Oasis

Youngjae tugs his jacket tighter over his frame, glimpsing up at the air-conditioning. It’s strange to feel cold, considering he dons extra layers as compared to his colleagues. He wears a shirt beneath his dress shirt most of the time, needing to look thicker where his shoulders cannot cover up for. Though his shoulders are broad for an Omega, they’re of average size for Alphas, nothing impressive for a class he tries to imitate.

A provoking thought crosses Youngjae’s mind and he swipes his calendar, hastily counting the dates. He places it down in relief when he confirms that his heat shouldn’t be arriving so soon.

Instinctively, the memories fizzle against his vision. He clenches his fingers and forces away the touch lingering on his skin from many days ago. it bothers him much less than before—Youngjae isn't sure if he should be worried. He decides to scratch his arm for good measure, more out of routine than compulsion.

“It’s cold, isn’t it?” Junmyeon leans over with an amiable smile. “The cooling system must be malfunctioning.”

Youngjae churns out a half-hearted smile and nods, feeling more at ease to know he isn’t unwell. He gazes out to of the window and gazes upon the shopping mall some distance away.

His mind momentarily wanders to Minki—the conjecture immediately makes him sullen. Minki is probably talking with the other hairdressers now, rambling off about the newest fashion trend he wants to try.

Minki often shares this sort of useless gossip with Youngjae despite knowing Youngjae’s default responses. A shirt is a shirt to Youngjae—as long as it’s wearable, there shouldn’t be any need to think beyond its function. On the other hand, Minki is astoundingly picky, whining about things such as how the frills on his shirt doesn’t go well with his satin shorts. He spends hours getting ready, doing his toenails for absolutely no one to see.

Their cold war has persisted, but now, Youngjae has given up trying to fix things between them. He regrets trying in the first place when it's far from his responsibility to repair their friendship. If Minki wants to play this game, he’ll hit the rebound twice as hard. After all, Youngjae still thinks he’s right in being mad at Minki, and that he should be the one who’s sorry. Why should Youngjae beg for forgiveness when he was the one who initially gave Minki the cold shoulder? He did it for a good reason—that Minki had invited Daehyun up and thus made Youngjae have with him. What right does Minki have to be angry at him for being upset?

They have been living like ships passing in the night, almost as though they are complete strangers unaware of each other's existence. The only interaction they've had is today where Minki stopped him in the morning, barely looking the other Omega in the eyes as he helped him with his make-up. Even then, they did not speak to one another. Moreover, Minki had opted to take the bus instead of hitching a ride in Youngjae’s car like he usually does, vanishing out of the house without a single word. Youngjae's not using his car today, anyway, so it makes no difference whether Minki asked or not. The walk from the bus-stop had been refreshingly quiet without Minki clinging to his arm and his nagging for Youngjae to eat more for lunch.

Youngjae shakes the exasperation thoughts out of his mind, giving himself a few moments to collect himself. Breathe in, breathe out. The peevishness toils bitterly in his guts but Youngjae forces himself to return to his work, fingers rattling over the keyboard as he mulls over the documents Chanyeol sent.

In an hour, his colleagues begin filing out into the cafeteria for their lunch break. Youngjae stretches himself and tiredly gets up from his seat. He rounds the corner and immediately bumps into someone, clutching his nose with a groan. Whoever it is leaps back hurriedly and Youngjae looks up to meet Junhong's eyes.

"Youngjae! Oh my god, , I'm so sorry! Are you alright?" He gingerly slouches to get a better view of Youngjae, putting out his hands as though wanting to help but afraid to touch. The words continue spilling out too briskly out of Junhong's lips as panic assails his eyes.

"I'm such an idiot. I should have watched where I was going. A-Are you okay?"

Youngjae rubs his nose and lets out a soft laugh. "I'm fine," he assures. He gazes up at Junhong's guilty face and melts into a wholehearted smile, the gloom on his shoulders trickling away just a bit. Youngjae doesn't pin a word to the blues within his ribcage but a part of him knows it's loneliness.

He gently bumps Junhong's shoulder with his fist. "You act like you broke my nose. I'm not that fragile," Youngjae jokes, narrowing his eyes jokingly.

Junhong instantly widens his eyes and stammers, "No, no! You're- you're very strong! Like, super strong."

"Is that why you thought it was okay to walk into me? Because I'm super strong?" Youngjae teases. Just as Junhong frantically parts his lips to protest, Youngjae loosely grasps his arm, nudging the younger man towards the canteen.

"I'm kidding. Let's go eat." He lets go of Junhong and misses the tender look Junhong simmers into, the Beta quickly following behind.

"Is your nose really okay?" Junhong asks, sheepishly rubbing the nape of his neck. "I know you're super strong, but I mean, even a guy like Superman has Kryptonite."

"I'm fine, really. Your chest was pretty hard, though. It feels like I hit your ribs." Youngjae prods his own nose lightly and sniffles.

Junhong peers down at his chest and forms a double chin in the process, rubbing at his ribcage. "I'll eat more so my chest won't hurt you," he mumbles earnestly.

Youngjae amusedly stares up at the taller man, while Junhong presses his lips together with an endearing embarrassment.

"Are you planning on bumping into me again?"

"No, no! It's for..." Junhong scratches his head and grins shyly, "Well, just in case."

"How thoughtful." They step into the cafeteria and join the queue, the monotonous burble surrounding them along with clinks of utensils. Youngjae cranes his neck to see today's special menu. Junhong helpfully takes a look and provides, "They're having potato soup and curry rice. You like that, right?"

"Mm. Must be advantageous to be so tall," Youngjae remarks, simpering up at the taller boy. Junhong comically tip toes, his head almost bumping into the long lamp. He quirks his lips upon igniting a giggle in Youngjae, irises clouded with an unreadable mist.

"You seem happy today," Junhong says. "Did, um, something good happen?"

"Something good?" Youngjae slants his head one side. "No, not really. I..."

He bites his tongue at the inclination to tell Junhong that it's been the contrary for the past week--of what transpired in his bedroom between him and Daehyun, and Minki's frustrating stubbornness. Junhong leans forward, expecting an elaboration with large eyes.

"I just am happy to see you," Youngjae finishes with a small smile. He chides himself for almost divulging his private affairs, something he would never have considered a few months ago. He may be getting too comfortable and careless around Junhong, having grown closer to him after their more intimate conversations.

Junhong looks at Youngjae with large eyes, a subtle red scribbling onto his cheeks. “O-Oh! Oh. Okay.” He gazes elsewhere, tapping his foot absentmindedly.

Youngjae quietens down into a more solemn mood, quelling the small yet insolent protest bubbling in his lungs. There is a line between career and personal life for everyone, but Youngjae forgets that the consequences for him crossing the line is much more precarious.

The dichotomy of work and home means scars versus no scars, Alpha versus Omega, and his colleagues versus Minki. He has already blurred this strict separation begrudgingly with Daehyun who has seen both sides of his face and it has brought him too much risk.

The skin he's in now is what Junhong recognises him to be: a dependable Alpha with a loyal wife at home. Not some pathetic, lying Omega who's upset about his fight with a friend. Opening up to Junhong even about the smallest things is just inviting trouble.

“So, the...” Junhong tugs at his collar. “Dinner. Um, I wanted to treat you to dinner.”

“Ah, right. I nearly forgot. You really don’t have to, Junhong,” Youngjae assures.

“No, I must. You got back $500 for me. I have to at least treat you to a meal.” Junhong squirms around and asks hesitantly, “Are you maybe free on the weekends?”

“I should be. Shall we have dinner then?” Youngjae returns, musing over how he’ll have to wear his scars for that night. They move forward in the queue, Junhong towering over most of the Alphas despite his rank.

“Yeah! Yeah,” Junhong clears his throat after his all-too-loud blurt, several Alphas turning back to send him a disdainful look. “Um, next Sunday?”

“Mm, okay. Are you busy this weekend?”

“Ah, uh, a little.”

Youngjae nods and turns away to order his lunch. He roams over to their usual table at the end with his food, Junhong following suit. They settle down and Youngjae contently digs into his curry rice.

“So… Sunday.”

Youngjae nods while munching on his potatoes. He watches as Junhong fiddles with his utensils.

“Then, can I, um… have your number?” He eventually coughs, nervousness clear in his higher-pitched voice. “So, I mean, we can coordinate things better. In case you get lost or I don’t know, maybe, you can’t make it suddenly.”

Junhong promptly clenches his fingers upon seeing Youngjae’s surprised expression. “Ah, you don’t have to! We can just agree on a time and a place. I’ll definitely be there, unless I suddenly die or something.” He offers an awkward laugh.

Seeing Junhong’s hopeful expression, Youngjae clenches his fingers in hesitance. The guilt ultimately whelms him as he nods, his heart thinking for his mind once he saw Junhong’s eyes dim. He hands over his phone with a covert reluctance, rationalising the pros and cons in his head.

It’s fine. He has contacts of his colleagues too—but he and Junhong are from different departments, thus exchanging numbers is clearly unnecessary.

Youngjae sighs inwardly. This dinner will just be a one-time thing and he doubts Junhong will bother him outside of work, anyway. To say that he doesn’t want to give out his number because it’s private doesn’t mean much, since he barely contacts anyone for personal reasons.

Besides for work, Youngjae only has a few contacts: Minki, Yoochun, and…

Intuitively, Youngjae purses his lips in annoyance. He absentmindedly scours the cafeteria for Daehyun, some wariness in his gesture. Daehyun sometimes joins them in the canteen despite Youngjae’s clear displeasure, Yongguk tagging along with his customary radiance.

Youngjae doesn’t mind Yongguk since Junhong enjoys talking to him and he seems alright, even though Youngjae is awkward with him. But Daehyun sitting with them is unnecessary. He makes the entire table awkward, both Junhong and Youngjae uncomfortable to speak. Daehyun himself doesn't speak, merely listening with his unfriendly expression. As the boss of the company, it's impossible that Daehyun would have nobody to eat with that he has to join Youngjae and Junhong in particular.

Thankfully, Daehyun doesn't seem to be in the canteen. Youngjae relaxes and returns his attention to Junhong, the man wearing a small yet incandescent smile. He meets Youngjae's eyes with an exuberance hard to feign.

"I'll make sure you'll have a good time," Junhong announces, all conviction to his tone.

Youngjae chuckles. "Okay."

They chat away the hour, warmth comfortably settling in their stomachs as they finish their meals. He walks with Junhong to the bathroom at the far end of the floor near the executive office. The restroom there is rarely occupied and thus Junhong doesn't have to endure any mocking or side glances.

Once Junhong exits, he wears the usual reluctant expression, probably dreading having to go back to his department. Youngjae comforts him with a small squeeze of the arm.

"Good luck. Just a few more hours till we knock off," Youngjae encourages, making a move back to his cubicle.

Junhong nods distractedly. His eyes abruptly light up and he calls, "Wait, Youngjae! Um, I... kind of already have a restaurant in mind." He fumbles with his phone and shows a review to Youngjae. "Is this okay? It's over in Gangnam; I hope it's not too out of the way. It's got a lot of good reviews."

Youngjae skims over the photographs showcasing an extravagant restaurant, interior prim and posh. "Wow, it looks fancy." He stops short at the price listed for one patron--a whopping $80. It's already far beyond Youngjae's budget, much less Junhong's current income.

He glances up at Junhong with uncertainty. "Ah, this place is famous for its seafood, right? My stomach doesn't like seafood much. I get stomachaches."

"Oh, I didn't know!" Junhong hurriedly says. "Sorry, I'll find another place. But Gangnam's okay, right? There's this other restaurant..." He attempts to take his phone back and jolts when his fingers brush Youngjae's hand.

"Sorry! Sorry."

Youngjae waves Junhong's worries off and hands him his phone. "You act like I'll get scalded by you," he chuckles.

Junhong churns out an awkward smile and shrugs. He searches up the next restaurant on his phone and shows it to Youngjae. This one boasts a price just as exorbitant, meant blatantly for fine dining.

Youngjae bites his lip. "Junhong, I don't really like this one. Can we go some place else? Or do you really want to visit this place?"

"Yeah, sure! I mean, yeah, we can go some place else. No, I don't really want to visit those places. I just thought you might like them."

"They're a bit too... upscale, you know? It makes me feel uncomfortable," Youngjae remarks.

Junhong blinks. "Are you worried I won't be able to pay for it?"

"No, no," Youngjae assures hastily. "It's... my scars. Those kind of posh people aren't nice to me about them." He thankfully manages to conjure a reasonable excuse. Junhong buys it easily, anger suffusing his eyes.

"That's so ty of them," Junhong mutters. "Just because you have scars?"

"Yeah. I visited a more high-class restaurant once and they asked me to get out because I scare the other patrons," Youngjae lies, gripping Junhong's phone tighter. "Let's go some place more average, is that alright? Sorry if you wanted to go to those restaurants."

"No, not at all! I'd love to go some place more common. What do you have in mind?

Youngjae makes a face. He doesn't go out to eat often--in fact, the last few times he had eaten out, he had simply gone down to get takeaway from a fast food restaurant. Minki always yearns for them to dine at some eatery but Youngjae rarely lets himself get dragged there by him.

Seeing Youngjae's stumped look, Junhong offers, "We could search for a restaurant here. This site has good recommendations and it tells you the price." He points to the small dollar sign by the side of each restaurant listed.

"That's handy. Okay."

Junhong leans down as he scrolls through the restaurants listed, Youngjae still holding Junhong's phone. Their faces are close since Junhong is slouched over Youngjae's shoulder, evoking some nervousness in the Omega. Minki does a splendid job with make-up but he can't miraculously make his work look wholly real up close.

Just then, the sound of footsteps near them. Youngjae turns to see Daehyun standing a short distance away with some papers in hand, having stopped in his stride. He wears a look of surprise to see the two.

Junhong instantly straightens up and bows to Daehyun. He bleats, "Mr. Jung!"

Daehyun stares at them momentarily before nodding. "Mr. Choi." He glances to Youngjae and hums, "Mr. Yoo."

Youngjae gingerly nods, averting his gaze. Daehyun paces past the pair into his office.

"We should go back now, else we'll be late," Youngjae says, offering Junhong a cordial smile. "Let's discuss it tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay! So... we're having lunch together tomorrow?" Junhong rubs his elbow.

"Do you not want to?" Youngjae teases.

Junhong's eyes flare open and he blurts, "No, I do!"

"Then I'll see you tomorrow," Youngjae softly concludes. He bids Junhong goodbye and heads to his cubicle, getting back to work.

The hours wane away into the dawn of sunset. Evening trickles in with hues of fuchsia pink, gentle glow dyeing Youngjae's side. Youngjae checks his phone, discreetly hoping to see a message from someone, only to find Daehyun's text.

I’ll meet you at the car park, Mr. Yoo. Please give me a call and wait for me at the entrance.

He closes his eyes momentarily to the white noise. Today, he has agreed to pay Daehyun's mother a visit yet again, Daehyun having contacted him last night. He's tired but he can't find it in him to turn down Daehyun's request, not when he knows Heechul only has him and his one son.

Loneliness is a plague even Youngjae can't escape from, which is why he's able to feel such empathy for Heechul. It's pretty pathetic that he's vulnerable to such a cliche, to even show it so blatantly in Junhong's company.

He doesn't need Minki. Youngjae has lived his life alone after his mother passed on; this is nothing t