006

 

---

 

Even though Yongguk couldn’t come over the next day, Junhong was happy that the elder kept texting him almost every hour. Yongguk seemed to worry over him a lot, but Junhong couldn’t say he hated it – it was actually kind of nice to have someone thinking about him, especially because his family tried to avoid him during his heat.

Bang Yongguk: have you had lunch yet?

Choi Junhong: its only 11????

Bang Yongguk: are you going to have lunch soon?

Choi Junhong: im not that hungry hyunggggg (´⌒   ’。)

Bang Yongguk: have a small snack. its not good to skip meals.

Choi Junhong: says the one who missed out on chicken yesterday ( σT-T)σ
Choi Junhong: ill eat an apple

Bang Yongguk: good boy

 

“Junhong!” A voice called from outside his room, followed by a sharp series of knocks.

The omega scrambled off the bed and ran to open the door as fast as he could. “Hyung!” he exclaimed excitedly as the door swung open, his eyes shining with admiration. “You’re home late.” The sun had fallen hours ago, and Junhong was getting ready to sleep his heat off.

“Mom and dad are out for dinner,” his brother informed. “I had to leave early to pick up this,” he held up a stack of papers, a wide grin on his face. Junhong peered at the front page of the stack, his eyes widening when he read the title ‘Union of Bang Yongguk and Choi Junhong.’

His eyes stared at the paper, and then back at his brother in shock and confusion. “It’s the final copy,” Junseo added. “Bang Yongguk has already signed it, so as soon as you sign it, you’ll be officially married!” He seemed thrilled, and Junhong was knew exactly why. Being the eldest and the favourite, Junseo was definitely going to inherit the company when their parents retired, and the business deal only guaranteed the company’s success.

When Yongguk said they’d be married by the end of the week, Junhong didn’t think it would be two days later. Wednesday was the middle of the week, it wasn’t anywhere near the end! He was still in a state of shock, as Junseo pushed past him to enter his room, placing  the papers on Junhong’s desk.

“W-Wait a minute, doesn’t there need to be a ceremony or something...?” Junhong asked in confusion, “I don’t think this is legal.” He at least wanted some time to process everything.

“Mom is so not going to pay for you guys to have a wedding,” Junseo scoffed. “It’s be a waste of money anyway, both you and Bang know that this marriage is purely business. Bang got the papers approved by the state, and he said that as long as you have a witness with as you sign the papers – that’s me – it’s legal. So sign away, bro.” He pushed Junhong roughly into his seat.

“Shouldn’t I at least read it, then?” Junhong asked. The stack of paper seemed terrifying to him, way worse than any of the exams he had taken before. He felt melodramatic thinking that it would change his life forever, but it really would. Also the contract was like 50 pages thick, which was terrifying, and Junhong knew from the movies he watched that there would usually be a loophole somewhere.

Junseo gave Junhong an exasperated look, “Do you think mom and dad would write something that would be harmful to you? This contract is the one they made, Yongguk didn’t make any changes. Just sign it already, mom is waiting for me to call her.”

Junhong flipped through the pages, scanning for a dotted line that asked for a signature. The pages were covered, both sided, with small font text. He stopped on the last page, seeing Yongguk’s signature next to where he was meant to sign his. His signature was confident, without any shakiness or jerkiness. Junhong wondered if the alpha was as nervous as he was, or if he was just okay with signing away his life.

The omega frowned, hesitating with a pen in his hand. Behind him, his brother sighed tiredly, “Why are you being so slow?”

Junhong, suddenly feeling sick, quickly scribbled his name onto the dotted line. He glanced at his brother behind him and placed a hand over the papers, hoping that he would be given some time to read through the contract, but Junseo swiped the contract off his desk and exited his room.

Nausea formed in the pit of Junhong’s stomach, and he made his way to his bed. He didn’t feel bad about marrying Yongguk – not at all. Yongguk made him feel happy and cared for, respected and taken seriously. He just felt like he was throwing away his future, just for his parents’ business.

He shook his head, and curled into his blanket.

It didn’t matter anymore.

Junhong didn’t get to sleep that night, as he’d started violently throwing up immediately after Junseo’s interruption. His stomach and throat burned with acid, and he was absolutely exhausted as he collapsed into his bed after four in the morning.

Less than three hours later, the omega was woken by the sound of his ringtone blaring loudly, and he blindly reached for his phone on his nightstand. He grabbed it and answered the call, eyes squeezed closed. His blanket was still pulled to his chest, and he was prepared to return back to sleep as soon as he’d gotten rid of the caller.

“Hello?” he croaked out, before clearing his voice. He was hardly awake, too tired to snap at whoever called him.

“Junhongie? Did I wake you?” A calm voice asked, and Junhong rubbed his eyes to look at his phone screen. He squinted blearily through the sleep, before returning to the call.

“It’s 7 in the morning, Yongguk-hyung,” he murmured and yawned sleepily. “What’s up?”

“Is your heat over yet?”

“Don’t think so.” He felt a sharp twinge to the side of his head. He winced, “Nope, not yet.”

“Then… when do your classes tomorrow end?”

Junhong thought for a few seconds, still unable to process anything. “Classes on Friday…” his voice was still rough, and he knew he sounded gross, but he couldn’t care. He tried to visualise his timetable. “I have a lot of classes, they end at 4. Why?” He was already falling back to sleep, losing focus.

“Don’t worry about it now; you can go back to sleep; I’ll call you later, okay?”

Junhong hummed, “’Kay.”

“Sleep well.”

“Mhmthanks,” he mumbled, dropping his phone on his pillow and drifting back to sleep.

 

Instead of a call, Junhong woke up hours later to a text from the alpha.

Bang Yongguk: is it okay if you move in tomorrow? call me when you wake up.

He blinked at his screen and brought it closer to his face, rereading the message. Tomorrow? Realisation dawned on the omega; so that was why Yongguk was questioning about his Friday classes.

He went to brush his teeth and shower, wanting to freshen up before talking to the alpha. He didn’t really mind moving in so soon, assuming that his parents were okay with it. It would actually be kind of cool, like having a roommate. The omega flushed as he realised what having a roommate meant - sleeping in the same room as the elder. A housemate was what Yongguk would be.

With his fading headache, Junhong predicted that his heat would be done by the end of the day. Maybe he’d have some time to meet up with Jongup in the afternoon and tell him about his new marital status. Jongup probably wouldn’t be phased at all; knowing his best friend, he would probably be more interested in his next meal than any relationships. That would be okay though, Junhong would prefer if they just glassed over the marriage.

It seemed like everything he did nowadays was related to it somehow, anyway. A break would be nice.

He finished his shower and changed into another lazy outfit.

Before he could forget, he rung Yongguk, hoping that the elder wasn’t in a meeting.

“Bang Yongguk speaking.”

“Good morning, Yongguk-hyung,” the omega greeted.

A laugh sounded, and Junhong wished he could see Yongguk’s face. He could imagine it – his eyes disappearing as a wide, gum-revealing grin lightened up his expression – a sight so beautiful that Junhong’s heart yearned to see it again, instead of picturing it in his mind. “Junhong, it’s two in the afternoon.”

“Oh, right,” the omega chuckled in embarrassment. He checked his phone for confirmation and sighed, “Sorry. Time passes by quicker when you’re asleep.”

His heart pounded as Yongguk chuckled, “I’m glad you’re sleeping well. Has your heat been causing you a lot of pain?”

The omega didn’t want to worry him, so he replied with a vague, “Nothing out of the ordinary.” He realised what he’d called for and spoke, “And hyung, about moving in, I’d be happy to do it on tomorrow.”

Yongguk hummed.

“I’m glad. I didn’t want to wait too long.” Junhong tried not to let himself think too much about his words. The alpha cleared his throat, “Well, I can get everything brought to the apartment tomorrow. Do you have anything big that would need a moving truck?”

“My...bed?” His eyebrows were furrowed in confusion.

“Oh, don’t worry about beds; everything that you saw in the tour last Tuesday will still be at the apartment. If you need to bring any furniture other than a bed, bookshelf, closet and desk, let me know.”

“I think that’s it then,” Junhong looked around his room. “I really just have my clothes and school stuff to bring. And Mochi!” He added.

“What about Zelo?” The elder teased, and Junhong huffed.

“Of course, hyung! Zelo was a given...” he pouted, even though Yongguk couldn’t see it.

“Of course, of course,” a pause broke off what he was going to say, and he must’ve covered his phone, because all Junhong could hear next were muffled noises and sounds. A voice of whom he recognised as Youngjae’s was talking rather harshly, but as much as the omega tried to hear, he couldn’t make out any specific words. There were other voices that weren’t familiar; Junhong panicked when he realised that he really could have interrupted one of Yongguk’s meetings.

Before too long had passed, the alpha returned to the call. “Sorry about that,” he mumbled apologetically, and Junhong knew he was genuine. Before he could assure him that it was fine, he continued, “I’ll be quite busy today, so I don’t think I’ll be able to see you, but we can have dinner together tomorrow, after you move in. Alright?”

“Okay.” He quietened, “Have a good day today, hyung.”

“You too, Junnie,” the elder said before hanging up.

Junhong was left in silence, staring at the wall across from his bed. He placed his phone by his side and sat there, as reality hit him. It was odd to think that his room would be empty in less than two days. The room he’d grown up in, uninhabited. A strange feeling of homesickness mixed with sadness formed in his stomach and the back of his throat.

His desk, bed and closet would be gone, and so would his family. Junhong wasn’t naïve enough to believe that his parents would stay in contact with him; they were probably glad he no longer would live with them.

As much as Junhong tried to convince himself that he was excited for the move, the feeling of excitement was mixed with the feelings of being trapped under his parents’ decisions and being discarded like an unwanted possession, and he couldn’t stay happy with those thoughts plaguing his mind.

He took out his phone and quickly texted a message to Jongup.

Choi Junhong: are you free after your classes? let’s go to the coffee shop

He was surprised by an instant reply.

Moon Jongup: lol i skipped class ill meet you there in 15

Junhong looked around his room, seeing everything that still needed to be packed. Most of his belongings were clothes, but he had lots of clothes – and he wasn’t willing to throw any away.

He could start packing after he met with Jongup.

The omega’s mind raced as he thought about how he would get there. The place was twenty minutes walk, but he didn’t really have the patience for walking. A grin spread across his face as he made his way to the storage cupboard. There, he sifted through stacks of items until he found a skateboard, cleverly hidden away.

When he was a child, barely ten years old, he used to skateboard to and from school. His parents didn’t care so much about their appearances back then because their company was just a small business. It was an easier time, Junhong remembered feeling less pressured and bothered by his parents.

As he grew up, so did their company, and his mother became obsessed with their image. Instead of freely riding to school, Junhong had his treasured board taken away because it was “childish” and “unsightly.”

Unknown to his mother, he and Jongup (and in extension, Himchan) would sometimes visit skate parks together when school finished.

As long as his mother never knew he was riding, he would be perfectly fine.

 

Junhong didn’t actually know the name of the cafe that he and Jongup frequently visited, even though they went every other week. It wasn’t because he just never noticed; the sign at the front of the cafe literally just said ‘COFFEE SHOP.’ Junhong supposed the place wouldn’t get any bad reviews online, since no one would be able to find it.

Jongup was already inside when Junhong arrived, chatting with Himchan. The elder man seemed to be talking a lot, looking more animated than Junhong had ever seen him. The omega felt like he was interrupting something as he approached, and Himchan immediately stopped speaking.

“Hey, Uppie-hyung, Himchan,” he smiled at them, and Jongup grinned back.

“Hey, newlywed.”

Junhong’s eyes widened, “How did you know?!”

“My parents had dinner with yours last night,” the alpha spoke, pushing a drink towards the younger boy. Junhong was pleased to note that it was a caramel frappe. “Actually, it was more of a dinner party.”

“Oh really? I didn’t hear about that,” Junhong sipped from his drink and tilted his head curiously.

“You wouldn’t have, it was extremely last minute.” Jongup shrugged. “My parents only got an invitation hours before. Apparently, the only purpose of the dinner was for your parents to announce the marriage.”

“That sounds like my mom,” Junhong sighed deeply. He gazed over the menu, looking for a dessert that he could treat himself with – he justified that it could be like a congratulatory gift from himself.

As soon as his eyes caught on the picture of a strawberry shortcake slice, a new dessert on the menu, he knew he had seen The One.

“Jongup, if that cake isn’t in my mouth in the next ten minutes, I might die,” he said, throwing his head back dramatically. Jongup laughed and told him to order it, and Junhong cheered, as if he was waiting for his friend’s approval.  The omega called over a waiter, reciting his order gleefully.

Jongup smiled at his friend’s childishness and looked up at the waiter, “Can I have one slice of the deluxe chocolate cake and one tiramisu, please.” He folded the menu and gave it back to the waiter.

“Master Jongup, you can’t…” Himchan mumbled as the waiter walked away.

“Just enjoy it, hyung,” the alpha smiled angelically and nudged his shoulder. “If it bothers you so much, think of it as an order.” Himchan frowned, but couldn’t fight back.

Junhong smiled at their argument and raised a brow, “Hey, why did you skip classes today?”

Himchan’s lips were pressed in a flat line, but his master’s grin only widened. “I just had some business to take care of,” he said vaguely.

“Business?” Junhong echoed.

Jongup offered no elaboration, a smile remaining on his face.

Junhong shrugged and accepted it easily; Jongup’s parents were busy people, they ran a TV channel and news program, so it wasn’t unlikely that they had their son run a few errands once in a while. Junhong was sure that his own parents would let him have some responsibility sometimes too, if they trusted him.

“Don’t you ever get sick of just following Jongup around?” Junhong asked Himchan, hiding a smile when the elder sent his master a look. “You can say no, I would probably die if I had to spend all my time with him.” He poked Jongup’s arm, and the alpha stuck out his tongue childishly.

“I love my job, Junhong-ssi,” Himchan replied.

“But don’t you get tired of Jongup? Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week is tough work...”

“Himchannie-hyung, tell the truth,” Jongup frowned. “I’m awesome to be with, right?”

“Master Jongup treats me well,” the man said finally, and Jongup seemed to accept his words.

“See? I’m not a terrible person, Junhong.”

“If you say so,” the omega smirked, receiving a kick to the shin under the table.  Junhong winced and stomped back on his foot, before turning around to see if their cakes were coming any time soon. His eyes shined as he saw the waiter attempting to balance three plates in his hands.

“I’m going to upload my cake on Instagram,” the omega said, clasping his hands together to try and contain his excitement. Himchan couldn’t hide a smile at the sight of the overly enthusiastic teen.

The waiter approached their table, and two pairs of eyes stared at him eagerly.

“Thank you!” the two boys chorused as the waiter placed the plates down. Himchan had to cover his mouth to stop any laughter from escaping.

“This is the God of all cakes,” Junhong announced as he took a picture of it on his phone. “I think I’m in love.”

He uploaded it onto his Instagram account, adding a simple, but cute caption ‘strawberry~ 🍓’ before setting his phone down. He looked up to see Jongup already digging into his luxurious chocolate slice, and Himchan just staring at the dessert in front of him.

“I’ll feed you if you don’t start eating, hyung,” Jongup said through a mouthful of his cake.

Himchan started eating immediately, picking up his fork and digging into his coffee-flavoured treat. A pleased smile grew on Jongup’s face as he saw the elder’s eyes widen in amazement.

“Is it good?” Junhong asked. He still hadn’t touched his strawberry cake, wanting to savour its aesthetic deliciousness. As ridiculous as it seemed, the cake really was really the most magnificent Junhong had ever laid his eyes on.

“Do you want to try?” Himchan asked, sliding his plate over.

“It’s okay, I have my own,” Junhong politely declined, picking up his fork.

Beside Himchan, Jongup set his fork down. “I want to try,” he stated. Before Himchan could move the plate towards him, he opened his mouth, expecting the elder to feed him.

Himchan muttered, “Master Jongup...”

Jongup didn’t move.

Himchan fed the boy some of the dessert and wiped off some chocolate that somehow was on his cheek. “It’s hard to believe you’re twenty when you still eat like a child,” he said quietly.

Jongup winked, a mischievous expression on his face. “Feed me again?”

Junhong was too busy experiencing heaven to be confused by the interaction across the table. He didn’t speak, completely enamoured by the deliciousness. Eating the cake was almost a life-changing experience.

“I almost feel sad that I’m eating it all,” he stared at what was left of the cake on his plate for a second, before finishing it.

He took his phone, interested to see how many likes his picture of God Cake received. As usual, his account was flooded with notifications, and he was pleasantly surprised by the number of comments on his recent photo.

He clicked the comments, wondering why people would comment on a picture of a slice of strawberry cake. As he viewed the photo, even more appeared and he stared the hundreds of comments that were starting to pile in.

congratulations on your marriage ❤  ❤  ❤

aww are you on a date with yongguk oppa?

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!

Upload a picture with your husband! Or even some of your wedding photos~~~

that’s the iest cake ive ever seen lol

Junhong couldn’t agree more on the last comment, but how did all his followers knew about the marriage?

After some quick browsing around, he discovered that several tabloids had posted stories about the young CEO and the ‘social media star’ (Junhong rejected that title). His mother had apparently given some interviews to news shows as well.

“Even The Moon Juhyeon Exclusive reported it...” he blinked, but Jongup and Himchan were still busy themselves. Jongup was so busy trying to feed the man, that he didn’t realise Junhong was talking about his mother.

The omega realised the reason why Jongup’s parents were invited to dinner with his own parents; his mother probably wanted them to be the first to report the story. Apparently Moon Juheyon, Jongup’s mother, was the first to talk about the marriage on her talk show, and that had triggered other news channels and sites to report it too.

Comments of congratulations were still flooding his notifications and he smiled happily, feeling the tightness in his chest unwinding.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad.

 

---

 

find me @junhng on tumblr

lmao that was anticlimatic

don't worry though!! the drama hasn't even begun yet ;)

ALSO!!!!! Y'ALLL!!!!! WAKE ME UP!!!! got me heckn shooketd i couldnt breathe?? there was even banglo lion king concept it was so wild

tell me what you think about this chapter!