Junmyeon closed the door when the alpha Yifan finally went away. He was a bit confused over the whole ordeal; no one ever visited their home, less those few officials that came to talk to his dad every now and then, but never someone from the village. 

He went to the kitchen and placed the package on the kitchen island, where his eomma Jeonghan was peeling some carrots. “Someone came and said this was for appa.”

Jeonghan placed the carrot he was working on down. “Really?”

Junmyeon wasn’t the only confused. “Yeah, the official’s son, someone named Yifan. He said Junsoong sent this to Scoups.”

“Yeah, no one knows his name is Seungcheol,” Jeonghan clarified. He picked up the parcel Junmyeon had brought, shook it once and set it back down. “I wonder what it is. We’ll have to wait until your father gets home.”

Junmyeon laughed. “I thought you were the nosy type,” he said. 

Jeonghan mocked him under his breath before going to the fridge. “The disrespect I get from my own son, unbelievable.”

“Whatever, you still cheated at cards yesterday,” Junmyeon said, reaching over to steal one of the peeled carrots, plopping it in his mouth. 

Jeonghan rolled his eyes. “You guys are always against me. Dang, we ran out of onions again.”

Junmyeon grabbed the cutting board that he had been using earlier and continuing chopping up some lettuce. Jeonghan said that there was still some frozen chicken in the freezer that they should use before it spoiled, so chicken and vegetable soup was what they were serving tonight. Junmyeon had also found some apple trees deep in the woods, so they had a huge collection of apples waiting to be turned into desserts and drinks. 

He finished chopping the lettuce and poured it in a small bowl. “Eomma, didn’t you have a friend who always cheated at games, anyways? Or was that just you?"

“I will be offended later.” Jeonghan put the peeler in the basin tub to be washed later and took out a knife. “But Junhui was the one who was cheated. You know, he was awful at board games but those were Minghao’s favorite past time.” 

“I was thinking,” Junmyeon asked him. “If Minghao killed someone, do you think Junhui would have supported him?”

“Probably, hell yeah,” Jeonghan stated. “Although, you remember when Minghao left someone half-dead in an alley? Junhui helped him not get in trouble."

“Sounds just like true love,” Junmyeon added. 

Jeonghan smiled. “I’m glad I was able to attend their wedding before we ran away. It went just as Minghao has always dreamed of. Except the part where he was four-months pregnant, but he didn’t even see it as a bad thing."

“You were also four-months pregnant when you and appa ran away, right?” Junmyeon asked him. 

“Yeah, I was thin but it got noticeable. Then, you know, the whole catastrophe happened and, you know.” Jeonghan grabbed four of the apples that were in the crate in the corner. “I’m really in the mood for apple juice, now.”

“Appa will get mad if you drink some without him.”

“He’ll live. He ate my ing garlic bread yesterday, he better bring me those hibiscus flowers.”

***

“YO MARK! WAIT FOR ME!"

Mark Tuan didn’t move from his spot. He was sitting under a tree, casting a big shade that provided him some comfort. His basket next to him contained cut sugar canes which his mom told him to get if he wanted her to make those delicious small pastries later. All he wanted now was a nap, though.

“TUAN! COME HERE!”

Oh they were calling for him, not Mark Lee. It was a tall figure in the distance, to which he had assumed was an alpha. Alphas didn’t typically call for Mark unless they were bored. 

He still didn’t bother to move. All his friends were busy today, anyways. Yoongi took Jimin somewhere, Chen Le was helping his family rebuild some room that was falling apart, and Baekhyun was indoors alone again. However, they did agree to go stargazing later, so that was the only thing Mark was looking forward to. 

It obviously wasn’t now, though. He closed his eyes and rested his head back against the tree, ignoring the alpha’s yelling. He didn’t know what their problem was, but he didn’t care. 

Like all alphas, in his opinion, this one was going to be stubborn, so it didn’t surprise him that the next time he heard his name being called, the alpha was right in front of him. 

Annoyed, he opened up his eyes and immediately frowned. “Jackson, what are you doing here?”

Jackson was standing in front of him, holding a box wrapped with cloth. “I’ve been looking all over for you! Have you been asleep here the whole time?”

Mark grabbed the axe that was lying beside the basket. “I have an axe.”

“Oh, sugarcane!” Jackson exclaimed. “That’s cool! I’m always in the mood for sweets. Speaking of sweets…” he lowered himself to the ground and sat cross-legged in front of Mark, handing out the box. “I brought you a gift.”

I told him your favorite dessert was apple roses, and he told me that it wouldn’t be hard to make, Mark I think he’s going to make some for you-

Mark raised an eye at him. “Is it dessert?”

Jackson pouted. “Chen Le can’t keep a secret.”

Mark pushed the box away from him, ignoring the hurt expression on the other’s face. “It’s no secret that you’re always harassing me.”

“Where do you come up with these ideas?” Jackson questioned him. “It’s already harassment or bothering-“

“Literally what else have you ever done on me?” Mark rose up the axe so that it was facing facing blade-front. “Can you go away?”

“Can you accept this gift that I am offering you?”

“Why don’t you just go back to make others omegas uncomfortable and leave me the alone,” Mark yelled at him. 

Jackson jerked his head back. “I don’t make omegas uncomfortable.”

“Well, you’re making me uncomfortable, so leave.”

Jackson sighed and placed the box next to the basket with the sugar canes. “Oh, all right. Just don’t let the apple roses go stale, then it won’t be as tasty.” He got up and dusted off his shorts, sporting light grass stains already. “I’ll see you later at the campfire, then! Jinyoung invited a whole lot of us. I’ll even bring those wheat crackers that I’ve heard you like.”

Mark rolled his eyes. Jinyoung was a nice enough omega, around the same age as Mark and his friends. However, recently he had been courted by an alpha named Jaebum, and everyone knew he was a troublemaker. He’s gotten yelled out by the elders multiple times and even got in trouble with the officials twice. 

He could only hope that Chen Le hadn’t heard of the campfire yet. Chen Le was the most outgoing between the four of them, but it was usually Jimin who would be friendly with everyone. Baekhyun was either quiet or didn’t go at all, and Mark was the one who would defend them from s. It was a whole system that they had unintentionally set up. 

Mark got up from his spot on the floor and picked up the basket, giving Jackson a yeah, sure, whatever as he headed his way out of the forest, not noticing that Jackson was still running behind him. 

“Mark! You forgot your apple roses!” Jackson screamed. He ran up to Mark, scaring the out of him for a second before placing the box on top of the sugar canes. “There. Are you sure you don’t need any help?”

“I’m fine, thanks Jackson, good bye .” Mark swung up the axe that he was holding with his other hand, making Jackson scurry away before shouting a goodbye.

Mark swore to himself that he will punch Jackson next time he saw him.

***

Mark considered him and his friends the “undesirable omegas”, with flaws that have been drilled into their heads either by family, people their age, or themselves. However, they weren’t the only ones who gave themselves that title. 

It was just a pair of best friends, often forgotten in the village. Both were loud and loved to play around and weren’t intimidated by other alphas. In fact, the elder one between them, one whose name was Hakyeon, was already being courted by one of the most intimidating alphas of the village, Taekwoon. Others in the community haven’t been fond of the alpha's choice, but considering how there was a shortage of omegas recently, they couldn’t really recommend him someone else. 

Taehyung, the younger, had been one of the most supportive people, picking a fight with any parent who claimed their omega was better. The adults had such an outdated view on life, they thought. There were rare cases when the officials would step in and force an omega to mate with an alpha, usually one of their sons, and it almost never ended pretty. The only good case that they remember was Yixing being handed off to Jongdae, which only worked out because the two had secretly been seeing each other behind everyone’s backs. Other people, like Baekhyun’s parents, weren’t so lucky, driving the mother to suicide before the dad left him and his elder brother alone. No one knows where he ran off to, but there is yet to be a sighting. 

The officials and the elders were getting impatient, though. It was a good thing that Taehyung wasn’t on the top of their list of unmated omegas that needed to be married off. 

The two of them were eating baked potato slices that Taehyung had made earlier. They were talking about the campfire Jinyoung was going to throw later that day, and Hakyeon had been talking about his struggle with Taekwoon. 

“The thing is,” he was saying. “Usually he says the same thing how he doesn’t like these type of events. However, his excuse this time is that he doesn’t want me to go.”

“Well, that’s not possessive at all.” Taehyung reached his glass of water. He went over on the salt with this batch; he would have to remember that for next time. “I thought he wasn’t your cliché bad alpha."

“I swear, he’s not though.” Hakyeon, unlike Taehyung, like the amount of salt that went to the slices, so he proceeded to grab a handful more, ignoring the crumbs that were littering around on the hardwood floor. “But he said something about not liking the people that were going.”

“I thought he didn’t have a problem with Jaebum, though,” Taehyung said. “And Jinyoung’s nice. What could go wrong?”

“If I’m being honest, I think a lot of the officials’ sons are going to crash it, and we know how big s they are.”

Taehyung sighed. “Dang it. I only like Yifan and his friends. Although, if I’m being honest, I think I angered one of them lately.”

Hakyeon was surprised. “Really? Why?”

“I can see his eyeballs bore holes in my skull every time I walk past him. I don’t like it. I feel like he’s going to kill me.”

“Do you know his name?”

“I think it’s…it starts with a J, that’s all I know."

***

There was a great number of outcast alphas in the village, surpassing more than the omegas. 

Over the past two decades, the chance of having an omega offspring had been increasingly low. Many alphas weren’t in the mood to mate so young, but it had been getting difficult for them to find an omega to date. Some were trying their best. 

Some, like Yoongi, were starting with the ancient courtship rules. 

His first encounter with young Jimin was a year ago; the other had been making a flower crown for his friend Baekhyun. Yoongi would watch him, not with stalker eyes, but with those of curiosity. He would watch Jimin sit around with friends, his laughter filling Yoongi’s ears. He would see him walk every, long sleeve sweater on as he always complained of a cold. He would see Jimin stuck his toes in one of the side rivers, the cuffs of his pants getting wet as he danced in the shallow end of the river. 

During the Day of the White Roses, Yoongi had shown up at Jimin’s doorstep with a single white rose, asking permission from the other to court him. The two had been taking slow, as Jimin was unaware the other had it in content, but enjoyed the relationship the two had. 

Others started with friendship, claiming they can beat the odds, like Mark and Donghyuck. 

They became friends at the age of 11. Donghyuck had been getting teased by other omegas, claiming that he made them look bad. Donghyuck had climbed up a tree to try to prove his worth, but unfortunately fell. The others ran off, laughing at the mistake he had made, when Mark had stayed behind and tended his wounds. 

Now at the age of 18, the two of them told each other everything and considered the other one their priority. However, they had recently been experiencing attraction towards the other, but refused to say a word, worried that they would ruin the friendship between them, claiming it was only the different status that made them feel that way. 

Other alphas straight up flirted with the omegas, hoping they would be flirted back. Like Jackson. 

He had been trying to get Mark Tuan’s attention for over a couple of months now, but the other refused to acknowledge him.  He admits that he has flirted with other omegas in the past and thought that’s why Mark never took him seriously. He was going to make a compliment to aaMark every chance he got, maybe invite him to his house to eat. You never know. 

Sadly, most alphas would never get the chance to interact with those that they pursue. Maybe eventually, but they stay in a state of mind that the interactions will never occur. 

Take Johnny for example. At the age of 8, he beat up an official’s son who had been harassing another alpha. The official’s always want to look good, though, so they tarnished the Seo name and has made his family one of the forgotten ones. Sure, he hung out with Yifan and his friends, but the people in the village liked to forget that fact. 

That didn’t stop him from admiring Ten, though. He was in one of the three Thai families, having immigrated with them when he was 10, hence the nickname. (No one dared called him Chittaphon; the family always got sensitive with the pronunciation.) He was an omega admired by many, due to his beauty and his respectful nature. 

Johnny like Ten because he was one of the only people who bothered to talk to him. They would bump paths in the morning, Ten with a basket to collect rice from the fields while Johnny carried his nets for the fish. Those short but sweet interactions every morning where what he looked forward to every day. The fact that Ten was single shocked him, but he knew it wouldn’t last for long; the officials would surely find a way to make him mate with someone. 

Another ignored alpha was Park Jisung. His height and kindness was a desirable trait that the elders loved, but he had a habit for ruining everything he touched. If he wasn’t taking care of the chores of his house or watching over his siblings, he kept to himself. He still had yet to find someone who was willing to talk to him.

There was an enormous amount of alphas who were s; those who thought that alphas were the superior status, that they should never show emotions, that there were certain activities that only omegas could do. Unfortunately, these consisted of a considerable amount of the alpha population, but most of them won’t find an omega. People were realizing their worth and demanded to be respected. This wasn’t the early 2000s anymore. 

Jaehyun was a good example of this explanation. He loved his omega husband, Taeyong, although the latter often received criticism by alphas and omegas combined. They hated how Jaehyun would help around the house and take care of his children, claiming it had to be an omegas job. In Taeyong’s case, they didn’t respect him due to the large amount of children that they had together. It wasn’t that Taeyong didn’t know how to protect himself, he was just very fertile. This is a particular reason why the officials were about to marry him off when he was just 15. 

The two didn’t go through common courtship until right before they had their union ceremony; they actually grew up as friends together. They were always by the other’s side, defending them from everybody else and lending a shoulder when the other needed one. This is particularly why Taeyong never had any other friends; some were jealous, sure, but the thought of actively seeking one never crossed his mind, not when he had Jaehyun by his side. 

Taeyong didn’t see himself in the developing stage as others claim at the age of 14, but the officials didn’t like that. That year, no one has been able to give birth to a child, and the idea of Taeyong being there for them to use was a sickening thought that crossed their minds that Taeyong is still surprised Jaehyun hasn’t murdered one of them. He’s been vocal about it, sure, but he never attempted it, knowing he wouldn’t be able to stay by Taeyong’s side. 

One of the official’s son, a ty 19-year-old, complained that he wasn’t able to get an omega partner. The officials thought it was an excellent idea and bribed Taeyong’s parents with a large sum of currency so that Taeyong would marry him. He had also been feeling things for Jaehyun at the age, he would tell him later, but he didn’t like the son and didn’t want to be forced to marry him. 

Jaehyun had been gaining some popularity with other alphas and omegas, but Taeyong’s feelings for him had been mutual. That is why, when Taeyong broke down one evening, the two of them in ratty sleepwear clothes, he sobbed how it wasn’t fair that he was going to marry that jerk, how his parents never really loved him, how he even had feelings for Jaehyun but none of it mattered anymore because he will never-

Jaehyun didn’t let him finish, of course. His shut his mouth with his own, feeling the other’s warmth as they slid their hands onto each other’s back, gasping and seeking for air a few seconds later before starting it all over again, a process they repeated many times that night.

Before the parents and the officials could seal the deal and announce it, Jaehyun and Taeyong announced their courtship and future engagement to one another to the public. People would gossip and call them young and stupid and , but they were the only ones who would know the truth. It was frowned upon to break two people’s relationship, so the officials for once didn’t have the victory. Taeyong’s parents disowned him, of course, but Jaehyun had been getting help from his parents, and the two were wed at the age of 16, expecting young Jungshin 9 months later. 

The laws were, pardon me for my language, really ed up. For some, though, this place was more desirable than their origins. Jeonghan lost contact with his friends, but it was to make sure his mate and his baby wouldn’t get murdered. The Chinese immigrants have come from a city of many horrors that they don’t wish to see again. 

It didn’t mean they had to agree with it, though. 

***

Si Cheng turned off his flashlight and led the two Japanese towards the small hut. He didn’t like hiding the fact to his mother that he was hiding two strangers in the hut, so he had until tomorrow to phrase it correctly to persuade her. 

The plan was this: he would get inside and leave the door unlocked. He would hand his mother the lemongrass, and while she wasn’t looking, they would sneak in and enter the room on the right. 

It was foolproof enough; his mother didn’t suspect anything, and they spent the rest of the hour cooking and cleaning, talking and laughing like normal. When his mother said she was going to sleep, Si Cheng hugged her goodnight and went back to his room. 

Yuta and Takuya spent the hour sitting on the floor, not wanting to go through the omega’s things; they couldn’t anger someone who had the power to kick them out at the moment, plus, the movement would alert the mother that someone was in the room. They spoke to each other in hushed Japanese, instead, hoping the mother wouldn’t hear them talking about the day they just had. 

Si Cheng came in with two hot cups of lemongrass tea and set them on his little nightstand. “It’s nighttime and pretty chilly, so I thought you guys would like to drink something.”

Takuya nodded fiercely, throat having been parched all day since he drank all his water supply and had to borrow some from Yuta. He stood up and allowed himself to stretch his legs, Yuta soon following his gesture, when Si Cheng left the room, presumably to get something. 

Yuta walked over to the nightstand and grabbed one of the cups, softly blowing over it to cool it down before he took a small sip. Lemongrass tea was one of his favorites, only being beaten by green tea and jasmine tea. He must have tried over hundreds of different types of teas back in Japan.

Takuya, bless that soul, drank the hot tea in one gulp, fanning his mouth afterwards as if he didn’t know they were supposed to be hot. Yuta concluded that he must be tired. 

Si Cheng came back with a white wooden box, a handful of towels, and a handwoven bamboo basket filled with water. “I noticed you guys had some wounds,” he explained. “We don’t have a shower here, we bathe in the river, but it’s too dark for you guys to go down there, so you’ll have to clean up here.”

Yuta set the tea down and walked over to Si Cheng. “Thank you for helping us, we’ve been having a rough day.”

“Rough week,” Takuya corrected. “Wait. Month. That’s more accurate.”

Si Cheng set all the stuff on the floor and motioned them to sit down as well. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“We survived,” Yuta said, as Si Cheng dapped one of the small towels in the water. “That’s the only thing that mattered.” 

“True.” He opened the white box and took out a small bottle, pouring some of the clear liquid on the towel. “This is going to hurt.”

“How did I know it was alcohol?” Yuta laughed but quickly yelped when Si Cheng pressed the soft towel on the deep gash on his forehead. 

Si Cheng jerked back, underestimating the deepness of it. “I’m so sorry, I thought it was a scratch-“

“Nah, the knife was really sharp,” Yuta explained. “Don’t worry, I’ll manage.”

After a few more minutes of Si Cheng cleaning up Yuta’s cuts, stopping every now and then whenever Yuta hissed at the pain, he moved on to Takuya, who had less serious ones but was more sensitive. 

While Si Cheng worked on Takuya, Yuta finished the rest of his tea. He hasn’t been in Japan in a long time and he really missed it. He could only hope he would not get in any trouble for a little while in Korea. 

When they were finished tending their wounds, Si Cheng took back the two empty cups and bought back two bowls of rice for them. While the two Japanese ate the rice, he took out two pairs of shorts and shirts from the closet and laid it out on the mattress for them to use. He also grabbed a spare blanket he had in his closet and took it out, bidding them goodnight.

“You guys can use the water basin in the washroom,” he instructed them. “You can set the rice bowls on the nightstand when you’re done. I don’t know if the sleepwear will fit you, but those were the biggest ones I can find. You can search the closet if you want.”

Takuya stop chewing his rice and asked him, mouth half-full “Where will you sleep?”

Si Cheng grabbed a small pad of paper he kept on the nightstand and a piece of charcoal. “I’ll go to the common room and draw. My mom will think I fell asleep there.”

Before one of them could protest, Si Cheng already closed the door, and none of them wanted to risk getting out. Their presence had to stay a secret.