junhong blushed and nodded shyly, making Yongguk smile again – the omega didn’t think he could ever get tired of seeing such an expression on the alpha’s face. Unbeknownst to him, Yongguk was thinking the same, already growing fond of the cute omega in the little time they spent together.

Coming out of the room, Junhong’s parents gestured for him to get into the car, ready to go home. Yongguk released his hand, and Junhong smiled cheerfully.

“Goodnight, Yongguk-hyung.”

“Goodnight, Junhongie. Get home safe.”

The omega got into the car and strapped himself in, smiling happily to himself. His mother sat in the passenger’s seat, talking her jaw off about how irresponsible the Bang parents were for letting their son decide the details of the arranged marriage, but also how mature Yongguk seemed at such a young age.

The boy plugged in his earphones, listening to his music instead of his mother, but was surprised by a notification when he switched on his phone. A message from Bang Yongguk sent four minutes ago stared at him, and Junhong felt himself get excited as he read the message again to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Bang Yongguk: are you free tomorrow?

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