The early March air held a surprising nip to it as the sun peeked over the Seoul horizon. Mina shivered, hands digging into the pockets of her navy blazer in an attempt to stave off the vengeful last chills of winter. As the brunette approached the gates of Seoul Arts, Academy for Girls, she confirmed a final time that she was on schedule. Though Mina normally had a penchant for being early, this year she had another reason for leaving her dorm room before the crack of dawn.

Myoui Mina had been newly appointed to the class council, and as a result, was expected to show up at least two hours before the start of the first day of classes. Alongside her fellow council members, she would shoulder a wide variety of responsibilities, not the least of which included that morning’s activities. Assisting their new homeroom teacher with classroom setup, directing students to their lockers, and showing freshmen around was just the tip of the iceberg.

While she knew the plethora of tasks to be daunting, the junior steeled herself. Mina had always sought to be the best she could be - overachieving was simply achieving to her. Even skipping a grade during elementary school wasn’t enough. Until Mina was the top of the honour roll every year, and all of her life’s aspirations were laid out in front of her, she wouldn’t rest. The student council was simply a stepping stone to greener pastures, a feat that wouldn’t be easily ignored by any of her chosen universities.

As Mina threw open the front doors, she felt nothing could get in her way. The school, though smaller than many of Korea’s private schools, was pristinely kept. Elegant banners hung from the arched ceiling of the foyer, welcoming students to a new year. In midst of the floor, a simplistic announcements board housed a map, where any new arrivals could familiarize themselves with the campus.

Mina remembered her first year with a sharp sense of clarity. Though her acclimation to life in Korea, as well as high school in general, held its’ own challenges, the driving force behind her determination to do well this year was her caste. Myoui Mina was an omega. She hadn’t known that when she had come to Korea, and her realization of the truth had been messy, embarrassing, and the consequences still followed Mina. A wounded pride and insurmountable expectations had haunted her throughout her sophomore year. This was an opportunity to prove herself, and Mina was determined to do so.

However, she was reminded of the price of such pride as a familiar voice startled her into alertness. “Mina, you’re peacocking.”

Arms full of various papers, Park Jihyo strolled out of the school’s office. The junior class president was smiling kindly as usual, but Mina noted the minute signs of stress that gathered upon the older girl’s face.

“I’m… what?” The omega muttered bewilderedly. Before Jihyo could explain whatever strange slang she had picked up over winter break, a second friendly face appeared to clarify.

“You reek, Minari.” Minatozaki Sana popped out of the office from behind Jihyo. While the words would’ve been a blatant insult coming from anyone else, Sana’s chipper personality and their longstanding friendship made it impossible for Mina to be offended.

Once Mina inhaled a breath, she understood what the pair were referring to. A distinct cloyingly sweet scent filled the foyer, a smell that she had become unfortunately accustomed to over the previous two years. Mina’s pheromones were a signature that revealed any kind of strong emotions she felt - joy, fear, sorrow, pride, even arousal, humiliatingly.

As she frequently found herself doing, the omega closed her eyes and evened out her breathing into a steady rhythm. Within a few moments, the sweet scent dispersed, leaving nothing but the distant memory of emotion.

Mina opened her eyes. “Sorry.” She couldn’t count the number of times she had found herself apologizing for the simple act of feeling emotions too strongly.

Sana cast Mina a sidelong grin before skipping over and wrapping her into an enthusiastic side hug, smoothing her hands along the lapels of the younger girl’s jacket. “Happens to everyone, Mina-mi.”

Jihyo gave a slight chuckle and what passed for a shrug. “Not everyone. Anyways, Soonkyu seonsaengnim wanted me to remind you that her office is always open. For suppressants or otherwise.”

Mina’s eyes widened. “Eh? I didn’t smell that strongly, did I?”

Sana laughed pleasantly, cheek pressed to Mina’s shoulder. She noted the slight warm flush of Sana’s cheeks, and the faint smell of flowers with some bemusement. “You’re not that bad. You know she has to offer every semester… she hates those things just as much as us.”

Mina shuddered slightly. Though suppressants were heavily marketed as a cure-all for omegas, the reality was far from pretty. During freshman year, after Mina entered her first heat, nearly their entire class was forced onto a half-dose suppressant to try and quell any potential incidents. While it had mostly done its job to keep Mina’s pheromones in check while she adjusted, and prevented the alphas from tearing each other apart in response, the side effects had been something the omega never wanted to experience again. A constant, deep-seated itch drove both Sana and her up the wall, and agonizing cramps were a frequent feature. That of course, failed to mention the main cause of the omegas’ discontent: a disturbing emotional numbness that saw the pair sapped of energy or passion. 

Though most suppressant side effects afflicted any caste who took them, apathy and lethargy seemed to affect omegas most drastically. For that reason, Mina couldn’t imagine a situation where any omega would willingly suppress themselves. Soonkyu, the school counsellor and part-time nurse, held no disagreement with that line of thought. Though she was obligated to give the supplements as the school board saw fit, she held no joy in it.

Mina schooled her expression. “Still, don’t scare me like that. It’s not like the school needs an excuse to suppress me again.”

“Sorry, Mina.” Jihyo shook her head with a wry chuckle, short hair glowing in the early morning light. She turned her attention to Sana, who, true to her nature, was still wrapped against Mina’s side. “As for you, quit cuddling and help me carry these files.”

Sana perked up near-imperceptibly and skipped closer to Jihyo. “Sure! Let me just -” As Sana reached for a curiously dog-eared file held under Jihyo’s arm, the president swatted the overeager omega’s hand away.

“Not the transfer’s. You’re not allowed to peek at it.” 

Mina took immediate notice of that. A school as small as Seoul Arts, with less than a hundred students all told, didn’t get many transfer students. Most students stayed from freshman year until graduation. “What’s her name?”

Sana grinned brilliantly, not the least put off by Jihyo’s scolding. “Dunno yet! Soonkyu saem hasn’t gotten her copy from wonjangnim yet. Which is why we should look at this one…”

Jihyo shoved a variety of uninteresting files into Sana’s outstretched grasp instead. “Unacceptable violation of privacy rights. This is for Miyoung gangsa’s eyes only.” The beta her heel, striding down the hallway towards the main stairwell.

Mina shot a glance of feigned pity at Sana’s pouting face before hurrying after Jihyo. “Soonkyu saem couldn’t even look at this copy?”

Jihyo shook her head as she trudged up the stairs. “No, I guess they’re really trying to prevent leaks of medical information this year.”

“So, castes then.”

By the time Sana caught back up with the pair, she was panting slightly. The files in her possession had remarkably become far messier in the brief number of seconds she’d been out of sight. Mina wouldn’t be surprised if Sana had managed to trip and drop them all on her way.

“What’s the point of that? You can pretty much just smell it on most people. The only surprise is the sub-betas.” 

Though Sana’s complaint was clearly targeted towards trying to convince Jihyo to let her peek at the mystery file, Mina couldn’t disagree with the rationale. Only exceptionally composed alphas or omegas could pass as betas, and once behaviour and scent were taken into account, there was almost no mistaking an alpha for an omega, or vice versa. Everyone knew what caste all of their classmates belonged to, and even most teachers’ castes were easy enough to guess.

“I don’t know, maybe they’re trying to dodge a lawsuit.” The president sighed in exasperation. “Now knock it off.”

Sana frowned deeply but ceded. “Fine. I just hope she’s an omega. It being the only one.”

Mina stared at Sana in mild annoyance. “Yah, I exist too.”