Oasis

Impatiently rapping his fingers against his desk, Youngjae peers out once more, waiting for the familiar figure to pop out beside his cubicle. Usually, Junhong asks to eat lunch with him in the morning as Youngjae's settling down for work. The habit hasn't been erased, though he's clearly becoming more comfortable with Youngjae as time goes by. He stays a little longer, asking about small things like whether the weather was cold and if his jacket is thick enough to keep him warm.

Youngjae sighs in worry. Could something have happened to Junhong? Perhaps he'd called in sick. He'd stayed late to do overtime, after all. He could have gotten a cold and stayed home.

Still, considering his rank and the shabby neighbourhood he resides in, it's possible Junhong may have been embroiled in a worse predicament. Junhong has mentioned once or twice that the vicinity he lives in is pretty dangerous with the holligans that hang around. Once, he had been late to work because he helped to distract a bunch of Alpha delinquents harrassing an Omega. He luckily got away without being scruffed up, apologising for the ruckus he caused that allowed the Omega to get away. Youngjae knew Junhong was truly a good person from then on, knowing how much he put on the line.

Alphas enjoy the privilege of making mistakes, but for a Beta in such a high-ranking corporation, it's a different story. Junhong walks on a tight rope every day, keeping silent about the snickers as he passes his colleagues and the way they eye him like a freakshow at the circus. For someone so gifted, so skilled in what he does, it is the biggest pity that he has to be so anxious about his bread and butter.

Youngjae mulls over what Yongguk had mentioned the other day when Youngjae had visited Daehyun's mother. Daehyun had equalised Junhong's pay—something Youngjae honestly did not expect. He wonders if Daehyun had done it to get on his good side, knowing the Beta is close to him. Then again, Daehyun didn't inform Youngjae of the pay rise.

Perhaps Yongguk purposely let it slip under Daehyun's order. Youngjae wouldn't put it past Daehyun to feign the guise of a good Samaritarian.

Youngjae kneads his fingers and exhales, brushing the thoughts out of his head. It is far-fetched, he admits. 

He's not sure when this idiotic, careless mindset formed in his head that he could be too harsh on Daehyun. It's not his fault that he may have a pre-written narrative of Daehyun but... Youngjae supposes he has been unjustifiable hostile towards the Alpha. Youngjae wishes his prediction was right—that Daehyun is truly a horrid, cunning person deep down. But nothing Daehyun has done is genuinely incriminating. Yes, their whole arrangement was based on Daehyun taking advantage of the situation. He helped an Omega; he needed one to keep things quiet and accompany his mother. But, beyond that, there really isn't anything bad to say about Daehyun—

Beyond the fact that he's insufferably annoying. He has no social skills and is stubborn, not taking Youngjae's advice about tossing out his useless self-help books.

Youngjae peeks out once again to look for Junhong. Unfortunately, he meets his colleague Junmyeon's eyes. The older man cracks a smile and hums, "Are you waiting for Junhong?"

"Yeah," Youngjae grunts, turning back to his work. Junmyeon is another annoyance in the workplace. There are the typical Alphas Youngjae loathes: those like Kris who sneer as if they own the world, believing themselves to be hold some deluded superiority all because of their rank. Majority of Alphas are like that, honestly.

Some Alphas aren't as explicit about their prejudice. They avoid Junhong nonetheless and usually cast their demeaning glances when they see Youngjae shunning the majority and favouring a Beta, despite being one of the higher-ups in the company. He hears the scoffs and gossip they leave behind that Junhong always pretends not to hear. Others are more friendly towards Youngjae but they still don't bother to acknowledge Junhong, addressing him as "the Beta".

Youngjae ignores them all the same. These bastards have wives and family yet they chat in the cafeteria about Omegas like they're nothing but dogs on a leash. They discuss about their private parts and how they experiment in the bedroom. Others complain about how useless their wives are, being unable to cook dishes to their liking. He's even heard of ers who share heartily about not bothering to solve their wives' heat just to remind them who's in charge after an argument. The single ones are most pathetic—gregariously talking about Omegas they know and reducing them to just their bodies, critcising how certain celebrities are just too big-sized or too tall for any Alphas to ever date them. They speak vulgarly about violent as if they aren't talking about actual people. Youngjae has heard them suggest going to the nearby convenience store to hit on the Omega working there, despite one of them mentioning that he already has a boyfriend. Sure, some tell them to tone it down a notch, but most of them are just that scummy.

The anomaly is Junmyeon. He greets everyone with that irritating smile and is the conventional peace maker, cut out from a children's storybook. Youngjae thinks he could have been a preacher in his past life. Junmyeon is polite to everyone, even Junhong (though they don't talk much). What ticks Youngjae off about Junmyeon is his attitude towards Youngjae—he's oddly friendly, probably because he's attempting to bridge the discord in their workplace.

"Shall I go check for you if he's in today?" Junmyeon hums. "I'm going over to the programming department to hand Sunggyu some files."

He doesn't wait for Youngjae's reply and collects his things. "Be right back!"

Youngjae bites his lips and sighs. He doesn't like owing people things, but this seems harmless enough. Returning to his work, Youngjae jumps when Junmyeon taps his shoulder a while later. He instinctively jerks away and warily regards the Alpha, relaxing when he realises who it is.

"Oh! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." Junmyeon settles down in his seat. "Junhong called in sick today. Something about an upset stomach."

"Oh," Youngjae mumbles. He considers sending a get well soon text message to Junhong but decides against it ultimately. He's not crossing boundaries for something so silly. It isn't as if Junhong and him are terribly close, anyway.

As the workers file out for lunch, Youngjae leans back in his seat, not sure whether to go get a meal. He used to eat at the cafeteria solely because of Junhong, though he wasn't hungry. Now, though, it's become a routine.

"Would you like to join us, Youngjae?" Junmyeon offers cordially. Kris lingers by his cubicle and catches Junmyeon's words, swivelling his head to cast Youngjae a predatory smile.

"Yeah, Youngjae. Junhongie isn't here today, right? So you can't hang out with your kind anymore," Kris remarks. He rests his arms on the wall of the cubicle and leans forward with hooded eyes.

Youngjae clamps his jaw as Junmyeon clasps Kris' shoulder. "Come on, Kris," he coaxes.

"You really want to pity him and keep him company today, Junmyeon?" Kris a brow as his smile morphs with intimidation. "Or are just kissing his because he's kissing Mr. Jung's ? Want to get in on the train?"

"Kris-"

"Don't ing act like you don't know what I'm talking about," Kris scoffs. "Ever since Mr. Jung came, you've been acting nicer to Mr. Disfigured."

"Hey, Youngjae," Kris raises his voice, attracting attention. "Want to tell everyone why you gave Mr. Jung a jacket? Did you borrow it from him because poor little you didn't have an umbrella? Or did you wear it after getting a good from him?"

Youngjae clenches his fist. Kris' eyes widen in sick thrill as the other remaining colleagues turn to look at the two, whispering among themselves. Jongin lets out a loud laugh and shakes his head, striding away to the cafeteria with a few others first.

"Oi, you two," Chanyeol drawls with a wide grin. "You guys got some unresolved s, huh, you Almagas? Go each other outside of the office."

"Shut the up, Chanyeol," Kris hisses. He approaches Youngjae but Junmyeon instantly holds him back.

"Kris, stop it. Let's have lunch with the rest."

"Yeah, stop being such a little , Kris," Jongdae scoffs as he slinks over to the cafeteria. "It's like you're obsessed with him."

"Jongdae, why don't you zip it? You two are so nice to Youngjae." Kris spares Junmyeon a demeaning look despite his smile. "I wonder why. Did you know he'd be Mr. Jung's BFF?"

"Whatever." Jongdae roams away out of sight.

Kris returns his focus to Youngjae. "Hey, you. Don't think the office hasn't seen you getting into Jung Daehyun's car. I've made sure I let every single person in this department know of that."

Youngjae's breath hitches and it only serves to broaden the erse glee on Kris' face.

"Why? Think no one would notice that you're spending time with your dearest outside work?" Kris brushes his hair back, trying to drill a hole somewhere in Youngjae's wordlessness. "Seriously, how many people did you kiss up to so you could get here? Did you let them you or something? Never knew Mr. Jung was into that kind of thing. Screwing some ugly, scrawny Alpha must be an ego boost."

Unable to resist, the venom drips out of Youngjae's lips provocatively. "So what if I did?" Youngjae rasps. "Why? Do you feel sorry you didn't get the chance first?" The gall starts churning in his guts. "Want me to recommend you to him since you want it so badly-"

Kris almost lunges at Youngjae. Junmyeon instantly restrains Kris as Youngjae takes a step back, heat pulsing through his veins.

"You ing . You pissed me off with your talking during our meetings, trashing my presentations like a ing know-it-all , and you've got the guts to act like this too?" Kris grits. "You're really asking for it."

"Kris, let's just go already-"

"Junmyeon, shut your trap. This ing Omega sympathiser, thinks he's so up there with his morals, only wants to be with Betas. Don't you have any pride, you piece of ? Do you hate yourself so much? Want to get a rank change? I could chop it off for you," Kris seethes. "ing makes me sick. How can this piece of garbage be in a higher position than me?"

Youngjae smiles piercingly, adrenaline rushing through his body. His instincts are telling him to flee and avoid confrontation, one hand trembling behind his back with his skin cold. But the burst of biting heat through his chest makes him spit out even more.

"Sorry your Dad couldn't hand you a position higher than what you have now."

"You ing-"

"What's going on?" A low voice booms. One of the older staff, a fellow executive Choi Siwon, steps in with narrowed eyes. The staff scatter as Kris pants heavily, clearly on the verge of ripping Youngjae apart. Siwon crosses his arms as Junmyeon churns out a bright smile.

"Nothing, only a little argument." Junmyeon pats Kris' shoulder. "We were just about to leave." He niftily drags Kris away as Youngjae is left standing there, fists clenched behind his back. His eyes nearly cross from how hard he's glaring.

"You guys are adults," Siwon drawls warningly to Youngjae. "Act like one or I'll be writing up both of you. Mr. Jung loathes people like you who cause trouble, so you can say goodbye to your jobs."

Youngjae keeps mum. Siwon paces away and a low murmuring starts amongst the few still in the department. His fist shakes discreetly as fright and triumph threatens to rip a smile through him. This whir of pride reminds him of when he'd drilled his foot into those pathetic Alphas at the beach after they threatened him and Heechul. It's not as satisfying, but at least he got a word in. He put another one in his place.

So this is why Kris has always been incessantly picking on him. On his first few days of work here he'd been ultimately timid and kept to himself, both out of loathing and a deathly caution. Junmyeon tried to welcome him while Kris was already a bastard from the start, commenting snidely that Youngjae was like a dog with a tail between his legs despite his appearance being that of a disfigured Pitbull. Though, Youngjae came to realise it was just part of Kris' personality.

Alphas like Kris only know how to stomp around the office and whine for more from his parents, used to being served everything on a silver platter. To even be threatened by Youngjae being an Omega sympathiser shows how pathetic he is.

The sheer abhorrence brew after Youngjae grew more confident of his position, keeping to himself with less of an air of vulnerability. Particularly, when he slighted Kris by ignoring his offer to sit at their table and instead walked up to Junhong.

Someone clears his throat behind him, snapping Youngjae out of his drawn-out pondering. Youngjae nearly leaps out of his skin, cold beads of sweat trailing down his neck. Thankfully, Jongdae doesn't seem to notice exactly how tense Youngjae is.

"Junmyeon says he's sorry for dragging you into this mess or something," Jongdae drawls, evidently disinterested. "Don't be scared to go to the cafeteria," he snickers.

Youngjae narrows his eyes. Jongdae continues, "Anyway, we're going out to eat. So you won't run into Kris anyway. Or you can hole yourself up in the office." He shrugs.

Youngjae grits his teeth. No way in hell he would be afraid of a bastard like Kris. He brushes past Jongin as the man chuckles to himself.

Stepping into the cafeteria, Youngjae tries not to shrink at the stares that whip to him like he's a circus attraction. The inaudible gossip starts plaguing everyone's conversations. The few that had witnessed the fight are talking gregariously at one table to a bunch of nosy workers.

It's been a while since Youngjae has gotten such attention.

Suddenly feeling self-conscious, Youngjae heaves and chides himself inwardly for being so rash. The fright once more manifests in his throat and he lowers his head. He usually keeps calm no matter how much Kris taunts him, but lately, he's been getting a bit too ahead of himself. Sure, Kris deserves much more, but Youngjae shouldn't have been reckless with how much he has on the line.

Where is all this overconfidence coming from? From passing Junhong his personal number to this... In truth, it started from a long time ago when Youngjae breached his own personally-drawn line between work and his personal life—all thanks to Jung Daehyun.

He's getting too comfortable, forgetting his place as a person who wears a borrowed skin. But why? In all his years at this company, he's constantly been utterly careful and meticulous, opting to be a silhouette that minds its own business. It started with Daehyun and snowballed to here. Just because Daehyun is seemingly nicer and accepting of his facade, it doesn't mean he can parade around and stir up trouble however he wishes.

It is Daehyun's fault as well. If he hadn't drawn so much attention to Youngjae by spending time outside of work with him, Youngjae could have laid low.

Youngjae gets in line, not wanting to cause even more of a buzz by leaving abruptly. He shrouds himself at the usual corner table, eating silently without his companion. Some laughs emanate from across the room but he does not bother glancing over.

Out of nowhere, the murmuring faintly drops in volume. He hears a several quiet greetings here and there before the opposite chair scrapes against the floor. Youngjae catches sight of Daehyun's wrinkled hands on the table along with his tray of food.

"May I sit here, Mr. Yoo?" Daehyun settles down in the chair with a raised brow, wearing the customary no-nonsense face—except that it's somewhat softer.

"I hope your injuries have been healing well. Please tell me if you'd like me to pay for any medical bills."

Youngjae chews without responding. He mulls over the prospect of Daehyun finding out he'd been in such a crass quarrel with a colleague and feels a little ashamed. Daehyun digs in as the two dwell in a fleeting silence, mundane conversations pieceing together the background.

"Mr. Choi isn't coming, it seems," Daehyun remarks after a while. "Is he sick?"

Youngjae nods. Daehyun lets out a thin exhale.

"I suppose something must have happened. To you, I mean," Daehyun nonchalantly states. Youngjae winces out of instinct, gingerly raising his gaze to finally meet Daehyun's greyish irises.

"Did someone tell you?" Youngjae meekly asks.

"Someone will, later. It's quite blatant when everyone keeps staring at you, Mr. Yoo." The soft edge to his face dissapates and he regards Youngjae with a dissecting expression. "Would you like to tell me?"

Youngjae presses his lips together. "I got into a heated argument with a colleague."

Daehyun bats his lashes slowly, eyes never deviating from Youngjae's face as though he's picking out every piece of the narrative he needs.

"Very heated, I suppose? To garner such a r