Prompt: alpha/omega/beta dynamics baeksoo

Word Count: 8891

Note: part 2-A

“Seriously? That’s the second one.”

Baekhyun turns his head to look at his brother after stepping out of court. When he’s wearing those dark shades to hide his eyes, people always tell them they look like each other. But in his own opinion, his older brother looks much more attractive than him since he’s got their mother’s eyes. He looks like those manly alphas that makes everyone swoon unlike Baekhyun who’s got their grandmother’s soft looking ones. It makes him look gentle and cute. Sometimes he wished he just got his father’s fierce ones.

“Hyung.” He loosens his tie as he walks over to him and when he’s near, the older Byun pulls him by the arm to engulf him in a small hug in which he accepts. “Hey, how are you?”

“I’m doing great.” Baekbeom frowns. “I can’t say the same to you, though. What happened, Baek? You didn’t even tell Dad and me about the divorce? I have to travel all the way here to Seoul in a hurry when I heard. I thought Nayeon was the one?”

“I didn’t say anything about her being the one.” Baekhyun sighs. When he turns, he sees Nayeon and her current suitor walking out of the court hand in hand. Nayeon looks visibly upset and refuses to meet eyes with him despite giving Baekbeom a curt smile. Baekhyun pulls his hair back with his fingers and releases a frustrated sigh.

Baekbeom clicks his tongue. “Do you want get out of here?”

“That would be great.”

The taste of irony is bitter in Baekhyun’s mouth.

As kids, it was always Baekbeom who keeps on bragging that he wanted to have as many partners as he wants because he’s hot and a mighty. He even has a running record of sleeping with the most omegas and betas on campus when he was still in high school and college. Baekhyun was known as the alpha that believes in true love and soulmates. But as they grow up, everyone is surprised to find Baekbeom settling down with a beta looking happy and in love as ever at a young age of 23 and he never took in any more omegas and betas just as he had told himself before when he was young. Baekhyun, on the other hand, is in his second failed marriage.

“When you and Minseok got a divorce, I understood that.” Baekhyun takes a shot when his brother mentions the alpha’s name. “But what I don’t understand is now. I thought you love her?”

No, Baekhyun wanted to say. His family didn’t understand why he and Minseok got divorced. Minseok is a remarkable alpha and for once, Baekhyun admits that he’s in love with the man. But Minseok’s family doesn’t approve of the relationship and Baekhyun’s father has built this running hatred on Minseok’s mother for even badmouthing his comatose wife. It was a mess that soon affected them. He had meet Nayeon then in the middle of his collapsing marriage with Minseok and Baekhyun is ashamed to admit to his ex-husband about his month long affair with her.

So after he and Minseok got a divorce, he pursued his relationship with Nayeon after being blinded by the thought that happiness might be with her. They got married and then after 2 years, here they are.

Baekbeom takes a shot after Baekhyun didn’t answer his question. “What’s the reason this time?”

“I refused to mark her.” Baekhyun twists open another bottle of Scotch and fills his shot glass. “She’s obviously upset about it but she waited until she couldn’t take it anymore.”

“Well, why didn’t you mark her in the first place?”

Baekhyun takes a shot.

“Is it the same reason why you didn’t let Minseok mark you?”

When Baekhyun didn’t respond, Baekbeom just reached out his arm and placed it on his brother’s shoulder, giving it a gentle rub of assurance and comfort.

They spend the remaining night drinking together in silence.

Baekbeom stayed with him overnight but eventually had to leave the next morning. His older brother is working as an advisor to one of the elders – what used to be his mother’s role in politics – and is trying to work his way up to being as one when he hits his fifties. After all, the secret to politics isn’t the wisdom and achievements but the connections inside it. Baekbeom is fortunate to have gotten their father’s friend-magnet nature.

The Byun’s are very well-known in politics. It’s a fact that Baekhyun only realized when he grew up. In middle school, he started being aware of it when he sees her face on textbooks as the youngest alpha to be seated as an elder in South Korea. Baekhyun would have felt proud then but the weight of his mother’s comatose state is heavy that he couldn’t even bring himself to smile.

Growing up, Baekhyun became a person that came out of his shell. He became outgoing and talkative, even going as far to become far too friendly with others. But that outgoingness became recklessness and his mouth that was used to talk became occupied with a different pair of lips in every party he has been through.

Baekhyun thinks that the reason why he jumped into marriage quickly is because he wanted to desperately feel the same happiness as his brother had felt when he got married. It just so happens that Baekbeom found his happiness while Baekhyun is still searching for it blindly.

“Yo.”

Jongin, the tanned muscular omega, sits on his station next to his after dumping all of the case files he has on his hand. The young lawyer is looking chipper than ever despite having to take care of three kids and an alpha in the house. Baekhyun envies him so. “Good morning to you, too.”

“I thought I told you never to go drinking whenever there’s work tomorrow.” Jongin sits on his swivel chair and takes one folder, taking his time to examine them one by one as he waits for his computer to start. “You look like a zombie.”

Baekhyun groans and pulls his hair back with is fingers. His ash gray hair feels greasy. “How’s Chanyeol?”  

Jongin’s face brightens at the mention of his stay-at-home alpha. “Oh, he’s at home taking care of the kids as always. I think they’re planning on going out to the amusement park later today. If that pushes through, I’m going to leave early today to follow.”

“You’re too bright, seriously.” Baekhyun waves in dismissal. “For someone who does everything too much, you don’t look like you’re too stressed even if you’re carrying Park’s fourth child.”

Jongin’s eyes went wide, alarmed. “H-How –“

“You smell like milk.” Baekhyun taps his nose. “Great sense of smell, remember?”

“Right. I forgot.” Jongin blushes. “Please don’t tell anyone. I’m planning to tell this to the guys after Chanyeol and I visit the doctor next week. We just wanted to make sure everything’s going to be okay before we announce the news.” The younger chuckles, giving his tummy a light pat before going back to his task. His fingers taps on the keyboard fast, logging in on the computer. Seeing the younger doing his job, Baekhyun decided to do his too.

Baekhyun went to the folders piled up on his desk and began to lazily read all of them, reading and checking all past case files. He gave each of them a slow nod and a quick signature after a heavy stamp before throwing them at the finished pile. He was just about to finish the third one when the door suddenly opened, revealing Sunny, with that big smile and big s and tall heels running towards Jongin.

“Hey, hey, did you hear?”

“Hear what?”

“Chief Min has a crush on the new intern.”

“Wait, but isn’t the new intern just 22 years old?”

“Right?! Think about the 8 year ! Do you think he’s gonna take the bait? You know how promiscuous Chief Min is.”

“Ah, I don’t know.”

Baekhyun scratches his head, making a face when he remembers how greasy his hair is, and frowns as he takes an alcohol gel and covers his hands with it. He wanted to finish his work as soon as possible but with the noise going on and his head throbbing joining all the pain, how could he –

He froze when he sees the familiar old folder with a huge stamp of CLOSED in front. Inside was a picture of his mother, the picture of the crime scene and the reports along with it. There’s a list of victims that were also injured at the car accident but obtained only minor injuries. And then there’s another list of possible suspects that might have caused this. The investigation was only supposed to be a secret but then somebody ratted them out so the person in charge of the investigation was forced to quit the firm.

Baekhyun remembers the look on Jisoo’s face when he handed his badge back. It was terrifying.

“Hyung?” Baekhyun looks up to see Jongin and Sunny looking at him curiously. “What’s wrong?”

“Ah.” Baekhyun looks down on the folder and shakes his head. “Nothing.” He tosses the folder to finished pile and went to his computer, pretending to look for something.

Before he left, he took the folder and stuffed it inside his satchel.

Baekhyun ends the call after he was directed to the answering machine for the nth time. Despite still being their family lawyer, Jisoo refused to take in any cases and lets their other lawyer, Hyungsik, take in any of legal matters of the Byun family. He has done his best to investigate and his father even told him that personally, but Jisoo felt like he made everyone down.

“I just wanted to talk.” Baekhyun looks down on his phone before turning his attention at his mother’s old forgotten case.

Maybe a bit of closure to fix loose ends, too.

It’s not that he wants to but he does found himself back in his birth place when his father called because he missed him. He gave a call to Jongin, asking for a favor to persuade Chief Min to approve his three day vacation leave just to visit his parents. And because Jongin has the charm to make everyone agree (no wonder Chanyeol and he already have a fourth child on the way) Baekhyun drove back a few miles away from his grubby apartment to go home.

It’s been so long since he last stepped foot inside his house.

“Baekhyunnie.” His father welcomes him in a tight embrace. There’s a few wrinkles evident on his face but his smile is still the same soft and pleasant one that he missed dearly. Baekhyun lets himself bask in the scent of his father, loving how warm he feels against him. When he opens his eyes, he sees his mother on a wheelchair, blank eyes staring ahead.

She looks well taken care of. Her hair is long and shiny and her cheeks full and looking very much alive. It’s so obvious how well his father takes care of her.

“Mom.” Baekhyun whispers and bows in greeting to their alpha.

It hurts to see her like this. A defenseless alpha who was once the pillar that stood tall and a roof that shielded them from harm. Now she was vulnerable and weak. Baekhyun thinks he’s never going to get used to seeing her like this.    

His father smiles at him. “How about we talk after I take your mom to bed?”

Baekhyun nods. “Okay.”

“I heard about the divorce.”

Baekhyun sighs and looks. “Dad –“

“I know, you don’t need to explain.” His father grins. “I’m just concerned because I wanted to know where my energetic Baekhyunnie went. I understand that lately you’ve been having a rough patch and it . But somewhere I know it’s going to turn around.”

It wasn’t the kind of assurance that he needed but at that moment, it was enough.

“Do you – Do you really think so?”

“I know so.” His father reached over to give his hair a short ruffle.

It was silent for a moment before Baekhyun sees his father take out a cigarette and place it in between his lips. He knows he just does this whenever he’s stressed, a habit that started on the first week of his mother’s accident. Baekbeom and Baekhyun just lets the man do whatever he wants. It is his way of coping up with all of the frustrations and happenings in his life.

“By the way, Dad.” Baekhyun breaks the silence. “Have you heard of Jisoo-hyung lately?”

“No.” He answers. “But I wish I did. He needs to know that the sudden close of the investigation wasn’t his fault. I understand that your mother has a lot of enemies but fighting fire with fire isn’t the solution to everything.” He sighs. “If ever I do get a hold of him, I’d make sure to tell you.”

“Okay.” Baekhyun looks down and nods. “Thank you.”

It took a month before he got back on his feet.

Baekhyun resumes his life with a smile and a happy demeanor every time he meets up with friends. There were times when he joins Jongin and Chanyeol on their night out drinking (Chanyeol is the one drinking Jongin’s share of shots) and in most nights, Jongdae is with them. As soon as they find out about the divorce, they shared one night of drinking in silence but on the next time, it was replaced with loud and boisterous laughter from Jongdae and Chanyeol.

Jongdae was his college friend and Jongin is his co-worker so they were immediately close. He only got to be friends with Chanyeol because Jongin introduced him to the two. They got closer when they found out they graduated in the same middle school when they were young. But even as friends, there’s a lot of things that they didn’t know about Baekhyun and he plans on letting it stay that way. As much as possible, he doesn’t want his friends to pity him as much as they already do.

When Baekhyun woke up, he was greeted by a tremendous head ache and an empty bed. The omega he had taken home last night must have left earlier this morning judging by the lack of clothes on the floor and the silence of his apartment flat. He felt his jaw hurt, probably from last night’s intense he gave. For an omega, that man sure has a huge . Baekhyun’s not complaining, though.

Just as he wraps himself with the blanket to shield himself from the cold, his phone blares an unfamiliar ringtone of a very familiar person’s laughter in repeat. Baekhyun drags a hand down his face and mutters a curse before taking the device on the end table and answering it. “ you, Jongdae. I thought I told you never to change my ringtone again.”

“Oh, I was just concerned. Joonie told me that my laughter makes his morning brighter so why not give you a reason to make your morning the same, too?”

Baekhyun sighs. “What do you want?”

“Chanyeol said there’s going to be a mini-reunion happening in Seoul in your middle school batch and since he’s busy ing his husband’s brains out and you’re inactive as in your group, he wants me to relay this message to you.”

“Do you seriously need to mention that?”

“I’m just repeating what he said to me.”

Middle school batch? Right. He remembered getting added in a group chat that he turned mute because of the never ending popping. It was irritating and not to mention annoying since he doesn’t even care about the people back in middle school. Nobody wanted to be friends with him around that time.

Except one person.

“Tell Chanyeol I’ll think about it.” Without waiting for the other’s response, Baekhyun ended the call.

Turns out there was no room for thinking about it because Chanyeol dragged his towards this Chinese restaurant – the supposed meeting place of their middle school reunion. The place is jam packed with people all of which Baekhyun didn’t recognize. Some he knows by face while others, he drew a blank. To his surprise, a lot of people know him and greets him in which he answered with an easy going and chill smile.

“Wait, so they rented this whole place?”

“Yeah.” Chanyeol furrows his brows. “I thought I told you to read the messages at the group chat?”

Baekhyun didn’t respond and just finished the fruit punch in his hand.

“Anyways, remember Howon? One of Jungsil’s pigs.” Chanyeol elbows him on the arm. “Look at that man, he literally became a pig.” Baekhyun turns his head towards the direction of where Chanyeol is pointing at and finds a big man sporting a huge belly laughing with some people. “If I still had the same mindset as I was when I was young, I’d throw my money and spit on his face. But I’m a married and responsible father now. Not gonna happen anymore.”

“You still want to do that, don’t you?”

“He broke my Gameboy Color that ing bastard. He killed my baby, of course I still want to do that.” Chanyeol sighs. “But those pigs changed ever since Jungsil killed himself. I still don’t know the real reason why he did that but I do feel sorry for what happened.”

Ah, Baekhyun remembers. He was a junior in college when he heard the news of his bully’s suicide. Jungsil apparently took his father’s gun and shot himself in the head after drowning himself with liquor. They say it was because of relationship struggles and another said because he’s had enough of his father’s domestic abuse towards him. The era before had been gruesome then. The year of where people turn a blind eye on domestic violence and where the rich alphas had the power to take in any omegas and betas they want despite them being already mated. The elders has passed a law that prohibited that act now. But god knows what happens behind the scenes. There’s still some old bastard alphas around the world, anyway.

Those were the times when Jungsil would find any possible way to torture him despite knowing his mother being an all-powerful alpha that can ruin his family in a snap. Baekhyun looks down, smiling on the ground at the memory of a very small boy who somehow manages to appear whenever he’s in distress.

“Chanyeol, do you know a Do Kyungsoo in school?”

The taller of the two purses his lips and hums. “Do Kyungsoo.” He furrows his brows then raised one, looking at Baekhyun. This is the first time he’s heard Baekhyun open up a name that is associated to their old school. “I think I’ve heard that name before. Probably a grade lower than us. What about him?”

Baekhyun remembers the toothy grin he gave despite the dark smudge on his cheek after coming out of hiding in the garbage dump. And it’s the brightest and if not, the most beautiful smile he’s ever seen. He’s like an angel, his knight in shining armor…

His first love.

“Park Dobi!”

“Hey!” Chanyeol exclaims then lowers himself to whisper at Baekhyun. “Hold that thought I’m just going to bounce over there to greet the guys. You okay on your own?” Baekhyun only raised a brow at him as an answer. “Okay, cool. I’m bouncing.” He lifts his head and laughs. “Ayo! It’s been too long!” He shouts and opens his arms to envelop two tall looking men overly dressed in black suit and tie. Baekhyun just chuckles and shakes his head in disbelief.

Not wanting to socialize, Baekhyun downs the remaining content of his cup before making his way to the second floor balcony. The people were just about leave just in time he entered. The timing was definitely perfect because he doesn’t really like talking to people who have once talked behind his back when he was young. He’s done enough fakeness for tonight.

“You okay?”

Baekhyun sighs and looks down before lifting his head up after pulling his hair back to muster another rehearsed smile. “Yeah, I’m doing…” His eyes went wide. “…okay.”

He recognizes those wide eyes anywhere because they were the last thing he saw on that fateful afternoon at the backyard. There’s not much change in the other’s face except that he has gone mature over the years. Gone was the boyish features and were replaced with a manlier one. His short hair had gone long – raven locks pushed back with gel and his white dress shirt ed on the first ones revealing collarbones. He looks stunning as always and Baekhyun got reminded of those feelings that he thought were gone.

“Kyungsoo.” The roll of his name in his tongue is foreign and yet familiar. It holds a different meaning when he was simply mentioning his name to others than saying it right in front of said person.

Kyungsoo breaks into a small smile. “Hi, Baekhyun.”

Baekhyun had thought of this meeting all of his life and even thought of words that he could have said in this moment. Years of practice and years of well-thought scenarios and yet all his dumb mind could make is a small. “Hi.”

“You look… great.” Kyungsoo gave him an once-over. “Wow. I never would have thought that you’d rock the old man hair.” Baekhyun unconsciously grabs his ash gray locks at this, feeling bashful at the compliment. “For a once nerdy and lanky boy, you grew up to be so good-looking. Puberty did a good job.”

“Well, the height remained.” Baekhyun winces. “You even beat me in the height department.” Kyungsoo laughs at this. “On the other hand, you look amazing.” He grins. “Puberty did a great job on you compared to mine.”

Kyungsoo raised his brows and gives a soft chuckle, something that got Baekhyun mirroring the action. If Chanyeol can see him now, he would have laughed at how Baekhyun who was so disinterested and so eager to leave is acting like a shy teenage girl who’s talking to her high school crush like a lovesick deranged fool. Baekhyun wanted to slap himself silly. He didn’t know he could even giggle like a cheerleader.

“Anyways, how are you?” He asked.