017

Junhong shifted nervously from foot to foot, before reaching out and knocking on the door, praying that nobody was home. Not a second later, the door swung open and he was face-to-face with the woman he hoped he’d never see again.

“Oh. It’s you.”

“Hi, mom,” the omega said, a weak smile on his face. He knew he looked like a wreck, his eyes were swollen and the tears had never really stopped, but he couldn’t care less.

He didn’t want to come back, but he didn’t have another choice. It had only been a few hours since he fought with his alpha, but Junhong knew that he didn’t want to see him until he had at least sorted out his thoughts. That would take hours, days even, and he didn’t have anywhere else he could stay.

His mother didn’t look happy to see him at all – she actually looked like she was seconds away from closing the door in his face. The woman pursed her lips, and after a moment’s consideration, opened it wider. Junhong took it as a sign to follow her inside.

At first glance, he thought the house looked the same as he had left it. It certainly felt as empty as it used to. But as his mother led him to the dining room, he spotted a single frame hanging on the wall behind the table that made his stomach sink.

A family photo.

It was a great family photo, really, Junhong thought bitterly to himself. No omegas at all. Just three alphas – strong, proud, perfect alphas – with great big smiles on their faces, thrilled that the omega of the family had been cast out.

He swallowed, forcing himself to take a seat. He didn’t have the choice to back out anymore.

Not noticing his hesitation, his mother went to the kitchen to get the tea set. He watched, eyes saddening again – she was treating him like a guest, not her son. Was she even going to let him stay? Junhong didn’t think his mother was that cruel, but he knew she would think of him as a burden.

“I have to leave for work soon,” she said once she came back, sliding a cup towards him. “So be quick. Why did you come?”

“Has Yongguk been keeping up to his agreements in the contract?” Junhong asked quietly, after taking a much-needed sip from the cup. He was thirsty, so he only registered how disgusting the tea was after a few seconds. Of course she wouldn’t know what kind of tea he liked.

The alpha across from him nodded, looking as serious as she ever did. Her hands held the cup in front of her, still full. “Of course he has. He’s a very honest man.”

Junhong flinched, not knowing what to say. She reached over to refill his cup.

If Yongguk was still complying with the terms in the contract, despite not even being married, Junhong didn’t even know what he was even gaining out of their ‘marriage.’ Surely it wasn’t just the joy of playing with his feelings?

The omega didn’t think Yongguk was like that, but he also doubted he really knew Yongguk at all.

He sat in silence, wondering if everything had been a lie. The marriage, their relationship, the affections they exchanged; he wasn’t sure if Yongguk faked it all.

Even if he needed a place to stay, Junhong couldn’t let his parents feel the consequence of Yongguk’s lie. Even if Yongguk was keeping up to the agreements in the contract, he didn’t really have to. He could leave the Choi company in the dirt at any time.

He swallowed, already nervous.

“l just… wanted to tell you that the contract is void. It has been from the start.” Junhong said quietly. He avoided her eyes, not wanting to see her get angry, and explained everything he had learnt a few hours ago. He tried to remain calm, tried not to cry anymore, but it still hurt.

It hurt being alone, without Yongguk.

He went through everything, even the information he was sure she didn’t need; if he told her how heartbroken he was, how he was lied to just as much as she was, surely she would house him for at least a few days. She had to. He was her son, no matter how hard she tried to deny it.

He was wrong.

“You mean…” she said after he had blurted everything to her. He looked up, eyes watery, only to see her enraged face, snarling at him in anger, “the reason why it’s void is because you were on heat?” The omega jolt back in fear, as she slammed her hands on the table. The cup rattled and he inched away.

“Y-Yeah…” the words stuck to his throat.

The growl got louder and she shouted, “Why didn’t you think before signing?”

His heart raced in fear, and his eyes flickered to her arms, bulging with muscle. He could sense the adrenaline in the veins – enough to hurt him. “Junseo made me sign it!” he cried, backing away. “Mom, please!”

“Do not blame your brother for this,” she growled. “He is a much better son than you ever were.”

He knew it was the truth, Junseo was the favourite, but hearing it felt like a knife to his heart. As if that wasn’t enough, she continued, snarling.

“When you got your first heat, three years ago, I knew that you would be worthless, but I didn’t think you could manage to screw up signing a piece of paper.”

The look in her eyes was pure loathing, as if she didn’t even care that he couldn’t help his heats. They were a part of being an omega – they were a part of him. She could only see them as a weakness, and Junhong was just a burden. When he was younger, before Yongguk, he’d thought that his mother simply didn’t care about him, but never that she hated him. The thought of it twisted his insides; he thought he was doing the right thing telling her…

“Get out,” she spat, looking like she was seconds away from launching herself across the table.

The boy swallowed and nodded, backing away in fear.

“Don’t come back.”

Just when he thought the tears had stopped, the dam broke again and Junhong ran, trying to stop the sobs wracking his body. He couldn’t feel the burning in his legs, not until he reached a park where he collapsed, letting the anger and betrayal pour down his cheeks.

“Junhong, is that you?”

The boy didn’t want to look up, but he forced himself to, sniffling to himself. He wasn’t sure how many hours he had spent, crying to himself, but it was late in the afternoon now, and he still hadn’t stopped.

A worried face stared at him and he immediately covered his face in embarrassment. “Y-Youngjae-ssi!”

“You can call me hyung, I’m not working right now,” the man smiled kindly, but his face was still worried. He took a seat on the bench next to Junhong and took out a packet of tissues from his bag. “What’s wrong? Where’s Yongguk?”

The omega’s breaths were uneven and he shook his head, trying to stop his tears with the tissues. They only became drenched, and he placed them in his lap, giving up. “Why are you here?” he asked, avoiding the question. Youngjae worked for Yongguk – would he tell the alpha where he was?

“I’m still on my heat, so I was exercising,” Youngjae explained, and gave the boy a bottle of water. The boy reached for it and barely muttered out a thanks before gulping it down, clearly thirsty.

Youngjae connected the dots: Junhong was crying in a park near his parents’ house, and Yongguk was nowhere to be found. “I think I know what’s wrong,” he said quietly.

The boy finished drinking and sighed. “Did you know?” he asked, already tired out. If Youngjae said yes, it wouldn’t be the worst thing that had happened to him today anyway.

“I knew you aren’t meant to sign documents on your heat, and I knew Yongguk planned for the contract to be void, but I wasn’t involved,” the man said honestly. “I thought he would tell you that it wasn’t legitimate soon after you moved in.”

“Why did he do it in the first place, hyung?” the boy hiccupped. It had been bothering him all day, since the alpha wouldn’t tell him.

The other omega shrugged and sat back. “I guess he wanted to keep you safe.”

At least Junhong could believe that. Yongguk was kind and selfless, and willing to help out any helpless person in need, but it didn’t explain why the alpha hid it from him for so long, or didn’t ever tell him. He told Youngjae his thoughts and the secretary hummed, thinking about it.

“I guess,” Junhong sighed. “I think he didn’t tell me because I’m an omega.”

Youngjae frowned. For a second, he thought that Junhong was too young to witness the cruel nature of the world, but he cast the thought aside. No age was ‘too young’ to know about reality. “I know enough about stupid alphas trying to take advantage of omegas,” he mumbled, thinking back to Daehyun’s hurt expression that morning.

“DAE?”

Youngjae didn’t even know how Junhong knew, but he nodded, “Yeah…”

“It’s just… even Jongup wouldn’t tell me the truth, and we’ve been best friends for years,” he was still sniffling. Youngjae wished he had more tissues.

“The truth?” he repeated.

Junhong looked up, “The marriage?”

Youngjae looked as confused as he felt.

The boy sighed and leaned back on the bench, sagging, “I guess you didn’t know that. Yongguk and Jongup were married, once. A few years ago. They didn’t tell me.”

“Really?” Youngjae exclaimed, eyes widening. “Junhong, that’s not fair.”

“Neither of them wanted to tell me anything,” Junhong muttered, crushing the empty bottle in his hands. His eyes widened, seeing the squashed plastic and he handed it back to the secretary, looking apologetic.

Youngjae smiled and put the plastic in the bin. It was disposable anyway.

“Why don’t you just stay with me tonight?” he offered, seeing as the other had nowhere else to go. The omega had gone through so much, making sure he had a place to stay was the least Youngjae could do.

Junhong’s eyes lit up, “Really, hyung?”

“Yep,” the man smiled, fond of the boy. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell Yongguk or anything.”

“Thank you so much, hyung… I’ll pay you back, I promise!”

“It’s okay, Junhong. Us omegas have to stick together, right?” Youngjae felt his heart clench when he saw Junhong’s face light up with a grin, his head nodding enthusiastically.

As Youngjae led him back to his car, he made some small talk. He wanted to distract the omega from his problems, even for a short while.

“Do you have any allergies? Because I’m thinking we should get pizza and beer for dinner tonight.” Youngjae didn’t say anything about how he really couldn’t cook at all; he hoped Junhong wouldn’t judge him when he found out eventually.

“…That sounds awesome,” Junhong’s grin softened into a smile. He looked genuinely happy, opening the car door and sliding inside the passenger’s seat.

If he was surprised by the sudden lack of DAE merchandise, he didn’t say anything, and Youngjae was glad. The boy was smart enough to know that DAE had obviously done something to Youngjae, even if the secretary didn’t want to speak about it.

“Are you working tomorrow?” Junhong asked, as Youngjae started the car. The omega didn’t switch on the music player as he usually did.

“No,” the omega replied. “My heats end after three days, so I’ll still be at home. You have university, right?”

“Yeah.” Another thing Junhong didn’t think about – school. His laptop and textbooks were all at home. At least his notes were online, and he could access them through his phone, but there wasn’t much else he could do. He was only going to be away from Yongguk for three days, at most. He just needed to clear his head. Put some space between them.

“Let’s pick up some necessities,” Youngjae said, glancing over at him. “Toothbrush, pajamas, some other clothes, just enough to last you a couple of days,” he took a right, into a road that led to a shopping mall. “It’s only the first week of semester, you won’t miss out on much without your textbook.”

“I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I can,” Junhong promised. He didn’t want to be a burden to the only person who had shown him kindness so far. “Just enough time to gather my thoughts.”

“You can stay for as long as you like.”

With a supreme pizza with extra cheese shared between them, Junhong and Youngjae sat in front of the TV. Youngjae ensured that the channel wasn’t Moon TV, but played the news anyway. They weren’t even really watching; Junhong was scrolling through his phone, comfortable in a newly-bought pair of pajamas. He ignored every text Yongguk sent him, thinking that the elder deserved to panic for at least a little bit.

Bang Yongguk: Junhong where are you?

Bang Yongguk:  I’m sorry

Bang Yongguk: I’ll explain everything just come home

Bang Yongguk: Jun, please

Bang Yongguk: at least tell me if you’re safe

Bang Yongguk: do you have a place to stay?

Bang Yongguk: who are you with?

Bang Yongguk: tell me you didn’t go back to your parents’ house.

Bang Yongguk: Junhong.

“There’s no way he’ll be able to track me or anything, right?” Junhong mumbled. Unlike Youngjae, he opted for soft drink instead of beer since he didn’t really feel like drinking. “Anyway, it’s not like he can force me to go home. I’m 19 already, and we’re not even married…”

“If he files a missing person report, he could,” Youngjae said, and Junhong frowned. The elder omega added helpfully, “But not if you post something on your Instagram account proving that you’re fine.”

“Like, just an update saying that I’m at a sleepover?” the boy asked, and Youngjae nodded.

“Make sure you take a photo of yourself though.” Youngjae lifted the bottle to his lips and drank, enjoying the light buzz of alcohol that ran through his blood.

Junhong took a slice of pizza and took a bite, taking a selfie of himself at the same time.

The omega uploaded the photo with the caption ‘sleepover!’ and then promptly crammed the rest of the pizza slice into his mouth. His mouth was still full when he heard a familiar name being read out on the TV, and his head snapped up.

“Following the leak of the news regarding Blood Omegas, Moon Juhyeon’s son Moon Jongup is rumored to have been attacked by members of the public in search for more information. He has reported minor injuries, but his bodyguard Kim Himchan was in critical condition.”

So Himchan was a bodyguard, Junhong realised, slapping himself internally. He should’ve known. But why would Jongup even need a bodyguard in the first place?

“The two suspects have been identified and arrested. Although Moon Jongup has led a relatively quiet life outside of his mother’s fame, he is friends with social media star Choi Junhong –”

Junhong changed the channel, grinding his teeth together.

“Why don’t you want anyone to know you’re a Blood Omega?” Youngjae asked curiously.

The boy stiffened, “How did you know?”

“I looked at your marriage contract,” the man replied, “and Yongguk told me.”

Junhong swallowed, his hands sweating. He didn’t mind that Youngjae knew – the secretary was definitely trustworthy – but he had asked Yongguk not to tell anybody about his condition. He wondered how many other promises the elder had broken.

“My heats are unbearable,” Junhong said quietly. “They feel like… well, a fire. Burning my insides. Having my alpha with me takes away the burn,” he thought back to Yongguk, who had helped him out, only a few days ago. It felt like an eternity since then.

“I guess… that’s why my mother thought I was weak, because I’m always dependent on others,” he muttered, only just realising it himself.

“It’s just a few days of vulnerability, it doesn’t make you weak,” Youngjae said, but he was already beginning to think of a plan.

If Junhong didn’t want the Blood Omega new to spread, Youngjae would do his best to make sure no one would ever hurt the boy again.

The next day, before Junhong left for university, he made a lavish breakfast for Youngjae as a thanks for letting him stay. Youngjae was still staying at home for one more day, even though his heat finished early in the morning. With the rest of the day to spare, the secretary began putting his plan into action.

His finger hovered over the ‘call’ button, but he squeezed his eyes shut and pressed, bringing his phone up to his ear.

“Jung Daehyun speaking.”

“Daehyun-ssi, this is Youngjae. Is the duet still on the table? I changed my mind.”

catch me @junhng on tumblr :)

sorry for the late update i was busy failing all my exams!!

i've finalised the rest of the chapters, so this fic will be around 21-23 chapters, depending on whether or not y'all like the daejae/himup? i was going to have one chapter dedicated to each of them but i'm not sure if that's interesting,,, also probably not cohesive hm i'll figure it out soon

but tell me if you guys like the daejae and himup!! and of course the banglo (although not much of that is happening rn rip) (i promise everyone important has a happy ending) (so don't kill me) (i live for feedback so comments make me happy pls comment!!)