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“You want us to do what!?”
The head manager, Lee Hakkun, sighs as he sits forward in his seat. “It’s been decided that if you want to renew your contract, you have to accept a female trainee to debut with you.”
Chan stares back at him with a blank expression but the clenched fists resting on top of the glossy wooden table show how tense and angry the alpha truly is.
“H-Hakkun-ssi.” Minho sits up straighter in his seat. “This isn’t some kind of joke, is it?”
“Of course, it isn’t.” Their other manager, Kim Daehyun, settles his bored expression on the alpha. “These are the terms for all the groups under the company, you aren’t the only one.”
“Why is this happening?” Changbin asks with a frown on his face. “There’s no way you’ve waited this long to spring something like this on us.”
“Admittedly, it’s a new rule.” Hakkun grimaces, rubbing the space in between his eyebrows. “You all are aware of the fandoms complaining about the lack of co-ed groups, correct?”
“Yes, but what does this have to do with my group?” Chan answers, pointing his finger on the table.
“It’s a new protocol to even out the playing field.” Hakkun wrings his wrist as he feels Chan’s furious pheromones deepen throughout the meeting room. “It’s to please all of the fans.”
“How is this evening the playing field?” Minho scoffs. “All the groups under JYPE have been doing this for years, and now we’re going to be stuck with a brand new member just because they don’t like that there aren’t enough co-ed groups in this industry? If that’s the problem, then make new co-ed groups!”
“The companies are working on that, but right now, we just have to go with this plan. It’s the quickest way to appease the fans and the media,” Hakkun tells them.
“What if we don’t agree to your terms?” Changbin asks.
“Then you disband here and now.” Daehyun deadpans.
The members all start to argue and protest at once but Chan holds up his hand silencing them all.
“Can we have some time to think about it?” he utters.
Hakkun nods with a solemn frown on his face. “You have an hour. We can’t postpone it any longer.”
Chan nods, and the managers in the room leave. The second the door closes, Minho and Changbin whirl on him.
“What’s the plan?” Minho asks.
“Are we disbanding?” Hyunjin frowns.
“I don’t want to disband.” Felix pouts. “We aren’t even finished yet!”
“I know.” Chan groans, running a hand down his face. “This is fucking ridiculous. After all we’ve been through, we’re forced to do this, add a brand new member just to continue our career?”
“But to disband?” Seungmin chimes in. “We can’t stop now, Hyung. We’ve worked too hard for this.”
Chan sighs, crossing his arm over his chest. “I know, pup.”
“What if we did it?” Jisung finally lifts his head, eyes shining with determination. “Added the female trainee?”
“You want another member?” Jeongin asks incredulously.
“No.” Jisung frowns. “I like us as eight, but I don’t want to disband. Wh-What if we told them we’d only agree if you chose the trainee, Hyung? That way it’s still in your image.”
“That could work… if we wanted a female in our group,” Minho mutters.
“We’re not disbanding.” Chan grits, his scent burnt and furious. “I refuse… I think that would work, Jisungie, telling them that I’d get to choose the trainee. I know a few trainees that I’ve seen around the company who are pretty good, who I could use with our sound.”
The pack alpha lifts his head to see different levels of conflict on his mates’ faces.
“Do… Do you guys want to disband?” Chan asks hesitantly.
“No.” “Fuck no.” “Absolutely not.”
Chan huffs out a laugh, his scent lightening in relief as he shakily nods. “Okay.”
Felix gets up from his seat and wordlessly collapses on Chan’s lap, burying his face in his neck. “We don’t want to disband, Chris. We enjoy being in this band with you. It’s because of you that we’ve made it this far and we appreciate everything you’ve done for us.”
Chan’s ears burn red as he wraps his arms around his omega’s waist. “Thanks, Lix. You don’t need to say that though.”
“You needed to hear it though.” He nudges his cheek with his nose. “We love you, Chris.”
Chan squeezes his eyes shut and pulls Felix closer. “I love you, too.”
Hyunjin and Jisung are quick to join the cuddle and eventually, the rest do as well, teasing him and calling him old and sentimental. It annoys him but he accepts the affection for what it is.
“Alright, get off of me. You’re heavy.” Chan groans.
Felix pinches his arm but they leave him.
“So we’re adding another member then?” Changbin sighs.
“How do we want to do this?” Minho asks.
“Will she be a part of the pack?” Jeongin asks, his eyes hesitant and cautious.
Chan sits back in his seat. “She could be a platonic member. We’re already an established pack with positions set in place and we’re mates. She’s going to be a part of us now, so we should get comfortable with her.”
“Platonic member works.” Changbin nods in agreement.
“What if one of us falls for her?” Felix speaks up.
Chan makes a face. “We’ll… deal with that if it ever happens.”
“What about 5-star?” Seungmin finally asks.
“Ugh, please no.” Jisung groans. “I don’t want to re-record anything ever again. Please!”
“We won’t.” Chan shakes his head. “The album comes out this Friday and we already have plans for things to be finalized. It’ll be too much of a hassle to put her on the album this late.”
“Ugh, this is so much work.” Hyunjin runs a hand through his hair. “I can already feel the stress piling up.”
“It’s alright.” Chan smiles. “We’ll figure it out.”
Minho gets up and heads up to the door, poking his head out. “You can come in.”
Their managers come back inside and settle into their previous seats.
“Have you made a decision?” Hakkun asks apprehensively.
Chan sighs but nods. “Yes, but we have conditions.”
“Name them.”
“I want to choose the member.” Chan lifts his chin. “Otherwise, we’re not doing it.”
“Deal.”
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
Y/n’s life as a trainee was not ideal. She’s just turned twenty one (the bright deadline that’s printed in red that says ‘Hey. You’re getting a little too old for K-pop. Either debut or go suffer working at a BBQ place.’) and she’s still a trainee. She’s only stressing about it a little bit. It’s not like she hasn’t given six years of her life to become an idol or anything, and she’s beginning to feel like her time is running out. She’s gone through tons of planned projects just for them to be rejected. She’s been in four different line-ups, but they were picked through and pulled apart leaving her the only one with the skills to debut.
You’d think after so many trials JYP would just let her debut as a soloist, but he claims that she’s more equipped to be in a group than by herself. Whatever the fuck that means. She knows he truly won’t debut her as a soloist because she’s an omega. There aren’t many omega solo artists in the industry, and JYPE doesn’t want to be the first to put one out. typical really.
Outside of her trainee life, Y/n lives by herself in a small studio apartment that has thin walls and a barely working bathroom, but it’s hers. She works too many part-time jobs to keep count, but they keep her in shape outside of her training, so she keeps up with them. She doesn’t have a pack, her training has told her she’ll form a pack when she debuts… but that has yet to happen. She won’t go against the company though, so she sticks to herself. She’s suffered for it, though.
It’s another one of those days where Y/n has a day full of lessons by herself. There are vocal lessons, dance practice, media training, more vocal lessons, producing classes, and more dance lessons. She goes through the motions like usual, soaking in all the feedback and making mental notes of how and where she can improve. Though without songs to sing on, there’s only so much improvement she can do with her voice.
It’s during the last run of dance moves when her manager comes barreling through the door. It startles Y/n so hard, she trips over her foot and crashes to the ground.
“Oh, my god! I didn’t mean to scare you! I’m sorry!” Yeom Changhee rushes over to her, grabbing her shoulders. “Are you hurt anywhere? Talk to me.”
“Yah.” Y/n grabs the omega’s wrists to stop him from checking over her. “I’m fine, Oppa. Nothing hurts too bad.”
“Yah. You’re interrupting practice,” a choreographer playfully calls out. “What’s going on?”
“Oh. Oh! Right!” Changhee jumps to his feet and pulls Y/n along with him. She jolts in surprise as he tugs her across the room and settles her on the couch. “I’ve got news for you.”
Y/n blinks her eyes at him as he pushes a water bottle and a towel into her empty hands. “Um. News?”
“Mhm!” He nods rapidly, eyes gleaming with excitement.
The omega stares at him before opening her water bottle. “Are you going to tell me the news or are you just going to stand there and bounce like a puppy?”
“You’re gonna debut!”
Y/n chokes on the water in her throat, and Changhee frantically rushes forward to clap her back. “Ack! Ow! Oppa! I’m okay, I’m okay.”
“S-Sorry.” Changhee gently tugs at his long black hair. “I-I’m just excited and stressed.”
“What do you mean I’m debuting?” She clears her throat and fully faces her manager. “I didn’t think there was another project outside of the one JYP is doing in America.”
“There isn’t but there is a new rule. Certain active K-pop groups have to become co-ed in order to renew their contracts.”
Y/n makes her face. “Really? This is how the industry responded to the uproar? By forcing new members on previously established groups?”
Changhee deflates. “Yeah. It’s… not ideal, but this is the good news. You’ll be debuting with a boy group!”
The omega gapes at him before shaking her head. “Nice joke. Very funny, Changhee-ssi.”
“I’m not joking.” Changhee moves back into her vision. “You were chosen by one of the groups under JYPE. They want to meet with you soon. Like now.”
“What?! But I’m all sweaty and gross.” She frantically waves her hand at her appearance. “A-And besides, I can’t debut under a boy group!”
“You can and you will.” Changhee sighs. “Y/n, please. This is your last chance. If you don’t take this, you’ll either have to quit now or join another agency. With your age–”
“Okay, alright.” Y/n cuts him off. “I definitely don’t need another reminder about my age.”
The omega frowns and grabs her hand. “I’ll stick with you no matter what, you know that. If this doesn’t go through, I’ll find another agency that’ll debut you as a soloist and if there isn’t one here, we’ll go to another country. Whatever it takes.”
Y/n’s lips tug into a gentle smile as she squeezes his hand. “Okay. Thank you, Oppa.”
She lets out a stressed sigh and glances down at herself. “C-Can I at least wash up and change?”
“Yes, of course.” Changhee stands up and whips out his phone. “I’ll let them know you’re changing. Meet me on the ninth floor.”
↻ ◁ II ▷ ↺
Y/n is so nervous she can practically feel the sweat pour out the soles of her feet. She’s glad she has the excuse to change clothes before meeting them because she did not think this through.
Debuting in a group that’s been putting out music for years seems daunting. She has no idea how she’s going to put her mark on the world with a group that already has its own genre. Stray Kids. The one and only Stray Kids. She didn’t go through what they went through… at least not as a pack. She’s dealt with the traumas of being a trainee but on her own. Even so, it hasn’t gotten her anywhere. She doesn’t have their experience, their power. How in the world does JYP expect her to succeed under them?
Y/n’s pulled out of her spiral of thoughts by the chiming of her phone and she curses under her breath, rushing to put on clothes. She checks herself in the mirror one last time. Her leggings cling to her skin and her hoodie is a little baggy, but she deems herself presentable enough for a person who just got out of a day’s worth of training and heads up to the ninth floor.
Changhee meets her outside and he snorts as he takes in her appearance. “Oh, Y/n. You look like you haven’t gotten any sleep in the past two days.”
“Well, I definitely feel like I haven’t.” She sighs, letting the older omega brush her hair out of her face. “What’s this meeting for again?”
“Finalizing, in a way,” Changhee mutters. “You’ll briefly meet the members. They’ll talk about the schedule for the rest of the year and where you’ll come in. You can make conditions on your contract, things you will and won’t tolerate. Do you remember what I taught you?”
“Not to suppress more than one heat a year,” Y/n repeats.
“Exactly. Your health comes first, always.” Changhee’s brown eyes flit across her body and he nods in acceptance. “This is gonna have to work. You ready?”
Y/n snorts. “No. Don’t have a choice though.”
Changhee rolls his eyes before gently cupping her face. “Chin up, pup. Bang Chan chose you specifically. You’re top shit.”
The omega huffs out a laugh, biting her lip to keep herself from falling into a fit of laughter. “Please, never say that again, Oppa.”
Changhee smacks her arm. “Brat.”
Y/n snickers as she rubs her arm, and the two omegas head inside the meeting room.
The omega quickly bows to everyone in the room instantly. “Hello.”
“Hello. Welcome in.”
Y/n lifts her head as she settles into a chair at the head of the table, trying not to tremble in her seat. All eight members sit directly beside her and they’re all staring at her with various expressions she can’t discern. It’s then that she realizes she’s the only thing keeping them from being disbanded. They probably didn’t want this any more than she did. With that thought, Y/n tells herself she’ll prove that she’s worth the drama.
“Are you alright?” Chan frowns, beautiful brown eyes flitting across her face. “You look… worn out.”
“Ah, I’m fine.” Y/n waves her hand, absently taken aback by how handsome he is this close. “I had training all day, so it’s been kind of long.”
“Ah.” The alpha nods, a small smile playing on his full lips. “I remember those days.”
She flushes but doesn’t respond, her anxiety running rampant. She can feel Minho’s stare burning through her skull. Although they’re a bit intimidating, they’re all devilishly handsome in person. I can’t believe this is happening.
“Well.” An alpha a few chairs away from Y/n clears his throat. “Shall we get right into it then?”
“Yes, please,” Minho mutters.
“Firstly.” The alpha leans forward to catch Y/n’s gaze. “Hello. My name is Lee Hakkun. I’m the head manager of Stray Kids.”
“It’s nice to meet you.” Y/n bows her head.
The man next to Hakkun briefly meets her gaze before uncrossing his arms. Y/n has a slight pulse of fear at how big the man is. “Kim Daehyun.”
“We’ve met before.” Choi Jaesung pushes his glasses up his fair nose and gives Y/n a small smile. “How are you doing, Y/n-ssi?”
“Well enough.” She huffs a laugh, relaxing a smidge at the sight of a familiar face. “How are you?”
“Stressed.” He grins, nodding. “As usual.”
Y/n smiles back at him.
“Ms. Jeong, do you know why you are here?” Hakkun asks.
Y/n nods. “I’m here to be the new member of Stray Kids with the idea of forming a co-ed group.”
“That is correct. Although the process is less than ideal, Bang Chan has assured us that you will be a perfect addition to the group,” Hakkun continues, flipping open a binder and sliding it across the table. Changhee wordlessly grabs it, settling it in between them. Y/n risks a brief glance at Chan and flushes as she meets his intense gaze. “We can assume that there won’t be any issues with your performance, yes?”
“Yes, Sir.” Y/n sits up straight. “I’ve been training for this for years and I know that I can do this.”
“Good,” Daehyun grunts. “As your manager goes through the contract, we’ll speak on the upcoming schedule.”
“Stray Kids has a comeback coming out on June second, ‘5-star’. It’s a full album and it’s already recorded and finished,” Jaesung begins, idly tapping his pen against the table. “Unfortunately, there isn’t time to put you on this album, so we will wait until the next one, a Japanese album. In the meantime, you’ll be added to the choreography for this album, but you will not be singing or rapping, is that clear?”
“Yes, Sir.” Y/n nods, eyes darting over the table as she processes his words. “Am I allowed to harmonize with any parts?”
Jaesung shrugs and nods toward Chan.
She faces him and watches as Chan lifts an attractive eyebrow but smiles nonetheless. “After you listen to the songs, if you feel as if you can add any adlibs during the performance, I won’t stop you. I actually encourage it. It just further proves to others that our mics are on and that we always sing live.”
Y/n nods, growing shy under his gaze. “Got it.”
“There are fan signs and video call events throughout the comeback season. We’ve cut it short this time, but you’ll experience a full comeback next time.” Hakkun picks up. “Considering your inexperience, this is a good start to what you’ll be going through for the rest of your career so make sure that you work hard.”
“Yes, Sir.”
Changhee clears his throat and Y/n glances at him before darting toward the pages. Her eyes land on the lines he’s pointing to, and she frowns, pulling the contract closer.
“Is there a problem?” Jaesung asks.
“Yes, Sir.” Y/n bites back a growl. “I understand the circumstances of a busy schedule, but I will not belittle my health. Having one heat a year is practically suicidal, and I will not subject myself to such terms.”
Chan stiffens and faces Daehyun with furious eyes. “Tell me you didn’t add that to her contract.”
“It’s part of every omega’s contract at the beginning-”
Chan shakes his head. “I changed that part of the contract for my omegas and hers will not be any different. Take it off.”
Daehyun clenches his fist. “You have two comebacks and a dome tour this year, Chan-ah. We can not afford–”
“Take. it. off. or we walk and I will take her with me.” Chan settles a withering glare on the alpha. “Just because she’s new does not mean you get to walk all over her. There are accommodations for these things. If need be, we can shift her cycle to align with Hyunjin, Jisung, and Felix’s cycle so they’ll all be healthily taken care of and out of the way of the schedule. Do not fight me on this.”
Daehyun sighs but wordlessly nods. Changhee quickly scratches out the requirements.
“Ms. Jeong,” Hakkun says. “If you’re willing, can you explain your cycle schedule?”
“Th-That’s fine.” She shifts forward, fiddling with her leggings. “Um. My cycle has been pretty regular since I presented, I have three. My first heat is always after the second or third day of the New Year. Then I’ll get one around my birthday, which was about a week and a half ago, and the last one usually comes around the middle of September. Sometime between the teen dates.”
Jisung frowns as he ponders her words. Y/n only has three heat cycles. She should be having four cycles. They should be every three months, not four. If she’s a virgin, that could be the reason she hasn’t fully matured out to four heats, but as Jisung remembers the requirements of idol training, he remembers that omega trainees aren’t allowed to bond with a pack until they debut. She hasn’t had the chance to properly bond with other omegas which leads to her body maturing into four heat cycles.
Jisung cuddles deeper into Minho’s hoodie as he eyes Y/n. He’s going to have to put in some effort to help her omega mature.
“Ironically enough, that’s perfect timing with this year’s schedule.” Jaesung nods slowly. “Things will be fine. We can handle any hiccups at a later date. The changes can continue.”
“Right. Where was I?” Hakkun idly taps on the table. “Ah, participation. We do want you to participate in every event. We’ll announce your debut the same day ‘5-star’ comes out. You’ll perform with the others and attend all the schedules. That’s the fan sign, video call, and the fan meet that’s being held in July.”
Y/n worries at her lip before sitting forward. “Are you sure it’s alright for me to attend the fan meet? I’m not truly a member yet.”
“Starting June second you will be,” Daehyun tells her. “It will take a bit for the fans to get used to your presence within the band. Fan signs, video call events, and the fan meet itself are perfect opportunities for them to get to know you.”
The omega lets out a shaky breath. “Alright.”
“We’ll also be filming content for the group as well in July, so it’s a perfect time for you to bond with the group while getting used to the cameras,” Hakkun continues. “While it’s on my mind, I was told that you have some vlogs filmed, correct?”
Y/n briefly glares at Changhee who pointedly avoids her gaze for spilling the beans before nodding toward Hakkun. “I-I do, but they aren’t appropriate to post. I can make new ones for the fans though.”
“How are they not appropriate?” Jaesung frowns.
“Well–” She shifts uncomfortably in her chair. “-there’s no editing, so there’s… quite a bit of footage of me cursing and saying things I really shouldn’t. I got into the habit of recording whenever I was feeling a little too lonely, and during those times, I’m usually deliriously tired, so I would say the things that came to mind without the filter I learned through training. so… yes, not appropriate.”
Some of the members laugh softly at the omega, and if it weren’t for the patches on her neck, she’d be stinking up the entire room with embarrassed pheromones.
Jaesung snorts, but nods. “Alright. If it’s alright with you, I’d prefer if you gave some of that footage to our editing team and we’ll see what we can work with. Otherwise, you are more than welcome to film more recent content.”
Y/n shrinks into her chair, averting her eyes. “Yes, Sir.”
“Stage name.” Daehyun faces her. “Do you have one?”
“I– Yes, I do.” She clears her throat. “It’s Azure.”
“Azure?” Chan echoes.
“Like the color?” Hyunjin blinks.
Y/n smiles and nods. “Yes, like the color, but there’s a way I spell it. It has a meaning.”
Y/n takes a piece of paper and writes ‘AZ.U.RE.’
“What does that mean?” Jisung asks, his head tilted to the side in wonder.
“Az-u-re,” Y/n sounds out. “It sounds like as you are.”
“Wah.” Chan sucks air in between his teeth as he shakes his head, crossing his arms over his chest. “Nice wordplay.”
“I wanted to present this term to my fans,” Y/n explains. “I’ll be singing or performing to them as I am in every way possible. I just want them to know that it’s okay to just be who you are and that you should never feel ashamed about it.”
“Wow.” Jaesung nods with a small smile. “That’s beautiful actually. We’ll go with that.”
“I want you to talk about that in a vlog.” Daehyun nods, that same blank expression spread across his face. “The fans will love that. It speaks volumes of your personality and they’ll surely want to connect with you over something like that.”
Y/n beams, nodding. “Yes, Sir.”
She faces the members a little expectantly. Jisung shoots her a gentle smile while Felix winks at her. Changbin nods at her while Chan chuckles, giving her a thumbs-up. She bites her lip to contain her smile but can’t quite sit still. She feels like she just passed a secret test by their responses and her omega purrs in pride inside of her.
They go through more thorough details of her new life as an idol. What she can and can’t do. Her new limit to social media. How closely watched her life will be the minute she’s announced as a member. She’s aware of all of these precautions though. She doesn’t have her own personal account but it turns out she’ll be getting one along with most of the other members in August. Her family is aware of her training to be an idol but they don’t talk or post about it.
She’s in the clear just in case anyone tries to dig up anything bad on her. Y/n was isolated all throughout her school life. She had one friend, but she dumped her to date the boy that Y/n was in love with. The friend knew she had feelings for him, but she went after him anyway. In hindsight, she knew she was a bad friend, but she was desperate back then for any sort of friendship. After that incident, Y/n found comfort in being by herself. Then her dream of becoming an idol started and she followed her dreams, leaving everything behind. After all this time, her hard work is finally paying off… sort of.
“Alright. That’s everything!” Jaesung stacks the contracts together before neatly placing them in a binder.
“Wah! Finally!” Jisung slumps back in his chair. “I feel like this chair is gonna swallow me whole any second!”
The other staff members leave in different stages, hushed murmurs filling the space. Y/n meets Changhee’s eyes and they break into a grin.
“Ah, one last thing. Dorms.” Hakkun turns away from the door. “The members have privately moved into a new dorm house after someone followed them to their previous separate dorms, and there’s an extra room being unused, correct?”
“Yeah.” Chan nods, circling his chair from side to side. “It’s smaller than the rest so no one wanted it.”
“Small is fine.” Y/n nods. “I can guarantee it’s the same size as my current studio apartment.”
“You live by yourself?” Hyunjin asks, his perfectly arched eyebrows furrowed as he drapes himself across Changbin’s shoulders. “That can’t be good for an omega.”
She shrugs, tugging at the hems of her hoodie. “It works for me and I live in a relatively safe area.”
“Do you need help moving?” Changbin offers. “We have some time tomorrow.”
“We actually have all day tomorrow.” Chan turns to her. “We can move you in, and you can spend the day getting comfortable. That’s if you want the help.”
“O-Okay, yeah.” Y/n nods, nervously glancing between the different members. “That sounds perfect. Thank you.”
“Then, it’s settled.” Chan holds out his phone. “I need your number.”
“R-Right.” She takes the phone from his warm hands and types in her number. “Wow, okay. This is really happening.”
Minho huffs a laugh. “You’re only just now realizing?”
“Well, it’s still a bit of a process.” Y/n ducks her head as she hands over the phone.
Jisung smacks Minho’s arm. “Hyung, don’t tease her. You’re making her nervous.”
“Am not.” He grins.
“You make everyone nervous,” Hyunjin mutters, fiddling with the chain on Changbin’s neck.
“Air fryer.” Minho glares.
The omega whines and dodges Minho’s hands as he ducks out of the room.
“I’m hungry! What are we eating for dinner!?” Changbin shouts, stretching his arms over his head. Y/n does, in fact, stare a second longer than she should have but give her some slack, the man is beautifully ripped.
“Come on, bottomless stomach.” Seungmin pats his tummy. “Let’s get some food in you.”
“Yah! Kim Seungmin!”
Y/n watches in amusement as Changbin wrestles the beta, her nose tells her, into his arms and carries him out of the room.
“Yah! Hyung, put me down!” Seungmin shouts in between fits of laughter.
“Seriously, this is why we can’t go anywhere,” Jeongin mutters under his breath as he walks out of the door.
“Hi!” Felix waves at Y/n. “Welcome to the band!”
Y/n has a hard time fighting her smile as the freckled omega bounds up to her with the sun beaming out of his eyes. “Thank you. I guess it’s good to be here, though I can tell it’s pretty rowdy. I thought for a second that was just a thing you guys do on camera but I guess not.”
“Nope!” Jisung throws his arm around Felix’s shoulder and the younger male cuddles into his side. “This is an everyday thing.”
Y/n nods, slightly distracted by his pretty lips. “Right. I guess I’d better get used to it.”
“Absolutely.”
“So–” Jisung lets go of Felix and he dutifully leaves his side, pressing a kiss to Chan and Minho’s cheek before leaving the room. Y/n realizes she’s left with Chan, Jisung, and Minho, her own manager nowhere to be found. “-in this pack, I’m the Head Omega. Not really a position I chose–”
“Yah.” Chan playfully glares at him.
“-but it’s one that my omega has happily accepted without complaints,” Jisung finishes, sticking his tongue out at Chan. “I do want to formally welcome you to the pack and let you know that you can come to me if you need anything . I’m always happy to help.”
Jisung steps back and points to Minho. “He’s the Head Alpha. Seungmin’s the Pack Beta. Chan’s the Pack Alpha. Most, if not, all of the decisions about the pack are made by him. His word is final and always will be. You, of course, can speak your mind and offer any sort of advice for whatever the situation might need. I won’t stop you from doing so and neither will they.”
“We don’t really use the whole hierarchy thing often in the pack, so you don’t have to worry about finding a place and being useful.” His fingers flex with the sign for quotation marks. “It’s stupid and we don’t like the traditional hierarchy in our pack.”
“Fuck the hierarchy!” Minho chants.
Chan laughs, shaking his head. “Min, you do fuck the hierarchy.”
Minho’s ears turn a shade of pink and he turns his head away from the eldest alpha as Jisung gasps. “Hyung! Not in front of the maknae!”
Y/n blanches as Jisung covers her ears. “Oh yeah. I’m the new maknae.”
“Yep!” Jisung beams, removing his hands. “Our little omega maknae.”
“Oh god.” She groans, her shoulders sagging. “This is going to be horrid.”
“Yes, absolutely.” He nods. “Get ready for a shit ton of cuddles because you’re getting all of them. You have no say.”
“Got it.” Y/n smiles, shifting under his intense gaze.
“We didn’t corner you just for that though.” Chan shakes his head at Jisung’s antics and pats his thighs. “Come sit, Sung-ah.”
Jisung happily obliges, settling onto Chan’s lap, and resting his head on his shoulder. Minho shifts closer to tangle his fingers with Jisung’s, and Y/n watches everything curiously.
“What’s the real reason?”
“I just wanted to let you know that I am here for you as your pack alpha,” Chan starts. “I know the circumstances aren’t fun, but I did choose you for a reason. You’re the longest-standing trainee under JYPE right now and you have good talent. I’ve seen you dance. You’ve got an amazing voice too. I just gotta figure out how I want to use it for our sound, but until then, I want to work with you on solo songs.”
“Solo songs?” Y/n frowns.
He nods. “Yes. During our dome tour, we’ll be performing solo acts. I want you to perform one of your own. I will make time to work on something with you soon and figure out your own style. If you’re in my band, I’ll always want you to do what you want if it can’t be shown with the group as a whole. That is why the kids have their solo songs on the SKZ-record albums. They have too much talent to just contain them in one little bubble, so I don’t do it. They all want to create music and express themselves in their own way and I will never hold them back.”
“I don’t know you yet.” Chan worries at his lips. “But that’s just yet. But I do know that you have potential to be something amazing and I will take advantage of that and help you prove to the world how amazing you are… If you’re willing to work with me.”
Y/n finally lets herself breathe as she nods, frantically wiping her face. “Y-Yes, of course. I promise to work hard. I won’t disappoint you.”
“Yah, you made her cry,” Minho lightly scolds and Jisung unfolds himself from Chan’s lap.
“S-Sorry, I just really–” The omega breaks down into tears as she finally comes to terms with her reality. “I-I didn’t think I’d ever debut and-and I thought I’d have to give up everything when I worked so hard and made all these songs, slaved over hours of practice- all by myself and–”
“Aish.” Jisung pulls her close, rubbing her arm. “Fine, go ahead and cry. Let it out, I get it. It’s overwhelming now that you’re finally here but we won’t let you fail, okay? You’re here now, you’ve debuted whether it’s hard to believe or not. We’ll whip you into shape, get you out on that stage, and let you shine. You’re one of us now, no matter what.”
Y/n pushes further into the older omega’s embrace and cries harder. His touches are soft as he holds her close. She inhales trying to catch her breath and her head spins at the heady smell of magnolias and black cherry, melting into him. It’s intoxicating but the scent of the flowers mulls it over into a blissful feeling, and Y/n finds herself purring around her cries. She hasn’t felt this comfort in so long that she almost forgot what it was like to have it in the first place.
“Come on. Let’s get you home.”
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