014

 

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Moon Jongup: i don’t feel like going to uni tmr

Choi Junhong: You better go or I’ll deadass murder you >:(

Choi Junhong: I’m still going to uni tomorrow and this weekend has literally ed me in the

Choi Junhong: So you ( •̀ω•́ )σ have to go as well

Moon Jongup: tmi junhong

Moon Jongup: im not going

Choi Junhong: (¬_¬)

Moon Jongup: stop talking about asses???

 

“Junhong.”

The omega rubbed his eyes as he sat up, blinking in confusion at the alpha. He was under the sheets, but Yongguk was fully dressed, hovering over him. He looked like he was ready to go to work, which wasn’t a surprise; the omega knew he had to leave eventually. Junhong’s eyes flickered to the clock on Yongguk’s nightstand, and he blinked, shocked at the time.

“It’s only 5…?” his voice was coarse, and he cleared his throat in embarrassment.

“Yeah, I need to go to work,” Yongguk said, frowning. He leaned closer to the omega and felt his forehead, sighing in relief. “Your heat has mostly passed, so you’ll be able to go to school today.” He paused, “Do you still need me?”

A blush formed on Junhong’s cheeks as he remembered the events from the past weekend, and he shook his head shyly. Last night, after the worst of his heat subsided, he had curled up with Yongguk and they had talked about what they would do for his heats, now that they knew he couldn’t be around any other alphas. His scent was too strong – too “irresistible”, Yongguk had said, and Junhong had rolled his eyes – so it was dangerous for him to go out. They both agreed that he should stay home until he was certain it was over, and in the future, Yongguk would take those days off work so he could look after the younger. They decided to keep it a secret as well; Yongguk was worried that some people would try to take advantage of him and his advanced senses.

Junhong fumbled with the blankets covering his legs, pulling them off before he moved forward to press a peck to Yongguk’s cheek.

“Have a good day at work,” he murmured, and Yongguk kissed his lips once, before pushing him back gently on the bed.

“Get some more sleep, you’re probably exhausted,” the alpha chided, not bothering to hide the pride in his voice that he was the one who caused him to be so tired. He pulled the sheets over Junhong’s bare legs, his eyes soft as he gazed down at the omega.

“See you tonight, Jun.”

“Bye, hyung,” the omega yawned, his eyelids drooping already.

Yongguk chuckled, and closed the door when he left.

Four hours later, when Junhong woke up again, he realized he didn’t have a way to get to school. He muffled a loud groan into a pillow and grabbed his phone from where it was charging.

Choi Junhong: I’m going to skip school too

Choi Junhong: this is all your fault ( •̀ω•́ )σ

Junhong was obviously being dramatic – he could skateboard to university and it would only take half an hour – but could he really be bothered? Nothing really happened on the first day of term anyway.

The reply came suspiciously quick.

Moon Jongup: You need to come to the café at 12.

Junhong texted back an affirmative, even though he still had half a cake left over from his birthday. He set his phone down and wrapped himself up in Yongguk’s sheets – in Yongguk’s scent. It was comforting and warm, almost as if he was there in person. Instinctually, Junhong drifted off to sleep, surrounded by his alpha’s scent.

 

When Junhong barged into the café five minutes late, he was greeted by two expressionless faces. Given that Jongup didn’t usually know how to control his face, and Himchan knew how to control his face too well, Junhong wasn’t really bothered. He took a seat and cheerily asked how Himchan was doing, only to receive a frown and a mumbled, “I’m… alright.”

Junhong shrugged, accepting the answer and turned to Jongup, “I really want to try a new cake! Maybe a green tea one… or a vanilla one?” He hummed and looked up, wanting to hear Jongup’s opinion, but the alpha’s face was grim, and he looked… nervous, almost. Anxiety radiated off him in waves.

“Junhong, I…” the alpha couldn’t find his words, and he looked at Himchan helplessly.

“Yeah?” He prompted. He had never seen Jongup like this: speechless and almost terrified. His hair was ruffled, as if he hadn’t bothered to fix it on his way here.

“,” Jongup clenched his fist, and Junhong flinched at the aggressiveness in his voice. “I’m sorry, Junhong, but… my mother—”

At the mention of Juhyeon, Junhong stared at him with wide eyes, preparing for the worst.

“—I got really drunk two nights ago, and my mom called and asked about Blood Omegas.” Junhong’s blood ran cold. Now that the alpha was talking, he couldn’t stop, the words tumbling out of his mouth before he could think about them. “I didn’t reveal anything to her – I wouldn’t have – but I was so drunk, I forgot all about it until this morning.”

He clenched his jaw, no longer trusting his words, and pushed his phone towards the omega. Junhong grabbed it, immediately reading the huge bold text covering half of the screen.

‘Moon Juhyeon leaves mic on while calling son during filming break – reveals a BLOOD OMEGA secret?’

The phone clattered against the table as Junhong dropped it, as his mouth dropped open.

“It was an accident, Junhong, an accident!” Jongup said harshly, looking around to check if anyone was listening to them. The café was busy, but everyone was fortunately minding their own business. Jongup returned his focus to the omega, frowning unhappily, “She didn’t mean to do it – the audio was released by a third party. See? Universe News uploaded it, mot Moon News.” He pointed to the logo on the article, but Junhong was no longer paying attention.

Junhong trembled, staring at the alpha with a mixture of confusion, shock and betrayal.

“W-What does she know?” he whispered, dreading the answer.

“She knows you are one, Junhong, but she figured that out for herself. The audio doesn’t say anything about you at all – Junhong don’t panic,” the alpha gripped his wrist tightly. “The only thing that the audio gives away is that there’s a possibility that Blood Omegas exist.”

Himchan took the phone and scrolled until he found a transcript of the audio, silently passing it to Junhong so the omega could read it.

0:00 - “If you say so… Listen, I found something out about the Blood Omega, Jongup… Do you know anything about them?”

0:32 – “I won’t tell anyone, I promise. Pass the phone to Himchan please?”

“The microphone couldn’t pick up on my answer,” Jongup said, trying to comfort the omega, but Junhong flinched, shaking his head. He was breathing heavily, his thoughts scrambled as he stood up and kicked his chair back.

“I… need to see Yongguk.” Without another word, he his heel and took his skateboard, running out of the café and onto the street.

Jongup stood up after him, ready to follow, but Himchan held his wrist, shaking his head. It was inappropriate for someone of his position; a simple employee wasn’t allowed to tell his boss what to do, but he knew that the omega needed time to think, and he needed his alpha.

Jongup collapsed in the seat next to his bodyguard, and Himchan reached an arm out to hold him. The alpha curled into the beta’s embrace, mumbling quietly, “Do you think he’ll forgive me, hyung?”

“It wasn’t your fault,” Himchan assured him, but his eyes fluttered worriedly towards the door, where he could see Junhong skating off.

Jongup hid his face into his bodyguard’s shoulder, and Himchan could tell that the younger wanted some privacy. “Should we go home?” he asked quietly, combing his fingers through his hair. It usually calmed him down.

Jongup took a while to answer, not wanting to lift his head up. “I have to talk to my mom about this…” he finally said, looking upset.

Himchan didn’t say anything, but he was proud of the alpha. “Okay,” he said. “Let’s go home.”

 

Junhong couldn’t organise his thoughts.

He knew what Juhyeon did was an accident, but that didn’t stop his panic; she knew what he was, and there was nothing stopping her from revealing it. The news article had over three million hits already – that was three million people who knew about the possibility of Blood Omegas. It couldn’t have come at a worse time, since Junhong and Yongguk had only just discussed their plans the night before.

COFFEE SHOP café was only ten minutes away from the Bang Building, but Junhong couldn’t get there soon enough. As soon as the large building came into view, he felt his legs move even faster.

Junhong couldn’t wait for the men to open the doors to the Bang Building, apologizing as he barged in. His entire form relaxed as soon as he saw Yongguk resting against the receptionist’s desk, talking to Hyerim and another man, who was wearing sunglasses.

“Yongguk-hyung!” he exclaimed, and the alpha turned around—

He wasn’t Yongguk.

Junhong was so sure that it was Yongguk, but the sight of the scars running down the side of this man’s face made him recoil in shock. The man looked exactly like Yongguk, except for the line that marred his face, twisting the corner up in a way that made him look like he was permanently smirking. Even the scent that the man released matched Yongguk’s.

“Bang Yongnam… ssi?” Junhong said, suddenly remembering what Yongguk had told him about his family. Bang Yongnam was his twin brother, he was six minutes older, and he was the co-CEO of Bang Hospitals along with Yongguk. Junhong hadn’t heard anything else about Yongguk’s twin – if Yongguk talked about family, he usually just talked about Natasha.

Yongnam raised an eyebrow and glanced at Hyerim before looking back at the boy in front of him, “You must be Choi Junhong, my brother’s… boyfriend.”

“Husband,” Junhong felt the need to correct him. He didn’t know why; the word ‘husband’ usually made him shudder.

“Of course, my apologies,” he didn’t seem impressed, but Junhong had more important things to worry about.

“Junhong? Jongup’s friend?” The guy in the sunglasses exclaimed, and Junhong squinted.

“Hey, aren’t you…?”

“Yeah, I’m DAE. Listen, do you have Yoo Youngjae’s number? Your husband’s secretary. I’ve been asking Jongup for hours, but he’s not answering his phone, and these two,” he scowled at the receptionist and the CEO, “aren’t telling me anything.”

Junhong didn’t have time for this.

“I don’t,” he said, and DAE sighed in irritation, turning back to Hyerim.

“Could you just call him for me, then? I promise I’m not stalking him or anything; it’s just he promised that he would come over yesterday but he didn’t show. I’m worried about him,” the idol explained. Junhong didn’t realise Youngjae was so close to his favourite artist, but his thoughts were cut off when Yongnam cut in.

“Jung Daehyun, I am not permitted to release information about BANG employees, and neither is Hyerim. Unless you have something else you need, I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

“Youngjae’s on heat, so he’s not working. He called in this morning,” Hyerim said, her eyes softening as she saw Daehyun’s head drop dejectedly. She actually knew exactly where Youngjae would be, if he was on his heat. The omega usually exercised at the gym or in the park whenever he had his heat, as a way to burn off the extra energy. Two years ago, when Himchan was still in university, they would work out together. But she couldn’t tell the idol that – she had to protect Youngjae’s information, as a BANG employee, even if she did know of his obsession with the idol.

“Sir, he’s probably avoiding you. He never misses a meeting for no reason,” she added, and Daehyun furrowed his eyebrows.

“Why would he avoid me?”

Junhong felt bad for him and all, but the idol was seriously taking a long time – all Junhong wanted to do was to tell Yongguk something, not hunt for Youngjae.

“Daehyun, leave,” Yongnam sighed and gestured towards the door.

The idol rolled his eyes, “Fine, whatever.” He looked at the floor and muttered, “Looks like rudeness runs in the family.”

“I’ll get security to you out, if you’d prefer?” Yongnam asked, raising a brow, and Daehyun stormed out in reply.

The alpha turned back to Hyerim and Junhong, “Sorry about that.”

“Um, sorry, Yongnam-ssi, but I need to see Yongguk,” the boy said quietly. He didn’t want to be rude, but he was in a rush; he needed to see his alpha.

“Yongguk’s working at the hospital today,” Hyerim said, from behind the desk. She looked at Junhong worriedly, “Do you need to see him urgently? I would contact Youngjae to bring you there, but like I said to DAE, he’s not here.”

The hospital. It was fifteen minutes away by car, but since the roads were busy during the day, skateboarding there would take forever. Junhong didn’t want to wait that long. He nibbled his bottom lip, wondering what he could do to get to Yongguk in time, when the man beside him spoke up. “I could drive you there, if you need.” Even though his face looked cruel, his eyes were concerned.

Junhong immediately opened his mouth to refuse, but then he paused. Yongnam was related to Yongguk, he wouldn’t do anything bad.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “If you could, that would be great.”

The other corner of Yongnam’s lips curled upwards, and he nodded towards Hyerim. “I’ll catch you later.”

“I’ll tell Yongguk to expect you,” the woman replied, giving Junhong a little wave.

Junhong was grateful that Yongnam seemed to understand that he was in a hurry, because he brought the younger to his car and got it started before Junhong really understood what was going on at all. He ushered the omega into the passenger’s seat, and immediately got into the driver’s seat, exiting the Bang Building carpark.

“The reason why you’re in such a rush to see Yongguk is a secret, I take it?” he asked, focused on the road. His eyebrows were pulled together, concentrating on the road, but he was clearly listening for Junhong’s answer.

“Yeah,” the omega murmured. “Thanks for driving me, though.”

“It’s no problem,” the alpha said offhandedly. He glanced at Junhong, “You know, I never thought my brother would settle down before me.” His eyes returned to the road, and he maneuvered so he could skip traffic.

“What do you mean?”

“Exactly what I said.” His grip was tight on the steering wheel, but Junhong wasn’t afraid. Instead of angry, the man just seemed wistful. Miserable. “Yongguk never seemed like the type to be ‘happily married.’”

Junhong didn’t know what to say. “He’s really sweet though.”

“I’m afraid you’re the only one who thinks so,” Yongnam chuckled dryly. He was silent, as if thinking about what to say next. “A few years ago, Yongguk being married would’ve been impossible to even imagine. He always blew off everyone he was set up with so he could go clubbing or drinking – just a giant pain in the back then, really.” He shrugged, as if he hadn’t just told Junhong something new. The omega never thought Yongguk was that kind of person, but he was certain that the elder had at least changed now.

“He’s not like that now,” Junhong voiced his thoughts, even though he knew Yongnam knew.

“He’s not,” the elder agreed. “He had nothing to be responsible for, back then.”

Junhong stayed silent, not sure what the man meant by that.

Yongnam absentmindedly lifted a hand to trace the scar on his face. It was a deep mark, even though it was faded. “Did you know Yongguk was never meant to become CEO?”

“…No?”

“Natasha never had an interest in running the company, so since young I was the one who was taught about how to run it. I studied business and everything.” He gestured with the hand that was previously touching his scar, and then dropped it into his lap. His eyes darted back to the road. “Yongguk was brought up like an ordinary kid. He learnt medicine instead, to become a doctor in one of our hospitals. Despite his personality, he was smart. He was born that way.” Something in his voice was sour. Junhong didn’t know why.

“A year ago, I got roughed up in a crash. Window glass embedded into my face, metal in my back, burns on my legs, the whole deal.” There was almost something morbid about how casually he addressed the incident. “Stayed in a coma for three months because of a hit to my head.”

Junhong swallowed, unsure of how this related to Yongguk.

“They didn’t think I’d survive, and my father couldn’t work in his grief. Yongguk managed to clean up his act in those three months. He quit smoking, drinking, sleeping around…”

Junhong winced. He hadn’t known that either.

“He became the acting CEO in that time, when my dad couldn’t. They were proud of him,” Yongnam was smiling nostalgically. “He should’ve gone on one of those transformation shows. It was incredible. When I recovered, he didn’t change back either. I think the crash was a wake-up call; it made him realise how much responsibility he had over his family and the company. So when dad finally retired, I agreed to share the position with Yongguk since I saw how much he loved the company, and how good he was at running it.” He suddenly stopped speaking, glancing at Junhong. “He never told you?”

“No,” the omega whispered.

“Well, I guess it would make sense that he wouldn’t want to talk about his past.”

Junhong wondered how many other things the alpha wouldn’t want to talk about.

Yongnam didn’t continue his story, so Junhong guessed it was over. He stared outside the window for the rest of the drive, wanting to commit the path to memory. Next time (if there was a next time), he wanted to be able to make his own way there. Maybe it was time for him to learn how to drive.

After what felt like forever but was actually only ten minutes, Yongnam pulled up into a VIP parking space and stopped the car. He killed the gas and opened the door, leaving the car without a word. Junhong just followed him out, looking like a lost puppy.

The omega never had a reason to visit Yongguk at the hospital, so he didn’t know where to find him, but Yongnam seemed to know where he was going, confidently striding towards the entrance.

Junhong didn’t expect to see his alpha waiting by the reception, his arms crossed. He still had his lab coat on, which made the omega wonder if he was busy – he didn’t want to hold the other back from seeing his patients.

“Yonggukie-hyung,” he called, running over immediately to the man and wrapping his arms around him. Yongguk relaxed immediately, hugging the omega tightly.

“What did you tell him?” he asked his twin angrily, his hold on the boy tightening protectively.

Yongnam smiled sweetly, but the look in his eyes was hard. “Nothing he shouldn’t have known already.”

Yongguk’s heart was hammering in his chest, and Junhong pulled away to stare at him, inspecting his expression. The alpha brushed a kiss over the omega’s cheek and squeezed him tightly, focusing on him instead. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you at school?”

“I skipped today,” the younger said, and Yongnam laughed as Yongguk frowned. The omega murmured into his ear, “Hyung, could we talk alone?”

“Yeah, of course,” the man was still frowning, and he gestured for Yongnam to move away. His twin did so without any fuss, walking through a door marked ‘EMERGENCY’. Even if he wasn’t allowed inside, no one stopped him. The twin mockingly waved, giving Yongguk a smirk which only made the man tense. He still didn’t know what Yongnam had told Junhong, but it couldn’t have been too bad, since the omega was still hugging him.

“Moon Juhyeon knows,” Junhong blurted as soon as he was sure they were alone. “She knows that I’m a Blood Omega.”

He went quiet. “How?”

The omega explained everything, watching as Yongguk’s frown deepened. Other than his frown, his expression didn’t give much away, but Junhong could sense that he was infuriated; his heart was pounding and his jaw was tight. Along with rage, Yongguk was also anxious. Junhong knew that emotion too well.

The omega took a deep breath once he had finished explaining everything, heaving raggedly not only because he had spoken for so long without breath, but also because he was freaking out. He had no idea what to do.

Yongguk placed his hands on his shoulders and massaged them a little, feeling how tense he was. “Calm down, Junhong. It’ll be okay. I’ll sort everything out.”

“How, hyung?” the omega asked desperately.

He was answered with a chilling silence, and the scent of fear.

“I don’t know,” the alpha finally admitted.

Junhong’s heart sank. He hesitated, before asking, “Would my mother know what to do?”

“Even if she did…” Yongguk didn’t finish, but Junhong knew.

Even if she did, she wouldn’t help you anymore.

“It’s okay, I promise everything will work out,” the alpha assured him, but Junhong didn’t feel comforted. His bottom lip wobbled, and the elder immediately scooped him up in a hug. “Hey, don’t cry, nothing’s happened yet, okay?”

Junhong buried his face in Yongguk’s hair, nodding as much as he could. He tried to stop tears from pricking in the corners of his eyes, but he couldn’t help it. Yongguk rubbed circles into his back, trying to calm him down.

“GET IN HERE!” there was a terrified yell, and Yongguk teared away from Junhong to sprint towards the EMERGENCY door, where the voice was coming from. Junhong could tell that the yell came from Yongnam, even though he hadn’t known the man for more than an hour. The door slammed shut after Yongguk entered, and Junhong heard harsh whispers and the sound of another door slamming shut.

Even though he knew it was wrong, Junhong approached the door, looking through the glass.

Instead of a room like Junhong expected, the door led to a long hallway, but he barely had time to register the difference. He couldn’t believe his eyes.

Jongup was in the middle of the hallway, hunched over a stretcher. He looked like he had fought in a war; hiss clothes were ruined and his face was covered in blood, but he didn’t seem to even notice, instead muttering a name over and over to himself as he looked down at the stretcher.

Underneath the sheet, all Junhong could see was a familiar head of hair and a limp arm.

He felt sick.

Himchan.

“We need to operate on him now, Yongguk,” Yongnam hissed, holding onto the stretcher’s handles. He was ready to push Himchan into an operation room, but Yongguk was holding him back.

 “He doesn’t go to this hospital, we could get sued for this. Think for a second, Yongnam.”

“We don’t have a second; he could die any moment!”

Junhong covered his mouth and took a step back; he didn’t know if he could watch any longer.

A growl was heard, and Junhong’s eyes widened as he saw Jongup approach the twins, his expression filled with an animalistic rage. His eyes seemed crazed, possessed – even through the door, Junhong could sense his alpha flinch. Jongup snarled, “You will operate on him, or so help me god, Bang Yongguk, a lawsuit will be the least of your worries.” He was trembling with anger, but also fear; he was terrified that he would never see his bodyguard alive again.

Yongguk stared at Jongup, before finally giving in.

“Call three nurses,” Yongguk told Yongnam, and his twin nodded before dashing down the hallway. Yongguk opened the door to one of the emergency operating rooms, shooting a glare at Jongup when he tried to follow. “You have to stay out there.”

Jongup looked like he was going to argue, but his eyes fell on the unmoving body on the stretcher and he stayed silent.

Yongguk paused, hesitating before he finally said quietly.

“Consider this an apology for everything I’ve done.”

The door shut as Jongup’s knees gave out, and he collapsed on the floor in a heap, no longer able to stifle his sobs.

 

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