Junhui rushed into Jeonghan’s room, a tiny baby Luhan in his arms. “Have you seen Minghao- WHAT THE ?!”

Jeonghan was lying on his bed, a bunch of shirts pressed against the side of his abdomen, stained with red. “Not now, Junhui, please,” he cried out, in pain. 

Junhui set his child down on the bed between two pillows to make sure he didn’t fall over before taking the ruined shirts from Jeonghan. “Did you get stabbed?!” he yelled at him as he ran into the grand bathroom, coming back with towels to try to stop the blood flow. “What happened?!”

“Not now, Jun, please~” Jeonghan slurred, turning to his side, curling into a ball. “It hurts.”

Minghao walked into the room, Soonyoung close behind him. “I found Soonyoung, I know guards get first aid training,” he explained, pushing Soonyoung into the room. “Help him, please.”

Soonyoung’s eyes widened when he noticed Jeonghan had been stabbed. “What happened-”

“WE DON’T HAVE TIME FOR QUESTIONS!!” Minghao screamed. “GO HELP HIM!!”

“Where’s your first aid kit and does Seungcheol know?!” Soonyoung yelled at Minghao. 

“Minghao, get it while we try to stop the blood,” Junhui told his love, pressing the towel tighter to Jeonghan, the latter whimpering. “We can ask questions later.”

Minghao took out everything and handed it to the two as Junhui and Soonyoung struggled to stop the wound, thankful that it wasn’t too deep and was near the side, so there was a chance that the baby in Jeonghan’s stomach wasn’t injured at all. 

However, what Soonyoung noticed was that, based on the location of the stab wound, Jeonghan’s heat gland, which regulated omega’s heat and fertility, was struck, so Jeonghan was most likely never going to get heats again, and thus never have another child. 

He didn’t say any of this out loud, though, as he put on the last roll of bandages and gauze on the omega, who had quieted down. Jeonghan’s eyes were closed but didn’t appear to be asleep. 

“Where’s Seungcheol?” Soonyoung asked again, pulling up the blanket to cover up Jeonghan. 

Minghao picked up his baby, who had started crying after all the commotion. “I don’t know, Jeonghan just walked in here with the stabbed wound and didn’t tell me anything-”

“We were near the forest,” Jeonghan whispered. His eyes were opened and filled with tears. “And they started attacking me, and he was trying to fight him off-”

“I’ll go find him, you guys stay with him for now,” Soonyoung ordered, rushing out of the room. “And don’t let anyone know!”

***

Yifan followed Junmyeon to what must be his room, he figured; there was a small bed at the corner, some decorations hung up here and there, and Junmyeon in front of his wardrobe, stuffing some clothes into a bag. 

He knocked on the opened door, startling Junmyeon. “Can I come in?” he asked softly, not wanting to anger him any more than necessary.

“You can’t stop me,” Junmyeon muttered, setting his bag on his bed.. “I’m going to go find them.”

Yifan stepped into the room, watching Junmyeon continue to grab stuff and pack it. “Can you tell me more of your eomma’s friends?” he asked, trying to calm the omega down. 

Junmyeon opened his top drawer and took out a scarf, staring at it in his hands. “Minghao was his best friend,” he said softly, running his fingers over the soft fabric. “He was Chinese, like you.”

Yifan walked closer to Junmyeon, standing in front of him. “Why don’t they see each other anymore?”

“Because eomma got pregnant with me and people we trying to kill appa and…” Junmyeon shrugged. “It became a huge mess so they just escaped.”

“So you’re going to find them,” Yifan finished for him. “And help them reunite.”

“Precisely.” Junmyeon placed the scarf carefully in his bag, zipping it up. “You know, I grew up with my eomma telling me about his stories with Minghao, Junhui, and appa with his friends Soonyoung, Mingyu, Jihoon, and all the others, and I always felt a bit guilty,” he said quietly, slinging the bag onto his back. “This was not the life they were supposed to have.”

Yifan bit his bottom lip, watching Junmyeon put on his shoes. He really had no idea how to convince Junmyeon to stay; there was a reason no one in the village went out of the forest after all. You only went through the necessary lefts to gather some food and hunt animals and that’s it. It was a dangerous world out there…

“I’ll go with you,” Yifan said finally, making eye contact with Junmyeon. “Maybe your parents will ease up knowing you're not going alone.”

Junmyeon’s eyes widened. “Why?” he asked, confused. “You can get hurt, too.”

“But at least I can make sure you won’t,” Yifan admitted. “Let me tag along with you.”

***

Taeyong tried to push the two official alphas out of his home, but it was no use; they were much stronger than him. 

“Please leave, you have no right to be in here!” he screamed at them, only for one of them to swing their arm at him, knocking him to the ground. 

“Shut up, omega,” he sneered at him, making his way into the house. 

Jungshin and Jian came to check out the commotion. “Eomma, eomma! You fell!” Jungshin yelled, holding onto Taeyong’s arm and trying to lift him up with his five-year-old strength. “Eomma!”

“Appa? Where’s appa?” Jian asked, following one of the officials who entered the kitchen. “Excuse me, sir, where is my appa-”

“Oh, right, we’re at the baby maker’s house,” the official said, opening the kitchen drawers and dumping all of the contents on the counter top. “He must have it hidden somewhere.”

The other official was climbing up the stairs, heading to the second level. “Jaehyun’s really going to get it-”

Taeyong managed to get himself up, pushing Jungshin and Jian. “Don’t talk to those men,” he whispered to them, opening the foyer closet. “Don’t ask for appa.”

“Eomma, what’s going on?” Jungshin asked, holding onto Jian’s hand. He sensed something was wrong if those men hurt his eomma. “Eomma?”

Taeyong took out the long blade that Jaehyun left in the closet in case people tried to hurt Taeyong while he was home alone. “Go to your brothers, please, Jungshin.”

Jungshin nodded, pulling Jian along to the living room, where their siblings had stopped playing, wondering what was going on. 

Taeyong stood behind the official in the kitchen, who was now rummaging through the cabinets. He pointed the blade at the alpha’s back, who saw it when he turned around. “I thought I told you to get out of my house.”

“Am I supposed to feel intimidated by an omega who suddenly feels powerful with a sword-”

Taeyong lunged forward and stabbed the official in the shoulder, the latter grasping it in pain.

“Leave us alone!!” Taeyong yelled, pulling the blade out. “Jaehyun hasn’t done anything wrong and you’re just intruding our home!”

“You have no idea what your alpha did, don’t you?” the official said, laughing. “Oh, that’s right, all you can do is spread your legs for him, right?” he stepped closer to Taeyong, backing him against the counter top. “Why don’t you do it now, huh, since that’s all you’re good for-”

“You’re ing sick in the head,” Taeyong muttered, not caring that he cursed. “If it weren’t for Jaehyun, I would think that you alphas are all brawn and no ing brains-”

The official lunged at Taeyong, attempting to wrap his hands around the omega’s neck, so Taeyong stabbed him as a reflex again, this time piercing the official’s side. 

The one who went upstairs was coming back down, yelling “I couldn’t find anything- what the ?”

“He’s been stabbing me!” the injured one yelled, pushing away from Taeyong and heading to the door. “We can deal with him and his stupid children later!” 

Taeyong watched as they left his house, holding the blade steady in his hand, wondering how much trouble him and Jaehyun were in now.

***

“Do you remember that omega a few years ago, the one who was murdered along with his parents?” Jimin asked Chen Le. The two had been walking in the outskirts of the forest, trying to collect fruit; Jimin, because he wanted to make something for Yoongi, and Chen Le who had been ordered by his mother. “Did they ever find who did it?”

Chen Le shook his head, placing his basket over his head. “Not that I know of.”

Jimin sighed. “I feel really bad for him,” he continued. “A lot of bad stuff happens in this village.”

“There’s not much we can do about it, though,” Chen Le said, kicking a tiny rock. “What’s the point of wanting to be an adult if they’re going to find a way to make your life miserable.”

“I’m sure we can think of something,” Jimin suggested. “Does Jisung know you’re being forced? I think he really likes you, he’s just shy and he’s probably doubting himself wondering how he managed to court you.”

Chen Le shrugged. “I don’t know, I don’t really talk to him much.”

“See? He’s just shy,” Jimin concluded. “You shouldn’t be- hey, is that…” Jimin pointed to a figure in the distance running towards them. “Mark?”

“Which Mark?” Chen Le asked. 

“Our Mark.” Jimin waved his basket in the air, drawing attention to them. “MARK! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Mark Tuan caught up to where they were, gasping for air. “Sorry, sorry,” he said. “I came as quick as I could.”

“Why are you running, you’ll tire yourself out,” Chen Le scolded Mark. “Besides, we’re just picking fruit.”

“Oh, I was thinking of making Yoongi a cupcake with the common berries,” Jimin told Mark, placing his basket on Mark’s head just like Chen Le. “What do you think?”

“Normally as your friend I would be supported but now is not the time for this discussion,” Mark said. “We have bigger problems at hand.”

Chen Le frowned. “Did you get into a fight with another alpha again?”

Mark faked a surprised gasp. “How dare you assume that of me- although to be fair, I just hope you think I would win in a fight.”

“JUST TELL US WHAT HAPPENED!” Jimin shouted, shaking Mark’s shoulders. “You know I don’t like suspense!”

“Okay, okay, just let me breath for a second!” Mark said, the basket falling from his head. “Jaebum and Jinyoung are running away.”

Jimin stopped shaking Mark’s shoulders, staring at him wide-eyed. “They’re what!”

“Don’t talk so loud, you don’t want anyone to hear you,” Mark said, lightly slapping Jimin’s shoulder. “But yes, Jackson just told me earlier.”

“But… the forest, they can’t go out in the forest,” Chen Le complained. “It’s not safe. And the two of them, alone? How would they even survive?”

“That’s where Jackson told me that he and Yugyeom are thinking about tagging along,” Mark continued. “Youngjae is definitely going and Bambam is unsure, since you know, someone from the Thai families leaving will certainly cause a commotion.”

“So… six people are leaving?!” Jimin harshly whispered. You never who could be hiding in the forest eavesdropping. “All of them?”

“Not six, seven,” Mark corrected him. 

Chen Le counted on his fingers, whispering each name silently until he lifted up a sixth finger. “It’s six, who’s the seventh one?” 

“Me,” Mark stated. “I told them to add me, so they got 7.”
 

***

Jungkook stood in front of Taehyung’s door, coconut in hand, as he debated knocking or not. 

He has only had one coherent conversation with Taehyung once, as in one time. ONE TIME! He felt like the only one of their friend group who can’t even have a basic conversation with his crush. Seunghyun even had plans to ask out Jiyong, for crying out loud, and Johnny had apparently good news with the boy that he often saw when he picked rice.  

That left Jungkook the only one still single!!

He thought giving Taehyung a coconut as a courting gift would be a good idea, considering how the latter actually liked it, compared to Jungkook who thought it tasted like . Jungkook found a lot more coconuts, though, and they had to be eaten somehow. 

Giving one to Shownu yesterday had turned out to be a mistake, as he spit it all over Yifan’s face and the two almost had a brawl. Which is why Yifan had decided to spend the day with his fiance instead and Shownu with his mate. 

Wait, why did they get to court omegas?!

That’s it, it was time for Jungkook to man up and ask for Taehyung’s hand right this instant. 

He knocked on the door, hiding the coconut behind him, as he waited for Taehyung to answer the door. 

Taehyung answered, wearing some very cute pajamas, his hair messed up as he rubbed his eyes. When he recognized Jungkook, though, his eyes widened, trying to fix his hair. “Jungkook alpha, what are you doing here?”

Jungkook showed him the coconut, placing it on his palm. “I came here to give you a gift,” Jungkook said, clearing his throat. “And, um, ask a question.”

Taehyung stared at him for a few seconds before opening the door wider. “You can come in,” he said, “and, uh, thanks for the… coconut, right?”

“Oh, yeah, the coconut, I have a lot more if you, uh, want.” Jungkook stuffed his hands in his back pocket, taking a step into the small cabin. “Your place looks nice.”

“My friend is over, I hope you don’t mind,” Taehyung said, walking into the living room. “We can go to my room-”

“KIM TAEHYUNG!” they both looked at Taehyung’s mother who was in the kitchen. “You brought another person over? What is this, a damn hotel?!” 

Taehyung sighed. “Ma, he came to ask me a question and he gave me this,” he explained. 

His mother came out of the kitchen, rag in her hands. “And who do you think- oh! Jeon Jungkook!” she hastily bowed down. “It’s a pleasure to have you in our household.”

Jungkook raised an eye but didn’t say anything. “Yes, uh, ma’am, I came here to talk to your son,” he said, bowing down as well. “I don’t mean to cause any trouble.”

“No, not at all! Actually, I was just about to make dinner, feel welcome to stay if you want,” she said, heading back to the kitchen. “Taehyung, please show him around.”

Taehyung rolled his eyes, walking towards the hallway. “Hakyeon didn’t get a warm welcome,” he muttered. 

“Oh, he’s your omega friend, right?” Jungkook asked. He always saw Taehyung with an omega Hakyeon and his mate, alpha Taekwoon. “You guys are always together.”

“Correction, he’s my only friend.” Taehyung pushed open his bedroom door, where Jungkook could see Hakyeon on his bed, wiping his injured face with a washcloth. “Yeonie, someone came to visit.”

Hakyeon looked at Jungkook, frowning. “Coconut dude?”

“Yep, we got another coconut.” Taehyung placed the coconut on his nightstand. The room was really cramped, Jungkook noticed, and with the three of them in there, it felt crowded. “But yeah, Jungkook, this is my friend Hakyeon.”

Jungkook bowed down to Hakyeon. “Pleasure to meet you-”

“It’s really not,” Hakyeon interrupted him, placing the dirtied washcloth in the small water basin Taehyung had on the floor. “But you do you.”

“No, really, it’s nice to see you and Taehyung get along,” Jungkook insisted.

Hakyeon raised an eye. “Are you here to like ask him to court you?”

“Hakyeon, don’t say stuff like that!” Taehyung yelled at him. To Jungkook, he said, “sorry, he likes making jokes.”

Jungkook’s face turned red. “Well, uh, to be honest…” Jungkook tugged at his shirt collar, feeling like he couldn’t breathe. “Uh, that’s kind of why I came…”
 

***

“Are you sure you don’t want a union ceremony?” Johnny asked Ten for the thousandth time that day.

Ten nodded, squeezing Johnny’s hand tighter. “It’s not like I would have anyone to invite anyways.”

“Yeah, me neither, I have like, five friends but their families don’t like,” Johnny agreed. He looked at the town hall in front of him, gulping. “Think the officials will hate us?” 

“The ones trying to marry me off, maybe, but I doubt they do paperwork of people joining a union.” He laughed. “Oh, I’m surely going to get disowned.”

Johnny looked around them, where some people in the village were walking around in the streets, eyeing them curiously. “If people give you any problems, just remember you have me as a husband,” he said, half joking and half being serious.

“You’re going to be my husband in ten minutes,” Ten said, eyes widening at the realization. “Holy , you’re going to be my husband in ten minutes.”

“Yeah, I have yet to process that fact,” Johnny said. He looked at Ten. “Should we head inside now?”

“Oh, yeah, totally before someone starts yelling at us.”

Ten minutes later, they were legally married.

***

“Shin!!” he turned around to see Takuya shouting his name. “You picking bamboo?”

He lifted up his basket to show Takuya, who was running towards him. “It’s for dinner!” Shin shouted back at him. “I’m going to steam bamboo shoots.”

Takuya caught up to him, grinning. “Love bamboo shoots,” he said. “Really tasty.”

“Indeed they are.” Shin set down his basket and grabbed his machete. “Scoot back, I need to chop down more.”

“I can help!” Takuya exclaimed, holding out his hand. “Let me do it, I’m alpha.”

Shin frowned. “What does that have to do with anything?”

“Alphas stronger?” Takuya asked. “Easier for me to chop bamboo.”

Shin glared at him before returning to chop down the bamboo. “I can do it.”

“But I can help-”

“I get it, Takuya, you think us omegas are weak as ,” Shin said harshly, cutting down the bamboo stalk. “You guys really all are full of yourself.”

Takuya held out his hands. “I don’t think you’re weak,” he said, trying to explain himself. “But usually alphas get more training. And omegas here in the village don’t, right?”

“How do you know that?” Shin asked him. “Do you know another omega here?”

Takuya nodded furiously. “Yes, Si Cheng, he’s helping me and Yuta hide. He says omegas here treated badly.” He pointed at the machete in Shin’s hand. “If you work too much, you pull muscle and get sore, need to be careful.”

Shin stared at him for a good ten seconds before finally handing over the machete. “You really are something, Takuya,” he said.

Takuya grinned. “I like you,” he said before cutting off another bamboo stalk in one swing. “You a good omega.”

***

Junmyeon headed down the stairs, Yifan following close behind him when he stopped at the sight of his two parents sitting quietly at the kitchen table. “Eomma.”

Jeonghan looked up to him as he came down the stairs. Junmyeon noticed that he had dried tears around his eyes. “Junmyeon, hey.”

He tried to hide the bag behind him. “Hey, eomma… appa.”

Seungcheol looked at Junmyeon, standing up from his chair. “Before you go, let me give you something,” he said, heading to the foyer. 

“I- appa.” Junmyeon reached out and grabbed onto Seungcheol’s sleeve, stopping his father. “Please don’t hate me.”

“Junmyeon, I could never hate you,” Seungcheol said, looking at him. “You know… it’s just always going to be hard for any parent to give their child freedom.”

Jeonghan wiped his face with his sleeve. “Seungcheol, can I make a joke about your wisdom right now?”

“Absolutely not, you drank my green tea this morning.” Seungcheol let go of Junmyeon and opened the foyer closet, taking out a box on the top shelf. “If you’re going to travel, you need to have this things-”

“Appa, you know I can’t handle a weapon,” Junmyeon reminded him. 

“Trust me, you’ll know how to use it when you're panicking.” Seungcheol opened the box and handed Junmyeon a gun, the chamber filled with bullets. “Try not to use it, a lot of people like the villagers here don’t know about these weapons.”

Junmyeon hesitated, handing over the gun, not wanting to quite grab it yet. “Please tell me the safety is on.”

“You guys really think I’m stupid, this is how it’s going to be,” Seungcheol scolded him. “I was not a guard for so long to deserve this mockery.”

“Seungcheol, you know that statement means nothing when even Soonyoung was a palace guard,” Jeonghan reminded him.

“I beat Junhui in a fight once, don’t test me.” Seungcheol held out the gun again. “Junmyeon, you’re not leaving this house without a weapon.”

Junmyeon grabbed it without thinking, stuffing it in his waistband. “I don’t like weapons.”

“We don’t like violence yet here we are.” Seungcheol took out a packet and handed it to him as well. “Here’s the drawings, keep in mind it’s been 17 years, they’re going to look much older, and ONLY trust these people. No one else.”