020

 

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To Youngjae, a few months passed in the blink of an eye.

To Junhong, the months felt like years.

The Blood Omega still stayed with Jongup, and hadn’t seen Yongguk since the morning they fought. Junhong changed his number so Yongguk couldn’t text him, but he heard the maids whisper occasionally that a Bang twin had tried to enter the estate, only to be blocked by security guards. As far as Junhong knew, Yongnam wasn’t banned from entering, but he didn’t want to see either twin. Especially Yongguk.

As for Juhyeon, Junhong was surprised that the elder woman took to him like another son. Even though the omega still didn’t trust or forgive her, she didn’t have any negative feelings towards him, and even made sure to buy him all his textbooks for school. She was nice now, caring even; but like all of the people in the Moon estate, she didn’t ever bring up Bang Yongguk in conversation.

Still, Junhong felt uncomfortable knowing that he was fully supported by his best friend’s mother – it was just weird – so he got a job at COFFEE SHOP café, and worked there whenever he wasn’t at school, or studying. He didn’t earn enough to buy himself an apartment or anything, but he could afford to get himself some new winter clothes, and dye his hair a few times. Right now, he was sporting a bright pink that looked ridiculous at first, but he warmed up to it eventually.

He felt independent, free to do whatever he wanted.

But he wasn’t exactly happy. Sometimes, it felt like there would be no one else for him. It felt like Yongguk had done more damage to him than his parents had; Junhong had never thought his parents were kind, but he had loved Yongguk with all of his heart.

He never admitted it to anyone, especially not Jongup, but he knew it would take a long time for him to move on.

Sometimes, it felt like he never would.

 

“Youngjae?” Junhong balanced his phone between his ear and his shoulder. “What’s up?”

“Hey, Junhong, are you busy?” the other omega asked, excitement clear in his voice.

“Nope,” Junhong lied. He was in the middle of packing his bag for class – which started in two minutes – and Jongup was yelling at him from outside to ‘hurry the up, I told you to pack your bag last night Junhong you ’. The omega rolled his eyes – like he could’ve done that; he was working yesterday.

“What’s up?” He gave up with untangling his earphones and just crammed them in his bag before running down the stairs and out of the house, waving towards the maids. The phone was still pressed to his ear.

“I don’t know if you’ve had time to hear it yet, but Daehyunnie’s album was released at midnight!” the secretary said cheerfully. “If you could take a few minutes to listen to third track and then search up its title, I think you’ll be pretty happy.”

“What is it?” Junhong wondered aloud, jumping into the car and closing the door. Jongup was two seconds away from giving him the mocking of his life, but noticed he was on his phone and settled for smacking the back of his head and silently reminding him to put on his seatbelt. Junhong scowled at him.

“It’s a surprise, but do it quickly,” Youngjae said brightly.

“It’s sweet you’re supporting your boyfriend, hyung,” Junhong smiled wistfully. “I’ll check it out as soon as I can.”

“Isn’t he the greatest?” Youngjae said dreamily. Distantly, Junhong could hear a deep voice asking Youngjae to print out some files and deliver a contract. “Uh, I’ve got to  work, but text me what you think!” Youngjae sounded like he was in a rush, and Junhong’s heart dropped, like it always did when he thought of Yongguk. He could hear the deep voice questioning who Youngjae was talking to, and he panicked.

“See you, hyung,” the omega blurted before hanging up. Guilt immediately settled in stomach for ending the call so abruptly, but he really didn’t want to stick around for too long.

 Jongup gave him a sly grin, “Hey, so that was about the DAE album, right?”

“How’d you know?” Junhong asked, swallowing his feelings, and Jongup plugged the AUX cord into his phone and smirked.

“You should check the news more often, Jun. The third track from DAE’s album topped the charts last night. Even before the title track, which, like, never happens.”

Junhong rolled his eyes at the elder, ready to ask him why he should care, but he heard a familiar voice begin singing and immediately snapped his mouth shut. He looked over at Jongup, who just nodded excitedly and pointed at Junhong’s phone, reminding him to search the song.

Junhong just wanted to listen to the song – it sounded so good. Youngjae’s voice was heavenly, and when the omega heard Daehyun begin to sing, he was at a loss for words. Neither of them was better than the other, but they matched so well. Junhong was about to say what he was thinking to Jongup, but he heard them harmonise.

“Holy .”

There was no surprise that this song topped the charts – it was amazing.

“Search the song already,” Jongup was pretty much jumping in his seat, and Junhong did as he was told. Maybe Youngjae was getting attention for being such a good singer. The Blood Omega actually felt a little offended; he and Youngjae had been tight for the past two months (the other omega was easily Junhong’s closest friend after Jongup), but he hadn’t been told about the other’s vocal talents. Junhong would’ve thought, with a voice as good as that, Youngjae would be boasting about it all the time. Hell, if Junhong could sing that well, every word that came out of his mouth would be a song.

Junhong typed ‘Bleed DAE Anonymous’ into the search bar and felt his breath stop at sight of the results. Easily hundreds of articles appeared, all created within the past eight hours.

• Review of DAE’s ‘Bleed’ featuring Anonymous
• Who is DAE’s Anonymous?
• Why Anonymous makes DAE’s Bleed his best song yet
• What we know about the mysterious Anonymous
• DAE’s Anonymous revealed to be an omega by DAE’s manager and company trainees
• The hunt for Bleed’s omega
• PROOF THAT DAE IS DATING BLEED’S OMEGA [NOT CLICKBAIT]

His eyes stung with unshed tears, touched at how much Youngjae had done for him – He planned this so Juhyeon’s news ‘scandal’ would finally be buried. Not even Juhyeon managed to cover up the story, but Youngjae had – he had worked on it for two months.

Just to check, he searched the words ‘Blood Omega.’

His heart pounded when the page finally loaded – instead of articles of Juhyeon and Jongup, there were only articles about DAE and Bleed’s omega.

“The story is covered,” Junhong said faintly, and Jongup nodded, a happy smile in his face. The omega wiped his tears and immediately fumbled with his phone, planning to call Youngjae back. He waited, hearing the dial tone ring five times before it went straight to Youngjae’s voicemail.

“This is Yoo Youngjae. If you hear this, I’m probably working. Don’t bother leaving a voicemail, I don’t listen to them. If you’re desperate, ring my work phone. Otherwise, just send a text like a normal person. Bye.”

Junhong hung up and scrambled to ring his work phone, desperate to thank the elder. It was the least he could do.

The phone rang three times before it was picked up, and he immediately launched into an assault of compliments, “Hyung, you never told me you could sing so well! I feel kind of betrayed; why did you hide it from me all this time?” He was giddy, almost vibrating with excitement.

There was only silence, and Junhong’s grin faded. “Youngjae-hyung?” he asked. “Are you busy right now?”

Another silence, before he heard a deep voice.

“Junhong?”

The omega immediately froze. His phone slipped through his fingers and clattered on the car floor, almost as if it was hit out of his hand. Youngjae’s voice wasn’t that deep. He knew that voice; he had heard it every night for three months. It was huskier than he remembered, but he could recognize it anywhere, even after two months.

From beside him, Jongup immediately snatched the phone from the floor and hung up, looking worriedly at the omega.

Junhong was clutching at the hem of his shirt, feeling waves of nostalgia wash over him. He’d tried so hard to forget about him – it didn’t matter how much he missed Yongguk; they were over. The alpha had probably already found someone else to be with.

At the thought, Junhong curled into himself, a frown dancing over his features.

Jongup rested a hand on his shoulder, about to ask if he was okay, but he was cut off by his own ringtone. He reached for his phone, hesitating when he saw the caller ID, but picked up anyway.

“Jongup.”

“Mom?”

“Honey, you need to get to the hospital. Himchan’s awake.”

What happened next was a blur. Jongup registered himself yelling for the driver to turn around, his voice raw, but he couldn’t even hear himself think. All he knew was that he needed to get to Himchan.

Next to him, Junhong looked clearly worried, but Jongup could tell he didn’t mind going to the hospital, even if it meant missing another lecture. The omega reached over to pry the phone from his hand, and Jongup realised he hadn’t hung up yet.

“Himchan’s really awake?” The omega sounded doubtful, but there was a layer of excitement in his voice. “Yeah, I’ll make sure he doesn’t jump out of the car and run through the traffic or anything. See you there, Juhyeon-ssi.”

He placed the phone in Jongup’s pocket, telling the elder, “Your mother is still filming, but she says she’ll be able to come down soon. Himchan hasn’t seen anyone but the doctors yet, but Youngjae and Hyerim have been called already, and are apparently making their way there.”

Jongup nodded, taking a nervous breath.

The car wasn’t going fast enough. Of course it was his bodyguard’s job to ensure his safety, but at that moment, Jongup couldn’t care less. His hands were shaking as the car drove the familiar way to the hospital; would Himchan even want to see him, after all the trouble he’d caused?

Jongup’s heart clenched.  He didn’t think he could live knowing that Himchan would reject him, but he would accept it and keep his distance, even if it pained him. The thought of Himchan not wanting to see him, even after he had stopped being a bodyguard and they could actually date – it felt like the odds were always against them being together.

But Jongup wouldn’t stop fighting for him until he heard Himchan say it for himself.

As soon as the car pulled up at the hospital, Jongup’s arm was reaching for the door and his legs were immediately forcing him outside. He couldn’t slow down, Himchan was waiting.

He was leaving Junhong in the car, but he knew the omega would understand – even if he was never told directly, Junhong knew Jongup loved Himchan more than he loved anyone else.

He ran through the hospital doors, disregarding the horrified look the patients in the lobby were giving him, and immediately ran upstairs. His heart quickened as he came closer and closer to the room he had visited once a week for the past two months. As he reached for the door, he felt a sudden surge and he burst into the room, ignoring the door slamming against the wall.

As soon as his eyes landed on Himchan, his feet stilled in hesitation. Himchan was sitting on the bed, still in hospital clothes and trapped under the hospital sheets. At the sight of Jongup, his eyes widened, but he also froze in place. His eyes hadn’t opened in two months – Jongup had forgotten how they used to look at him.

No matter how much he wanted to touch the beta and make sure he was alright, he couldn’t bring himself to move.

For a moment, Jongup felt his heart swell with a mixture of emotions he couldn’t exactly place – relief, happiness, love – but the realisation that Himchan wasn’t moving either made another wave of anxiety crash over him.

He swallowed nervously, suddenly worried that the elder would begin yelling at him to leave, to get out and never see him again. He was so close.

Himchan was on his feet in an instant and he took a slow step towards the alpha, immediately wincing. His eyes were still transfixed on the younger, and he took a slow breath and forced himself to take another.

Suddenly snapped back into consciousness, Jongup dashed forward and held the other tightly in his arms, to make sure he wasn’t dreaming. Himchan was here. Himchan was awake. Jongup choked, feeling his eyes sting, but before he could say anything, Himchan had leaned forward and shyly pressed his lips to the corner of Jongup’s mouth.

Jongup pulled him closer, hugging him tight even after Himchan had pulled back, simply resting his head against the other’s.

Himchan’s voice cracked as he tried to sound out some words, and Jongup’s arms tightened protectively around him. Himchan seemed hesitant, his throat dry. “I love you too, Jongup,” he said softly, and Jongup felt himself crying as he clutched onto the beta, feeling the other’s arms slowly curl around him, holding him back.

Jongup spoke, his words coming out muffled. “I’m never letting anything like that happen to you ever again, hyung.”

He felt a hand slowly reach up to ruffle his hair, “I would do it again, for you.” Jongup made a sound of protest at the back of his throat that made Himchan chuckle in amusement, and Jongup buried his face into his neck.

With Himchan in his arms, Jongup felt himself truly relax for the first time in two months.

 

Junhong wasn’t going inside the room until Jongup told him he could – for all he knew, the two of them were probably making out now, and he didn’t want to walk in on that.

He sat on the benches outside, hoping Youngjae would get to the hospital quickly. He hadn’t been able to properly thank the elder for his plot to cover the Blood Omega scandal, or even congratulate him for releasing the song.

The omega’s lips pursed – surely Yongguk would let him go, right? The alpha wasn’t cruel. The only thing he had to worry about was whether Yongguk would come as well.

To stop himself from thinking too much, Junhong slipped his phone out of his pocket to buy the song, and rate it five stars. His lips curved into a proud smile when he saw that it had only positive reviews. No doubt Daehyun would be thrilled; Junhong wondered if he would try to convince his boyfriend to do another duet, since the first one was so successful.

“Junhong-ah,” the omega looked up and smiled politely at the sight of Juhyeon. She must have rushed to get to the hospital so quickly, but she looked as dignified as ever, with her ten-inch heels and designer handbag on her shoulder. She returned Junhong’s smile, and the omega pocketed his phone, glancing at the closed door leading to Himchan’s hospital room.

“They’re inside...We only got here about five minutes ago,” he said hesitantly, hoping that the woman would leave them alone for at least a while longer. As Jongup’s best friend and unofficial wingman, he knew he had some kind of responsibility not to let his mother walk in on them.

To his relief, she delicately sat next to him and placed her handbag on her lap, rifling through it in silence. He breathed a sigh of relief, hoping Jongup would hurry up and finish whatever he was doing. Hopefully with clothes on.

“Here,” the woman finally said, after a few moments. Junhong turned his head from where he was staring at a wall, and she offered him a small box. The omega blinked at it in surprise, taking it from her and staring at the label.

His heat suppressants.

“I’m not going to force you to take these when your heat comes next month, but I thought you might want to, especially since...” She didn’t finish her sentence, but she didn’t need to.

Especially since there’s no one to look after you on your heats anymore.

Since leaving Yongguk, he hadn’t even thought about what he would do on his heats, especially since he had thrown his old packet of suppressants out. The box in his hands only gave him bad memories of days spent locked inside his bedroom with nosebleeds and migraines and without anyone to talk to.

“Thanks,” he mumbled quietly, remembering to respond. He didn’t bother questioning how the woman, as an alpha, managed to get a box of suppressants. He guessed it had to do with her multimillion dollar net worth.

“If you need anything else, just tell me,” Juhyeon said, her eyes softening at the sight of Junhong wincing immediately. “Do you get days off from university?”

“Usually, yeah,” the omega nodded. “But with these,” he tapped the box, “I can probably go out of the house and not just stay in all day.”

“And it’s safe?”

“Kind of,” he sighed wistfully. “I figured out that the only reason I take them is to suppress the… um, urges I get, and reduce the effect on alphas around me, so it’s safe for me to be around others, but there are still a ton of side effects, so I’m not 100% safe.”

She frowned, but didn’t couldn’t day anything else as both heard loud footsteps stomping up the stairs. Before they knew it, both Hyerim and Youngjae appeared, running through the hallway and towards Himchan’s room.

“Youngjae-hyung!” Junhong called, and the secretary’s face split into a grin at the sight of the other omega. He slowed down as he neared, but before he could fully stop, Junhong rushed forward and hugged him tightly, whispering in his ear so Juhyeon and Hyerim couldn’t hear.

“Hyung, I can’t believe you never told me you could sing!”

The other omega laughed at the mock-betrayal on Junhong’s face, “Junhong, it was a surprise! Think of it as a gift.”

“The best present anyone has ever gotten me,” Junhong said solemnly, taking a step back to give him some space, and the secretary smiled fondly.

“I’m glad you like it.”

Hyerim was staring at them, but once she realised she couldn’t understand the conversation, she turned towards the door and gave it one sharp knock before pushing it open. Junhong only realised what was happening when it was too late, and he rushed in as soon as he heard a loud squawk of horror. Youngjae followed closely behind him, immediately groaning when he saw what Hyerim screamed about.

“I knew you guys were together!” Hyerim was grinning triumphantly, ignoring the fact that both her brother and Jongup were on the hospital bed.

Junhong was just grateful they still had clothes on.

“Hyerim…” Himchan muttered, but the other beta just squealed and flung herself into her brother’s arms, talking a mile a minute. In the end, Himchan couldn’t stop an affectionate smile from forming at the presence of his older sister, and Youngjae eventually joined in, pulling over a seat and telling the ex-bodyguard about the events of the past two months.

“Hey, hyung, you can’t make fun of me for being a boring twenty-one-year-old anymore…” the omega teased, and Himchan’s eyebrow raised.

“What, did you get a boyfriend?” the elder mocked, and Youngjae laughed. “Wait. Youngjae.”

“Yep,” the secretary giggled, and Himchan’s eyes widened almost comically in surprise.

“Who is it? Do I know him? Is he hot?” He leaned forward, sparing a mischievous glance at Jongup. Junhong was kind of stunned – he had never seen Himchan like this.

Youngjae nodded, looking at the floor bashfully. “It’s Daehyunnie.”

“No way.” Himchan’s mouth opened and he beamed at Jongup, “Jongup, we’re like matchmakers!”

“Sure are, hyung,” the alpha smiled, resting his head against the beta’s shoulder. “But I think Daehyun would credit the beginning of their relationship to himself, since his voice charmed Youngjae first.” The secretary blushed and nodded, agreeing with the alpha’s words, and Himchan huffed.

“Still,” he murmured, a contented smile on his face. “I’m happy for you.”

If Junhong wasn’t so glad for the two, he would drily comment about how the happiness in the room was suffocating, but he kept silent. The quiet only lasted for a short while, before being interrupted by Juhyeon getting off her seat.

“Sorry to interrupt, but I have to go soon,” Juhyeon said suddenly. The five others in the room looked at her, having forgotten she was even there. Junhong’s eyes widened, realising that she had probably just learnt that her son was dating his ex-bodyguard, but she didn’t seem shocked at all. Instead, she smiled kindly at Himchan and produced an envelope from her handbag.

“The doctors insist you stay here for another two days, so I hope you have enough time to read this, when Jonguppie isn’t pestering you.” She laughed when Jongup interrupted her with an offended ‘hey!’, and continued on. “It’s about your work. As you quit more than two weeks ago, you obviously no longer work for Jongup, but I thought I’d give you a little something as a thank you for looking after him so well for the past three years.”

She placed the envelope on the bedside table. Hyerim, Youngjae and Junhong all knew what was inside the envelope, having attended the breakfast two months ago when Juhyeon announced her plans to pay for Himchan’s university fees, but none of them wanted to tell Jongup or Himchan.

“Oh, and check your emails sometime soon, I’m thinking of hosting a Christmas Eve party this year. I’m still thinking of a theme,” she said, more to herself than anyone else, before leaving them all in silence, her heels clicking against the tile of the hallway.

“Huh, don’t Christmas parties usually take months to plan?” Junhong said, after what felt like minutes.

“She’s scary,” Hyerim told Jongup, and the alpha nodded in agreement.

“You’re coming, right?” he turned to Himchan, tilting his head.

The beta smiled and nodded, his heart warming as Jongup’s expression melted into a satisfied smile. Without thinking, he leaned forward to press a quick peck to Jongup’s lips, not caring for Hyerim’s high pitched squeals or Youngjae’s and Junhong’s obnoxious gagging noises.

Even though he had waited three years without the freedom to act on his feelings, there was no doubt in his body that it was worth it.

 

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@junhng

this chapter was probably the hardest one to write? it took about a month idk why

i can't believe i've written 20 chapters though that's wild... thank you for reading this far!

tell me what you think about this chapter! & upvote if you liked!!