Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

As a twenty-nine year old grown wolf, with all his frontal lobes fully developed and has had his fair shares of life experiences, Taehyung didn't expect that he'd age back. And by that, he means that he wasn't expecting to harbor a stupid crush at his age anymore. Let alone, have a crush on his new boss, Jeon Jeongguk, too.

But then again, it's not like he's the only one.

"Oh my god, he's so attractive when he talks about deadlines."

"Do you think he has a partner already?"

"So what if he does? It's not like he's mated!"

Taehyung tunes out of his colleagues’ murmurs as he lists down everything on his notes. Attentively listening to every word that the alpha is saying, all the while attempting to look cool and collected as he watches their boss lead the meeting with utmost confidence and charm. (And maybe he tries to stop himself from blushing a couple times too)

It's only been three months since Jeon Jeongguk was hired at the company as the design team's new manager, but the way Jeongguk talks feels like he's been there for three decades already. 

The alpha just sounds so confident and laid back as he divides the tasks among them and assigns them their respective deadlines so they could complete their project on time without too much presssure. Jeongguk just encapsulates confidence, like every alpha should.

And surprisingly— warmth unlike most does not, so it only makes sense why Taehyung has the stupidest and biggest crush on him like the rest of his colleagues do.

"Any questions?" Jeongguk asks the room, his eyes scanning everyone's faces meticulously as if he's trying to read each of their minds.Taehyung does his best not to think of his crush in case the alpha can read minds.

When no one asks a question, Jeongguk nods at the group and closes the folder in front of him. "Okay, I guess that's all from me," he tells them with a smile, easy and charming. "Thanks for attending the meeting, everyone."

They mutter their shy and quiet replies at the alpha as they all begin to file out the room; all of them still trying to get used to him— or at least, get used to someone who seems to be friendly with all his employees.

Unlike Jeongguk, who likes to build rapport and do one on one sessions, Taehyung's old bosses were quite the opposite of him. Everyone in the team is used to having worlds of their own as they catch up on unrealistic deadlines and sketch up last minute designs, under the order of their old managers. But then, Jeongguk came in one day after their last manager was transferred to a different department. Clad in his black dress shirt and pants, his pheromones undeniably screaming alpha, and an aura that demands everyone's attention.

Taehyung recalls the alpha summoning them in the meeting room the morning of his first day to talk. 

At first, everyone expected him to be the typical boss— To introduce himself. To lay out his rules. To give them more tasks, and so on. After all, the team has been through three managers already and it was always the same thing. It was always an alpha making sure everyone knew who called the shots around the place.

But Jeon Jeongguk surprised them all instead. Because once they were all in the meeting room; silence filling with tension and anticipation as they waited for their new boss to arrive, Jeongguk came in with coffees and croissants for everyone instead and asked them all to relax as they got to know one another.

Everyone was caught a bit off guard at the seemingly friendly gesture, the twenty of them eyeing each other suspiciously as they took their turns introducing themselves to Jeongguk, who sat back in his chair and listened attentively to all of them all morning.

Taehyung remembers stumbling into his words as he told the alpha his name and his role in the team, to which Jeongguk responded by humming at him in interest before asking him about what he does outside the company for fun like he did with the others.

Thankfully, Taehyung was able to get through the alpha’s line of questions seamlessly after relaxing a little. Especially when Jeongguk had started to exude his calming bamboo scent, since he could sniff the tension in the room, and smiled at all of them reassuringly with no ounce of arrogance.

Taehyung is not the type to believe in crushes at first sight— but Jeongguk made him think otherwise that day. In fact, he believes he wasn’t the only one, since he could feel a shift in the air that’s less intimidating and more interested— at the alpha specifically, as Jeongguk stood up at the end of the long table, grinned at them handsomely and proceeded to introduce himself with ease.

“So I know this is such short notice,” Jeongguk had said as he looked at them earnestly. “But beginning today, I’m going to lead the design team. My name is Jeon Jeongguk, but feel free to speak to me casually.”

Everyone looked at each other at that, since it was kind of unheard of for an alpha in power like Jeongguk to not demand authority like the rest of their bosses did.

But Jeongguk continued to prove how sincere he was as he continued.

“I used to be the head creative director at H Company, but I was scouted to lead this team a few weeks ago on an important project,” Jeongguk explained casually as he leaned forward on his chair, the muscles on his arms flexing as he looked at them.

Taehyung could make out the spike in scent at that. His included . But he tries to keep his face neutral, unlike his other colleagues who already have hearts in their eyes.

“I’m here for at least a year to lead you guys,” Jeongguk continued. “So if you need guidance or help of any kind, my doors are always open. Okay?”

Everyone in the room replied quietly to confirm their understanding, as Jeongguk nodded at them. All of them still in a half-disbelief that they actually had someone there to lead instead of someone to boss them around.

The first few days of Jeongguk being their boss was quite the change— but this time, it was for the better. Unlike before where they all had to focus on their own tasks, Jeongguk made sure to touch base with them and see if everything was running smoothly. Holding meetings that was of substance to make sure everyone was on the same page, and had started going on one on one sessions to check in on them— not their work, but on them personally.

The alpha made sure that the workload wasn’t too stressful or heavy. Listing down all their complaints and making sure to communicate it with upper management or their HR office. They all even went out together and ate out after completing their first project together, which was completely unheard of. Or it was, until Jeongguk came into the picture and became the glue that somewhat brought them all together and turned them into the team that they were initially supposed to be since day one.

And in practically no time at all, Jeongguk was successful in winning the trust— and hearts of everyone he works with.

Taehyung, sadly, included.

The thing is, Taehyung did not want to have a crush. Okay? And again, it’s not because he thinks that there’s anything wrong with Jeongguk. The alpha has been perfect so far, after all.

But as a determined omega who’s pushing thirty and is surrounded by alphas and betas who aspire to grow in the company like him, wants to make sure that he focuses on his career and nothing else. He wants to showcase his talent, build his reputation, and most importantly, prove that he can keep up and do better than his alpha and beta colleagues.

It was rare for omegas to be praised in certain fields— the stigma as being seen as the weakest link; the rank that’s supposed to stay home and attend to their mate and pups burdened on their shoulders. On his shoulders.

It’s why he’s still single, honestly. A lot of wolves have tried to wine and dine him before, but all their efforts were of no use since Taehyung was adamant on making sure that he succeeds.

But it looks like Jeon Jeongguk might be the first to make him waver.

Maybe.

Taehyung heads out the meeting room and goes over to his cubicle to start working on the tasks he was assigned with, which was to lead their small subunit of graphic designers to sketch out a proposal. The company was releasing a new product in a few months, and their team was assigned to think of the design of the packaging and what the overall marketing scene would look like.

He opens up his computer eagerly, excited to start on the project immediately since it’s the first time he was tasked to lead a team. Again, omegas were not really seen as the type to lead, so his old managers always overlooked him. 

Until Jeongguk, that is.

Taehyung finds himself smiling to himself at that thought as he pulls up his office chat and creates a group chat for him and his small team so they could start discussing their ideas. Unable to help but feel a gush of appreciation at the alpha for trusting him.

It’s kind of crazy, because if you told Taehyung three months ago that he’ll be fond of their new manager and would have a crush on them, he’d roll his eyes and call bullshit.

But again, that was before Jeon Jeongguk.

Jeon Jeongguk, who led instead of bossed. Who didn’t care what your rank is— and looked at your efforts instead. 

Jeongguk who smiled brightly each and every morning as he arrived and greeted them, who dresses like he’s there for business and pleasure— with his dark clothes that always had the first few buttons of his shirt undone, revealing his chest, and tight pants that always gave them a view of his strong thighs.

Jeongguk who’s kind and approachable.

Who’s charming and smart.

And Jeongguk who—

“Hey, Baby.”

And Jeongguk who’s a terrible tease.

Taehyung chokes on air as his eyes widen in surprise at the sound of that damn pet name that his boss— Jeon Jeongguk always freaking calls him.

The pet name started instantly on Jeongguk’s first day. The alpha was still trying to memorize their names, so he opted to call them a string of playful names that ranges from ‘sweetie’, ‘darling’, ‘sugar’, ‘petal’ and every sweet name there is that couples usually call each other. Taehyung was assigned baby for some reason. Much to his demise. (And his inner omega’s content)

And again, it’s been three months and Jeongguk already knows all their names by now, but occasionally, he calls them by their pet name when he’s in a playful mood or when he wants to ask them a favor— the alpha’s way of buttering them up and a highly effective method, honestly. But for some reason, Jeongguk always calls him by his pet name even when Taehyung knows that Jeongguk knows his name.

He turns to find the alpha behind him with big eyes, blinking his shock away and says, “Not your baby.” in a tired tone.

Jeongguk merely chuckles at him as he leans down on his desk, his strong and soothing bamboo scent filling Taehyung’s small cubicle and making his omega sigh dreamily at him.

Taehyung tries to snap himself out of it.

“Anything you need, sir?” the omega asks, turning back to his computer and clearing his throat. Attempting to compose himself as he finishes adding his colleagues in the group chat and sending a bear sticker to greet them.

He hears Jeongguk click his tongue at him. “Don’t call me sir.” he replies, half sitting down on Taehyung’s desk and crossing his strong arms. (Taehyung tries and fails not to stare.) 

“It makes me feel old.” Jeongguk grimaces at him.

“Well stop calling me a child.” Taehyung shoots back playfully, eyes trained on his colleagues chats that are appearing one by one in the group.

“I don’t call you a child.” Jeongguk replies amusedly yet also sounding unsure.

Taehyung scoffs. “You just did.” he points out. 

“That’s different.” Jeongguk snorts as he plays with items that are laying around Taehyung’s desk, grabbing one of his purple fuzzy pens and a sticky note and writing on it mindlessly. “You know that.”

Taehyung only rolls his eyes at the alpha playfully, as he tries to control the swarm of butterflies in his stomach. Reminding himself of what’s important as he types into his keyboard and multitasks. 

“Did you need anything, by the way?” he asks the other, looking at him briefly.

“Yeah.” Jeongguk nods as he returns one of his fuzzy pens back in his pen holder and gives the omega his full and unwavering attention. An act that has Taehyung holding his breath as he tries to act casual.

“I kind of need you tonight.” Jeongguk says with a playful smile on his face.

The alpha was always like this— he liked to make suggestive jokes like that which always flusters everyone. And again, Taehyung was not an exception. But at least he was better in schooling his face to look unperturbed compared to the rest of his colleagues.

“For what?” Taehyung bites his cheek, chiding his thoughts for drifting into a different direction. “Need help finalising something again?”

“Yeah.” Jeongguk sighs at him tiredly. “Sorry I keep asking you. I mean, you’re basically the most senior here, so I value your input.”

Taehyung shrugs at him nonchalantly. “Sure.” he replies. “I’ll go on overtime.”

Jeongguk smiles at him boyishly as he reaches to pinch the omega’s cheeks, causing Taehyung to click his tongue at him in faux annoyance. 

“I knew I could count on you, Baby.” he tells him, standing up and stretching beside him. The same grin still on his face. “Thank you. I’ll make sure you’re paid.”

“I’m one expensive omega, sir.” Taehyung replies, sounding completely casual but he and Jeongguk both know that playful innuendo behind it, as he looks at the alpha and shoots him a blank look. “Make sure you make the most of it.”

Jeongguk bites his lips as he smiles, walking backwards to the direction of his office as he looks at Taehyung. 

“Don’t worry.” he says. “I’ll make sure it’s worth both our times.”

And with that, Jeongguk turns around and heads back to his office. Leaving a trail of bamboo scent all over Taehyung’s cubicle and making the latter release the breath that he was holding as he slumps back on his chair in relief.

He can’t help but wonder what Jeongguk’s intentions are, honestly. Perhaps he’s just putting meaning into things like these because of his crush on the alpha, but as time moves, Jeongguk is only becoming flirtier and flirtier by the second.

And at the end of the day, Taehyung is just an omega. 

A lonely omega. 

And Jeongguk is nothing short but the perfect alpha.

It’s been three months of the two of them playing this game, but it’s always the same thing. It’s always pet names that barely scratch the surface. It’s sexual innuendos that lead nowhere. 

It’s nothing.  

Or at least, that’s what Taehyung tells himself, as he pushes himself to sit straight and go back to work.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he sees the pad of sticky notes that Jeongguk was playing with earlier and snorts when he finds a rather impressive chibi drawing of Taehyung with big cheeks and determined eyes staring at his computer with a speech bubble above it that says— ‘Fighting!’

The corner of his lips twists into a small smile as he collects the sheet from the pad and looks at it closely with pink cheeks.

“I don’t get you.” Taehyung mutters to himself as he pulls his drawer open and places the drawing next to a couple of other drawings that Jeongguk made for him before. Completely oblivious to the eyes that were watching his every move as he returned back to work.

◇

Jeongguk is way too close for comfort— not that Taehyung is complaining.

It’s past nine in the evening already, a little over an hour since the time they’re supposed to clock out for the day, and Jeongguk is leaning so dangerously close to him as the two of them looked at the alpha’s laptop together in an empty meeting room and tried on every shade of yellow on the logo that they were working on to see which is the best.

According to Jeongguk, their bosses wanted some simple color changes on the last project that they submitted with a seemingly easy instruction to make the packaging look more homey and warm instead of flashy and eye-catching.

And Jeongguk, who liked to give his all in even the smallest of tasks, took it upon himself to do it since the team was already working on the new project already— being the considerate and thoughtful boss he is.

Honestly, there are times when Taehyung would wish that he could spot one of Jeongguk’s flaws to tame his crush down a bit, but the only red flag that the alpha seemed to have is his penchant to be a perfectionist.

Something which Taehyung really admires, since he’s the same. He recalls deleting a few of his works despite receiving a lot of praise because he was solely unsatisfied with it, and it looks like Jeongguk has the same tendencies as him.

The only light in the room is the glow from Jeongguk’s laptop screen and the pin lights on the corners inside the meeting room that emanates a warm glow, giving Taehyung the perfect chance to look at Jeongguk up close instead of the laptop screen.

Silently mapping out the features on the alpha’s face, like the moles on his cheek and chin. A barely-there scar. His plush pink lips and dark hair that’s combed up to reveal his forehead and eyebrows. The chains dangling around his neck— that’s beginning to make Taehyung think of something that he shouldn’t . And his tattoos that are now out in the open since the alpha had pushed his sleeves up in the midst of working.

Taehyung had always wanted to ask Jeongguk about them, he imagined tracing a finger on each design as the alpha told them the story behind it, but he never really did since he feels like he’s crossing that imaginary line he drew some time a few months ago.

Again, as much as Taehyung craves to know about Jeongguk and to see where this crush would lead, he’s still very ambitious about growing in the company. He still has his eyes on his own personal goals— which is to steal Jeongguk’s job, funnily so.

He’s been working at RKIVE Corporation for almost two years now and he’s the most tenure in the team— the rest of his batchmates have already left or have been promoted, leaving Taehyung behind.

It’s frustrating and a bit disappointing sometimes to see that he hasn’t left his position since he was hired as a design and marketing junior executive, but he knows it’s mainly because his past bosses took their ranks into account before recommending them for a promotion and not because of his skills.

Taehyung knows that he has what it takes. He’s confident he does. And with Jeongguk around to be his springboard to success, he can almost feel his soon-to-be-promotion at the tip of his fingers, so that’s why he’s been eager to stay in after work to do extra stuff.

The fact that Jeongguk is there to keep him company is merely an added bonus. 

A very very good bonus, that is.

“Baby?”

Taehyung blinks as he finds Jeongguk looking at him with an amused eyebrow raised, the corner of his lips twisting into a smirk as he finds the omega staring at him.

“I know I’m pretty, but I could really use your opinion on this.” the alpha says in a teasing tone as he smiles at him.

Taehyung clears his throat, thankful that the room is dim enough to hide his flustered face.

“I vote for golden yellow.” he tells him in a professional tone, ignoring his suggestive remark. “It’s muted but it’s bright enough to catch everyone’s attention. Icterine is too flashy in my opinion.”

Jeongguk hums at him as he switches the color palette to the golden yellow. “Okay,” he says. “But don’t you think lemon yellow is good too?”

Taehyung grimaces at him, causing the alpha to chuckle at him.

“Okay okay, fine.” Jeongguk replies easily as he saves the final draft on his computer. “Golden yellow it is.”

“If you only listened to me thirty minutes ago, we would have been done by now.” Taehyung chides, leaning back on the swivel chair as he watches the alpha fiddle with his laptop. “We already know canary and mustard wasn’t it anyway.”

Jeongguk laughs as he shuts his laptop down and looks at him with amused eyes. “But you wanted to see it anyway,” he replies, also leaning back on his chair and swiveling it to the side so they could face each other. “So whose fault is it?”

“Definitely not mine.” Taehyung mutters, hyper aware of the space between them that’s barely a foot away as their knees nearly meet in the middle. 

“Fine. I’ll take the blame.” Jeongguk grins, poking the inside of his cheeks devilishly— teasingly as he meets the omega’s eyes. “You’re lucky you’re cute, Baby.”

Taehyung scoffs and rolls his eyes, pinching his arm to stop himself from blushing. “You’re only saying that cause I stayed back for almost two hours.” he dismisses, before forcing himself to stand up so they could start heading home for the evening.

“And like I said, I promise I’ll make it worth your time.” Jeongguk replies as he follows Taehyung out the meeting room, where the sight of their empty and barely lit floor greets them.

Taehyung heads to his cubicle to collect his bag while Jeongguk heads over to his office to leave his laptop behind and to get his own things, and soon, the two of them are standing side by side in front of the elevators, waiting for it to arrive.

The air is charged with something unexplainable— with something Taehyung refuses to define because he’s scared of blowing it out of proportion and turning it into something that’s not.

It isn’t his first time being alone with Jeongguk. Again, he seems to be the alpha’s favorite in terms of asking people to stay over with him.

But every time their session ends and once they’re clocked out, there’s always a shift in the air. Like Jeongguk isn’t his boss anymore and Taehyung isn’t his employee— which is a dangerous thought to even entertain because a relationship between a boss and an employee was strictly prohibited.

It’s part of the reason why Taehyung has been trying to get rid of his crush on Jeongguk too.

Because if it’s a matter between romance, that could possibly be fleeting, or a chance to turn his life around and be finally promoted, Taehyung would always choose the latter with no second thought.

Even if it means blowing his chances with Jeongguk away, no matter how much his inner omega dislikes the idea.

The elevator door opens and the two of them step inside. And like clockwork, Jeongguk asks him the same question he always does without fail.

“Want me to drive you home?” the alpha asks, looking at him from the corner of his eyes as the elevators descend.

Yes please, his inner omega mewls flirtatiously.

“No, thank you.” human Taehyung says instead as he keeps his eyes fixed ahead. Not wanting to risk looking at the pout that always befalls on the alpha’s lips whenever Taehyung would deny him.

Taehyung can see Jeongguk’s reflection in the elevator doors though, and he always finds the alpha amusing when he’d frown in disappointment.

By the time the elevator reaches the ground floor, Taehyung bows at Jeongguk to signal his farewell while the alpha holds the door open for him.

“Don’t obsess over the design again tonight, sir.” the omega tells him with a small smile. “The golden yellow is already perfect.”

Jeongguk snorts at him good naturedly as he leans on the elevator doors to keep it open, his arms crossed as he looks at Taehyung. “I left my laptop back in my office, so I’m good.” he replies.

“You can access it on your personal computer though.” Taehyung points out.

“I’ll try not to mess around with it unless…” Jeongguk trails off as he pushes the inside of his cheek with his tongue, eyes still fixed on Taehyung as he watches him intently.

Taehyung keeps his face blank as he meets the alpha’s gaze.

“Unless someone can keep me busy over dinner or something. I’ve been told I’m a good cook.” Jeongguk continues, all too obvious. 

Perhaps it’s too obvious for Taehyung’s liking.

And maybe if they met under different circumstances, Taehyung might give in. He might let go of his pride and accept the alpha’s offer for dinner and get to know each other outside the strict business relationship that Taehyung had already decided for the two of them.

But that isn’t the case.

Again, certain sacrifices need to be made, and Jeongguk is Taehyung’s.

Taehyung smiles at him politely and says, “Well I hope you find someone.” before he waves at the alpha goodbye.

Jeongguk, like the gentleman he is, merely smiles at him and nods before he goes back inside the elevator so it could take him to the basement parking lot. The scent of his bamboo mixing with disappointment never fails to make Taehyung’s inner omega whine.

Once Taehyung returns home to his empty and lonely one bedroom apartment, eating some leftover cold noodles he was keeping inside his fridge, he wonders what Jeongguk’s cooking would taste like. It was always his ideal type to have someone who can cook well, on top of being kind and selfless, and handsome— and exactly what Jeongguk is.

But he catches himself and shakes his head, convincing himself that it’s for the best.

That maybe, in another life— in another universe , he would choose love over career any day.

Chapter Text

Here’s another thing that Taehyung doesn’t understand about Jeongguk— after an overtime of just the two of them enclosed in a dark and secluded space, teetering between the line that separates work and outside of work— Jeongguk would sort of start ignoring him.

If you look at it from another person’s point of view, Jeongguk is fairly acting normal.

He comes into work with the usual smile and the “good morning” at the tip of his tongue as he bowed to everyone. He’ll make small talk to everyone in the break room as he makes a cup of coffee the same way he does every morning. He’ll start the day with a quick team meeting to set the mood right before beginning their tasks for the day.

And basically, Jeongguk is the same Jeongguk they see everyday.

However, it’s not exactly the same to Taehyung, because even if Jeongguk would nod at his direction with a friendly smile and talk to him about whatever they need to discuss, there’s always this invisible rift between. An ocean keeping them apart.

Taehyung doesn’t know if Jeongguk is doing that to respect the boundary that he clearly laid out the night before— or if it’s something else.

Either way, the omega can’t blame him for doing it. It’s what he wanted after all. It’s his choice. Careers over crushes.

But despite convincing himself that Jeongguk is right to give him space, Taehyung can’t help but feel a bit peeved by it.

Especially when he starts hearing Jeongguk call his other colleagues by their assigned pet names, all the while refusing to call Taehyung his baby— Pause. His baby?

Taehyung shakes his head. Shut up, Taehyung, he mentally scolds himself.

“Sweetie.” Taehyung hears Jeongguk yell out from his office, the omega’s lips pursing involuntarily as he draws on his tablet. 

“Are you free for a quick one on one?” the alpha asks.

Sweetie, or rather— Jinhee, another omega colleague of Taehyung’s— blushes and clears her throat, before she says, “Yep. I’m free.” in a demure and sweet tone.

Taehyung resists the urge to roll his eyes. (He fails— but thankfully, he’s inside his cubicle and no one but him will see.)

“Okay, I’m just finishing up with Sunshine.” Jeongguk replies from his office. “Come in once he’s out.”

“Sure, Jeongguk.” Jinhee replies. 

Taehyung sees her through his desk mirror take her make-up kit out her bag and redos her lipstick.

Taehyung merely slouches on his seat, and maybe pouts a little, as he continues to draw on his tablet. Trying hard not to think about the fact that Jeongguk hasn’t stopped by his cubicle all day or has even called him that stupid name that he insists on calling him all the time.

But whatever, the omega thinks. He doesn’t care.

Eventually, Sunshine or Hoseok leaves Jeongguk’s office, the elder alpha grinning ear to ear as heads to the next cubicle beside Taehyung and tells Jinhee that Jeongguk is waiting for her.

Jinhee shoots up her chair instantly and rushes to head inside Jeongguk’s office as she tucks her hair behind her ear.

Again, Taehyung grimaces.

Hoseok stops by his cubicle and leans on the wall surrounding it as he looks at a rather busy-looking Taehyung. “Hey Tae,” the alpha says in a friendly tone. “Are you busy?”

“Nope.” Taehyung replies as he pushes himself off his table and turns to look at Hoseok with a small smile on his face. “What’s up, hyung?”

“Nothing much.” Hoseok shrugs. “Did you and Jeongguk go on your one-on-one meeting already?”

Taehyung keeps his face blank as he shakes his head at him. “Nope. Not yet. Why?” he asks.

“Oh.” Hoseok says, grinning excitedly as he reaches to grab his swivel chair from his own cubicle and sits by the opening of Taehyung’s workstation.

Although the design team have only recently started getting close, Taehyung was already close with Hoseok since he took residence in the cubicle next to him, and the alpha had a knack of gathering all the office gossip and sharing them all with him.

It’s how Taehyung found out that their old manager was transferred to productions instead. Hoseok heard from a friend of a friend’s sister that Heechul, their ex ancient boss, was moved there because his design pitches didn’t meet the company’s expectations. 

Their CEO, Kim Namjoon, apparently made the decision himself and ordered his transfer instantly with no preparations.

Taehyung also heard from Hoseok that Kim Namjoon was apparently close to Jeongguk, and it’s how they were able to scout him in the first place, despite how successful Jeongguk already was in his previous company. Apparently, Jeongguk was not only the creative director in H Company, but he was also in line to become the next general manager in one of their overseas locations. 

It made Taehyung feel jealous of the alpha, but at the same time, he can’t help but think of Jeongguk as silly for passing up that once-in-a-lifetime chance.

But then again, Jeongguk is successful and brilliant, and Taehyung can clearly see that opportunity arise again for him in the near future.

“So.” Taehyung starts as he reaches for his tumbler on the table and sips it. “What’s the tea?”

Hoseok smiles his famous heart shaped smile as he looks around the office subtly before he leans in to speak. “Our last project was a complete success,” he starts to say smugly. “In fact, our client was so impressed with the design that he gave us an early bonus for it.”

Taehyung’s eyebrows raise at him and smiles. “Really, now?” he asks.

“Yeah.” Hoseok nods. “Jeongguk told me that he signed the papers this morning, so the money will come in our next pay.”

“Wow.” Taehyung whistles quietly, impressed at the alpha’s efficiency. “That’s fast. If it were up to Heechul, we would have gotten it by the end of the year instead.”

Hoseok snorts. “If we’re lucky, you mean.” he says under his breath. “I’m glad Sajangnim got rid of that turd. Jeongguk is way better than him. I hope he stays for good.”

Unless Taehyung replaces him, the omega thinks to himself quietly.

“Yeah.” Taehyung replies. “He is.”

“Honestly, if I were into alphas, I would have shot my shot,” Hoseok tells him bluntly as he leans back on his chair and rocks back and forth, causing Taehyung to snort at him. “I mean, he’s nice. He’s good looking too. Looks like a good alpha, right?”

He is, Taehyung thinks again, but only shrugs at the other as he turns to face his desk.

“I guess.” the omega replies, earning him a scoff from Hoseok.

“Oh right.” Hoseok says from behind him with a chuckle. “I forgot you made a pledge to stay forever alone.”

“I did not make a pledge.” Taehyung rolls his eyes as he reaches for his pen to start drawing again. “I’m just… holding off from dating for a bit. That’s all. I mean, you know what my goals are, right?”

“Yeah, I know. I know.” the alpha replies. “But still, are you not even a little interested?”

“Nope.” Taehyung lies through gritted teeth as he starts to outline his drawing. 

“Tough crowd.” Hoseok snorts from behind him. “But I guess that’s good too. I mean, Jeongguk already has someone anyway and I bet all his fans would be heartbroken once they find out.”

Taehyung stills for a second, maybe his heart too, as he takes in this information.

That was definitely news to him. Of course Jeongguk would have someone already. He’s perfect, after all.

But— not as perfect as Taehyung thought him to be.

After all, they’ve kind of been sneaking out together for the past three months after hours to go over stuff as they threw around meaningless words and as one of them called the other a certain pet name.

He can’t help but frown deeply as he focuses on his drawing, holding on to his pen with a vice grip as he forces himself to stay calm and extract as much information from Hoseok as possible— not because he cares, but because… he’s curious. That’s all.

His inner omega huffs at him.

“What makes you say that?” Taehyung asks in what he hopes is a neutral tone.

A tone that Hoseok easily accepts as he replies, “He told me just now.”

“He did?” Taehyung turns to look at Hoseok with wide eyes, no longer looking like the cool and collected omega he hoped to be, as he pulls the alpha inside his cubicle so they could talk about it more. “What did he say?”

“Well, he kinda did.” Hoseok says, shooting him an odd gaze. 

“Explain.” Taehyung demands with crossed arms.

“Well, after I suggested that the team should celebrate tonight after work, Jeongguk said that he wasn’t sure if he could make it because he had plans with someone else,” the alpha explains nonetheless as he raises an eyebrow at Taehyung. “And it’s Friday today, so you know what that means, right?”

Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him. “No.” he says bluntly, causing Hoseok to roll his eyes at him.

“It’s date night!” Hoseok exclaims loudly, causing Taehyung to shush him scoldingly. “But I guess you wouldn’t know that considering—”

“Yeah yeah, sure. I get it.” Taehyung kicks him playfully at the shins. “But how can you be sure that he’s going out on a date, though?”

Hoseok scoffs at him. “He’s wearing cologne today,” he says, making Taehyung raise an eyebrow at him. “He never wears cologne.”

Because he doesn’t need it, Taehyung thinks. 

The alpha’s scent is nothing but addicting, and heaven knows how much Taehyung secretly loves it. But of course, he doesn’t tell Hoseok this.

“Secondly, he’s dressed in head to toe luxury today.” Hoseok continues. “He usually keeps it simple and modest, but he dressed extra today. He’s even wearing a golden Rolex that’s worth more than our combined yearly salary, for Luna’s sake.”

“Maybe he’s meeting up with friends.” Taehyung tries to reason. “Like you said, Jeongguk was already rich and successful before transferring here. Maybe he’s just meeting up with his equals and is dressing for the part. I mean, he’s friends with our CEO— One of the richest chaebols in the country. That must mean something, right?”

Honestly, he doesn’t even understand why he’s giving Jeongguk excuses in the first place. Plus, it’s not like Jeongguk needs one since he’s free to go out and date whoever he wants.

A thought that instantly has his inner omega whining. Taehyung included, albeit he does it internally.

“Yeah, but you’re forgetting Jeongguk met up with Sajangnim a week ago without bothering to change back into his dress shoes,” Hoseok counters brilliantly. “He wore his crocs the entire time and he had his shirt half open too.”

Taehyung opens his mouth to rebut, but this time, no words come out since Hoseok raises a good (and annoying) point.

Hoseok seems to read his mind since he smirks at him teasingly as pushes him playfully. 

“Why?” the alpha ask, grabbing Taehyung’s arms and shaking him teasingly. “Don’t tell me you’re one of his fans too.”

Taehyung snorts at him as he pushes the alpha away. “I’m not.” he replies in a firm tone. “I’m just… curious. That’s all. I mean, that’s tea. You know I love office tea.”

Hoseok hums at him with a smug look on his face that Taehyung wants to slap away. “Sure, Tae.” he says. “I’m sure you absolutely don’t care whether Jeongguk is single or not.”

“That’s right.” Taehyung nods at him. “I don’t.”

“And you don’t care that he put on cologne and dressed up for a possible date tonight.” the alpha continues with a smile.

“Yes.” Taehyung answers blankly with no shroud of emotion showing on his face. “He can fuck anyone for all I care.”

Hoseok giggles at him annoyingly as he begins to roll out of Taehyung’s cubicle to return to his own. “Yeah.” he replies. “I can tell that you don’t care at all. In fact, I’m sure you’ll remain unphased when I saw him place an order for a bouquet of flowers too. Right?”

Taehyung merely stares at the alpha, not giving anything away as he crosses his arms, causing Hoseok to laugh as he disappears into a corner and returns to his workstation.

With an annoyed huff, Taehyung turns to face his computer. His eyebrows meet in the middle as he aggressively reaches for his pen to start drawing again.

Staying silent and still, refusing to leave his cube for even a second, and not even cheering with the rest of his teammates when Jinhee announces that Jeongguk is going to buy them all dinner after work for a job well done.

“Where are you taking us, Jeongguk?” Taehyung hears one of his colleagues ask when Jeongguk steps out of his office to join the small celebration. Clad in head to toe luxury, as Hoseok mentioned with a golden watch strapped around his wrist. Smelling of bamboo and something flowery, which makes Taehyung’s blood slightly boil.

Jeongguk shoots them all an easy smile and shrugs. “You can choose whatever you want, guys,” he tells them. “I’ll leave you my company card. Just please don’t use it on anything else.”

“Why?” another one of their colleagues asks the alpha curiously. “Aren’t you coming with us?”

“Uh, I’ll try to follow suit.” Jeongguk asks, not sounding like his usual confident self. If anything, he sounds slightly coy. “I need to be somewhere else tonight.”

It makes Taehyung’s eyebrows pinch as he slouches over his tablet to continue drawing quietly, painfully aware of the eyes that are coming from the direction of Hoseok’s cubicle.

“You sure you don’t care?” Taehyung hears Hoseok ask amusedly as he peeks from over the borders separating them.

Taehyung rolls his eyes and mutters, “I don’t care.” under his breath— enough times to gaslight himself into thinking that it’s true.

◇

Taehyung cares.

He fucking cares a lot.

And he blames Jeon Jeongguk.

The barbeque place they’re at is crowded with all twenty of his teammates squeezing through the gaps between tables to go from one place to another. The sound of pop music, laughter and different conversations floating around the room as a fairly happy atmosphere floats in the entire area.

Or at least, in most of the area.

Taehyung just so happens to be in a bubble of annoyance and rainy clouds as he downs another shot of soju and carelessly lays his shot glass back on the table with a hiccup escaping his lips.

The team has been in the restaurant for over three hours now, and with still no sign of Jeongguk anywhere. When all of them had properly clocked out for the week and were ready for the weekend, the alpha was still in his office busy with a few last minute things and had even asked Jinhee to stay over for a bit to help him finish it.

Something which irked Taehyung a little since he’s usually the one who stays over with Jeongguk to do those things. But he tells himself that he doesn’t care as he files out the office with the rest of his colleagues and doesn’t even bother saying his farewell to Jeongguk like he always does.

Two can play at the game that Jeongguk is trying to play, after all.

But despite that, Taehyung can’t help but feel like the loser in it, even if it’s exactly how he wants it to be.

He’s the one who acts indifferent with Jeongguk whenever they’re together. He always insists on being professional with him. He’s the one who always pushes him away. And Jeongguk is just simply being that person who understands that no means no, and is trying to be respectful and a good sport about it.

But Taehyung hates it. He really really fucking hates it.

And as much as he tried convincing himself that he doesn’t care, that it’s only fair for Jeongguk to move on to the next wolf— and is probably out there right now on a stupid date, Taehyung can’t help but feel bitter.

Jinhee arrived more than an hour ago after doing some overtime with Jeongguk, and Taehyung expected his fellow omega to start gushing about how sweet and hot their alpha boss is like she usually does after spending some time with him, but to his surprise, Jinhee arrived with slumped shoulders and a pout on her lips instead.

“What’s gotten you in such a sour mood, Jinhee-ah?” one of their colleagues asked her as she slumped down on an empty seat and set her bag on the side. “You’re usually happy after spending some time with the boss.”

Jinhee sighed as she shrugged. “Well, I was.” she said. “But that was before I saw Jeongguk meet up with this omega girl and saw him kiss her cheek.”

Everyone gasped in surprise at Jinhee’s revelation, and started bombarding her with questions about what she saw— all of which Taehyung had listened to quietly as he pretended not to be interested.

Apparently, Jeongguk walked Jinhee out the building to make sure she found a taxi to take her there, but while they were waiting, a car pulled up in front of them and rolled its windows down to reveal an omega woman driving it.

According to Jinhee, the woman was beautiful. She had long dark hair, flawless white skin, big bright eyes and was dressed in a tight red dress you typically wear on special occasions.

Like dates, Taehyung thought to himself bitterly as he reached for the bottle of soju and began drinking the entire night away. Doing his best to mute the conversation going around the restaurant about Jeongguk and this mystery omega he went out with.

Presently, Taehyung hears Hoseok snort across him, causing Taehyung to look at him with his eyebrows meeting.

“And you said you didn’t care.” Hoseok tells him with a smug grin on his red face; the alpha clearly drunk as he pours the two of them another shot. 

Taehyung scowls at him and raises his glass in the middle, already feeling drunk as he toasts their glass together. “Fuck off.” he replies.

Hoseok giggles at him drunkenly before they take the shot— the lethal one, that has Taehyung’s stomach churning uncomfortably and head spinning as he grimaces and puts the glass down.

“Ugh.” the omega groans with eyebrows pinching. “I’m done. I’m fucking drunk.”

“Yeah, me too.” Hoseok replies as he leans back on his chair and starts eating some cooked pork belly on the plate in the middle. “I’m surprised you managed to match my alcohol tolerance.”

Taehyung clicks his tongue at the alpha. “Just because I’m an omega, doesn’t mean I don’t know how to drink,” he chides, leaning an elbow over the table as he glares at him. “I’m perfectly capable of keeping up if I want to.”

Hoseok snorts at him. “You know that’s now what I mean,” he shoots back. “I’m just surprised because you barely touch alcohol whenever we’re out on these team dinners together. That’s all. I didn’t mean to imply that you can’t because you’re on omega.”

Taehyung huffs as he shakes his head. “Yeah well, sorry,” he mutters. “That’s what most people usually mean, so yeah. I can’t help but feel defensive.”

“You’re fine.” Hoseok says in an easygoing tone as he passes a pitcher of water over to him. “But seriously though. I think you should drink something that’s not alcoholic. You’re red as a tomato, Tae-ah.”

“You should look in the mirror.” Taehyung chuckles at him but helps himself to a small glass of water and stands up so he can take a piss.

The alcohol instantly messes with him as soon as he stands, since he slightly wobbles and the entire room begins to spin. 

Hoseok seems to realize this since the alpha giggles at him teasingly. “You good?” he asks. “Need me to accompany you or something?”

“I can take care of myself.” Taehyung huffs at him with a slight pout before he forces his legs to move and uses every bit of his concentration to walk in the direction of the rest room to relieve himself.

Thankfully, he’s not the only drunk wolf in the room and he’s fairly sure that almost all his colleagues are as drunk as him, considering that most of them started drinking earlier than Taehyung did.

Still, Taehyung is one of the few omegas there. And although he can hold his alcohol better than most omegas, he wishes he could have an alpha’s tolerance instead so he wouldn’t be half stumbling inside the restroom and struggling with the zipper of his pants to piss.

There were just too many cons of being an omega, Taehyung thinks as he relieves himself. 

Aside from being the least blessed in terms of tolerance and all those things that alpha are born with, he has to take care of heats too that occur twice as much as an alpha’s rut. Plus, he has to deal with the constant judgement that surrounds being an omega from everyone and continuously prove himself to be more than the rank he’s born as. 

But alas; it is what it is, yet Taehyung finds himself often wishing that he’s an alpha instead to make things easier for him.

Maybe then, he won’t have to think twice about being in a relationship with someone because people won’t think of him as the typical omega who only wants to mate and have pups, instead of aspire to dream big.

Taehyung sighs as he zips up his pants and washes his hands at the sink, before he stumbles out the restroom to find all his colleagues raising all their glasses up to a toast— all red-faced and drunk as Taehyung expected, as the familiar sound of Hoseok’s voice yells, “Here’s a toast to Jeongguk!” fills the place.

Jeongguk, the omega thinks to himself bitterly with a scorn.

Stupid stupid Jeongguk, who’s still nowhere in sight. 

Who calls him baby every time without thinking of the repercussions; without thinking of his poor and weak omega heart.

Who’s respectful of his boundaries and doesn’t push, and who’s wearing cologne and some stupid luxury branded clothes because he went out on a date with some beautiful omega tonight.

Not wanting to join his teammates just yet, Taehyung heads out the restaurant to have a smoke. The air is still cool since winter is just ending but it’s warm enough to only wear the knitted sweater outside.

Taehyung leans on the walls as he grabs the pack of cigarettes he bought before coming there from his pocket and lights one up, exhaling smoke out his lungs as he does his best to get rid of some of his drunkenness since he still feels wobbly and light headed.

He mentally scolds himself for drinking too much, worried about how he’s going to get home. Being drunk is one thing. It’s something Taehyung can somewhat manage since he has done it before with only minimal hiccups along the way like struggling to grab his keys from his bag or something.

But being drunk— very drunk, and sleepy on top of it too since he stayed late last night, is another thing completely because he can’t afford to pass out while he’s on his way back.

This is all Jeongguk’s fault, Taehyung mentally grumbles, as he exhales a puff of smoke out his lips and catches himself from sliding down the wall due to the drunken and sleepy state he’s in.

“Why do you have to be so fucking perfect?” Taehyung mutters to himself with eyebrows scrunched as he takes another drag of his cig, his eyes looking around the empty streets before checking the time on his watch and finds that it’s past one in the morning already.

And still no sign of him, he thinks with a frown as he exhales another puff of smoke and curses when the nicotine only makes his head feel more woozy than anything else.

He was just taking one last drag of his cigarette when an impressive (and expensive) looking car parks in front of the restaurant, causing Taehyung to lift an eyebrow at it curiously as he slowly exhales smoke out his lips.

And as if the universe wants to shove it in Taehyung’s face, the driver’s side of the door opens and out comes Jeongguk, still unfairly handsome as ever, and rounds the car with a hand inside his dark slack’s pockets.

The alpha hasn’t seen Taehyung yet since he’s at the darker side of the streets, that’s helping him hide from view. Something Taehyung uses to his advantage as he watches Jeongguk stop by the passenger side and opens the door for someone.

Specifically, the omega woman that Jinhee was telling them about earlier.

And true enough, she’s as beautiful in person as Jinhee said she is; with her long black hair nearly reaching her waist. Her bright wide eyes and kind smile as she climbs out the car and grins at Jeongguk affectionately. The snug red dress she’s wearing that perfectly highlights her curves yet modest enough to hide what’s needed to hide.

In short, she looks perfect.

Perfect for Jeongguk.

Taehyung finds himself frowning as he tears his gaze away when the omega hugs Jeongguk and gives him a peck on the cheek— something which Jeongguk easily welcomes as he smiles back at her widely and talks under their breath.

He honestly should feel relieved that Jeongguk found someone that matches his caliber, since it would mean that the alpha would stop playing all his games already.

But, Taehyung doesn’t know how to feel about it either.

Yes, he’s career oriented. He wants to put that first and put things— like silly crushes out the way. But at the same time, he doesn’t want to. 

He still likes to play that dangerous game of push and pull, and cross that line he drew on the sand with his toe, but all that is over now.

And he should be happy… right?

Taehyung blows the smoke out his lungs just as Jeongguk waves at the omega goodbye and turns to head inside the restaurant.

But unfortunately for Taehyung, Jeongguk sees him just as he was by the entrance and furrows his eyebrows, before he heads over to him instead.

Like clockwork, Taehyung schools his face to look neutral.

“Baby?” he hears Jeongguk say as he walks over to him. “I didn’t know you smoke.”

Taehyung shrugs at the alpha as he takes one last drag and throws his cigarette at the nearby public ashtray. “I sometimes do when I’m stressed.” he tells him blankly. 

Jeongguk furrows his eyebrows in concern. “Why?” he asks. “What’s stressing you out? Is it the project or something? Do you need me to—”

“It’s fine.” Taehyung waves him off dismissively, pushing himself off the wall ungracefully, causing Jeongguk to steady him with wide eyes.

Taehyung bites his lips as he steps away from him. “I’m good. Stop fussing over me.” he says, beginning to head back inside the restaurant with Jeongguk following suit.

And just because he can’t help himself, and mainly because his head to mouth filter is shit whenever he’s had a couple drinks, Taehyung looks at Jeongguk beside him and says, “You’re late.” in a slightly accusing tone.

A tone that causes Jeongguk to widen his eyes at him for a brief second, before he shakes his head and says, “Sorry. I had to be somewhere.”

“Well, you didn’t have to stop by if you were out on a date already,” Taehyung says in a slightly bitter tone as he pushes the door to the restaurant open and heads inside, where his teammates were still chugging one shot after another as some loud trot song plays in the background.

“Huh?” he hears Jeongguk from behind him. “I—”

“Jeongguk!” Hoseok says, running towards the alpha and wrapping an arm around his shoulder. “The wolf of the hour! There you are! We were wondering when you were coming.”

Jeongguk turns to shoot Hoseok a small smile as Taehyung returns back to his seat quietly and starts to drink again— stupidly so.

Can you blame him?

“Yeah, sorry about that, guys.” Jeongguk tells everyone as the team greets him welcomingly. “My, uh, appointment took longer than expected.”

Taehyung tunes out of their voices in favor of drinking more, taking one too many shots than he could handle until he doesn't need to exert as much effort anymore in muting his team’s voices since he’s absolutely drunk already.

After some time passes, Taehyung finds himself face to face with Jeongguk since Hoseok pulled him there to chatter his ear off and ignores the concerned looks that the alpha keeps throwing his way as he downs too many shots.

Hoseok eventually excuses himself to go to the bathroom; the alpha is completely red in the face and eyes drooping in exhaustion, and leaves Jeongguk with Taehyung at the table.

Jeongguk turns to face Taehyung, his eyes still shining with that concern which Taehyung doesn’t want to see because he knows it means nothing.

Like how everything else was.

“Baby, I think you should stop drinking.” Jeongguk tells him in a gentle tone as Taehyung hiccups. Frowning at the omega as he reaches for some water and fills a cup. “Here. You should drink this.”

“Why do you care?” Taehyung snaps at him, catching the alpha by surprise.

“I– I’m just concerned. That’s all.” Jeongguk replies, placing the cup right in front of him and frowning slightly. “I know you can take care of yourself, but I just want to look out for you since—”

“You don’t have to.” Taehyung cuts him off, reaching for the bottle of soju again but only to be stopped by Jeongguk, since the alpha also reaches for it and stops him from getting more.

Taehyung clicks his tongue. “What the—? Why are you stopping me from drinking?” he asks the alpha in an icy tone. 

“Cause you’re already drunk, baby.” Jeongguk simply says, pulling the bottle of soju out of Taehyung’s reach and placing it on the next table. “Your eyes are already unfocused. You could barely sit still. And I saw you dozing for a couple minutes in the middle of drinking.”

“Well, it’s not like I’m the only one.” Taehyung grumbles, crossing his arms and looking away like a petulant child. His scent spiking in annoyance, which Jeongguk easily smells if the way he scrunches his eyebrows at him is any indication.

“Look around you. Everyone is drunk.” the omega continues, gesturing at everyone in the room, who looks as drunk, if not more drunk as Taehyung. “Why focus on me? I can take care of myself.”

Jeongguk opens his mouth to reply but no words come out, the alpha is looking at him with a confused look— like there’s something in front of him that he’s missing; a clue under his nose.

Until something dawns on him, since he shakes his head at him slowly and asks, “Are– are you upset with me or something, Baby?”

Taehyung huffs out a breath. “Not your baby.” he replies.

“That doesn’t answer my question.” the alpha retorts in an equally determined tone as he looks at Taehyung with a half amused and half concerned face. “Are you?”

“Why would I be upset?” Taehyung asks, raising an eyebrow at him. “Because you ignored me all day while you called everyone else all these stupid names you came up with?”

The corner of Jeongguk’s lips twist in amusement. “I wasn’t ignoring you,” he replies, chuckling dryly. “I- I just thought you needed space. That’s all.”

“For what?” Taehyung exclaims, shamelessly pouting at him and causing Jeongguk to grin oh-so-boyishly, it makes Taehyung even more mad. “It’s not like we haven’t done overtime before, and it’s not the first time I rejected an invitation either. Why do you have to act so butthurt then go on a date the very next day?”

Jeongguk blinks at him in disbelief, like he can’t understand what Taehyung is saying, and huffs at him lightly. A grin spreads across his cheeks as he meets the omega’s rather stern gaze. “Were you jealous, baby?” the alpha asks “Because you got it all wrong. I–”

“Whatever.” Taehyung cuts him off, standing up way too abruptly and nearly stumbling on his own two feet as he struggles to balance himself. Dark spots instantly dancing across his vision as his stomach churns uncomfortably. 

Jeongguk sees all this and stands to hold his arm, the alpha furrowing his eyebrows in concern as he helps Taehyung round the table and head to the direction of the door.

Once he’s out, Taehyung pulls his arm free from Jeongguk’s grip and begins to head (in what he believes) towards the direction of his apartment.

“I’ll see you on Monday.” Taehyung says over his shoulder as he walks, or stumbles, in his steps. Using all his focus on trying not to fall down and put as much distance between him and Jeongguk.

He hears Jeongguk sigh behind him followed by his footsteps, indicating that the alpha was following suit.

“C’mon, Baby. Don’t be like that.” Taehyung hears him say, causing the omega to frown as he continues to walk away. “It’s past three in the morning. You’re drunk. And I don’t mean this in a derogatory way, but you’re an omega and there are a lot of alphas out there who might take advantage of you. Let me take you home.”

“The only alpha that I need to get away from is you.” Taehyung spits back as nearly loses his balance and falls on his face. 

He hears Jeongguk gasp in alarm and reaches to grab his arm to help, but Taehyung avoids him and slightly stumbles back.

“Bab–”

“I’m. Not. Your. Baby.” Taehyung exclaims in an annoyed tone, emphasizing each word to set his point across. “So stop calling me that!”

Jeongguk gapes at him. “Fine. If that’s what you want.” he replies, still looking concerned since Taehyung is wobbling in his steps and is still so drunk all the while giving him a respectable enough space as he watches him closely. “I’ll stop calling you that.”

Taehyung merely crosses his arms and purses his lips at him. Staring at the alpha’s eyes for what feels like a long time, until he releases the breath he was holding and scoffs at him.

The thing is, he doesn’t really want him to stop.

But he can’t tell him that because aside from the fact that Jeongguk had already begun seeing someone, it’s very unprofessional too. And the last thing Taehyung wants is to lose his chances in rising up the ladder or worse— his job.

Still, Taehyung’s drunk and he’s not really good in trying to school his face to look unaffected like he usually does when he’s sober, and he could tell that Jeongguk is able to look past his facade, since he says—

“You don’t want me to stop.” Jeongguk says, making Taehyung frown even more. “Is that what you want?”

“I want to succeed.” Taehyung tells him; not a confirmation or denial, but the honest truth. “And I don’t want you distracting me.”

“Distract you?” the alpha asks, sounding genuinely confused as he takes a cautious step towards him. “I’m not trying to distract you.”

“Well, you might not be intentionally doing it, but you are.” Taehyung says, being way too honest for own sober self’s liking. But he always had a shitty head to mouth filter whenever he’s drunk. It’s why he never really drinks when he goes out with the team and tonight only proves that.

Still, Taehyung continues to have a staredown at the alpha. Doing his best to send his message across and damning all the consequences tomorrow awaits.

“You’re distracting.” Taehyung tells him. “You and your stupid handsome face, and stupid but brilliant brain, and god— do you always have to keep your shirt open at all times? Be fucking considerate. There are omegas in the office!”

The corner of Jeongguk’s lips twist slightly in amusement. “Sorry. I thought it looked good.” he mutters.

“It is!” Taehyung exclaims, pulling his hair out. “And it’s distracting. It distracts me!”

“Fine, I’ll button everything up.”

“Maybe just one— or two.” Taehyung says, making Jeongguk grin at him wide and boyishly. It only makes Taehyung feel less resolved in proving his point. 

“Anyway, I’m gonna go.” Taehyung says, turning around way too fast causing him to stumble completely and Jeongguk to run up to him so he could catch him.

Jeongguk reaches him just in time and manages to wrap his arms around his waist, saving him from the fall— but only literally, since the feeling of Jeongguk holding him makes him feel something else.

Something he should not feel.

Something forbidden.

Taehyung looks to his side, where Jeongguk’s face is way too near. 

The alpha is wearing a concerned look as he looks at Taehyung and holds him protectively. The floral scent completely faded and is now replaced with just his natural bamboo scent, which the omega inhales greedily.

“You okay?” Jeongguk asks, he’s close enough for Taehyung to feel his breath, plus the position they’re in looks way too intimate. Way too close.

But… Taehyung doesn’t mind.

“No.” he replies. “Far from it.”

“Let me take care of you, then.” Jeongguk says as he gently steadies him up his feet and holds the crook of his elbow protectively to ensure he walks straight. “Will you let me?”

And Taehyung should say no. He really really should.

But he’s done pretending that he doesn’t care. 

At least for the meantime, that is.

Chapter Text

Taehyung has been avoiding Jeongguk like the plague.

The next working week has arrived and the omega has been keeping himself cooped up in his cubicle for nearly his entire shift, not going out unless he absolutely has to, and purposely avoiding the eyes that Jeongguk has been shooting in his direction while they’re at their usual team meetings.

After that rather eventful night out with his colleagues and after stupidly saying some things that really shouldn’t have, Taehyung has been getting the urge to grab the nearest object that’s within his reach and smack himself with it repeatedly because of what had happened, all the while controlling his cheeks from turning a shade of red out of embarrassment 

…and giddiness, much to his freaking dismay.

Screw him. Okay? At the end of it all and despite his big dreams and aspirations, he’s just an omega with a crush on a really really nice alpha.

An alpha who took it upon himself to take a drunk Taehyung home, kept a respectable distance between them when he deposited the omega in bed and tucked him under his covers, and had even left a bottle of water and medicine on his nightstand to help with his hangover the next morning.

An alpha who has taken the hint on Taehyung’s odd behavior and has been keeping his distance as well; only stopping by his cubicle to check on the progress of Taehyung’s small group project and asking if they needed any help from him. 

And an alpha who has also, sadly, stopped calling him that stupid pet name too.

Taehyung groans as he types on his keyboard, the omega busy creating a powerpoint presentation of their design pitch for their new project that he will be presenting at their meeting later— another added thing to his list of worries, since this project could possibly change the course of his career considering that he’s going to be credited as one of the main designers if it gets approved.

Plus it would also help his resume by the time the design team would need a new manager once Jeongguk’s time as their boss would end.

Taehyung huffs at that thought, because even if Jeongguk has been the teasing and flirty wolf that he is for the past three months, he’d be lying if he said that the alpha isn’t the best boss that the design team has, and possibly, will ever have. And that it wouldn’t be sad by the time Jeongguk’s contract ends.

After all, things at the office have been fun since the alpha has taken charge. The design team has never been closer and more united after Jeongguk made the workplace fun and bearable for all.

Plus you would miss him terribly, his omega says, making Taehyung roll his eyes as he huffs at his computer with a pout.

Though at the back of his mind, he can’t find it in himself to deny, cause it’s true. He will. 

“What has you groaning and huffing all week, Tae?” the sound of Hoseok’s voice filters inside the cubicle as he peeks above the walls separating their cubicles, causing Taehyung to look to the side to find Hoseok leaning on the walls with his chin perched over it.

Taehyung sighs at him as he twists his chair to face him. “Nothing.” he lies.

Hoseok seems to know since he snorts at him and says, “Nothing? That’s the fourth time today and it’s not even lunch time. Sounds like it’s something.”

“Yeah well, it’s not a big deal.” the omega shrugs, slouching back on his seat as he looks up at the elder. “I’m just… worried about the project thing. That’s all.” Not a lie, but not the entire truth either.

Hoseok clicks his tongue at him good naturedly, as he pushes himself off the borders and walks around it so he could enter his cubicle. “Well, you don’t have to worry, Tae,” he says in an encouraging tone. “You got this. In case you forgot, the entire team used your design pitch on our last project and it was a complete success.”

“Well, not entirely.” Taehyung mutters, biting his lips. “I only thought of the concept and everyone else chipped in their own ideas, so it was more of a group effort than anything else. This new project is different, though. My reputation is on the line, so if I screw this up, I might as well kiss that promotion goodbye.”

“You’re overthinking.” Hoseok chides, crossing his arms and raising an eyebrow at him. “I’m sure everything’s going to be fine.”

Taehyung sighs. “I hope it will,” he says. “I mean, it’s a really big project and all eyes will be on this.”

“Have you talked to Jeongguk about it, if you’re so worried?” 

Taehyung tries to keep his face blank at the mention of their boss and tries to push those unwanted memories of what had happened last Friday night at the back of his mind.

You and your stupid handsome face, and stupid but brilliant brain, and god— do you always have to keep your shirt open at all times?

“Nope.” the omega says, looking down on his nails, attempting to sound nonchalant.

Hoseok’s eyebrows raise higher. “Why not?”

Taehyung shrugs as he forces himself to look Hoseok in the eye, where the latter is shooting him a funny and scrutinizing look. “No reason.” he mutters blankly.

Hoseok snorts at him in disbelief as he leans against the borders behind him and looks at Taehyung with a teasing look on his face. “Yeah?” he replies. “You sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Jeongguk started dating that pretty omega?

At the mention of that mystery omega, the blank look on Taehyung’s face cracks for a quick second. 

A second that doesn’t go unnoticed by Hoseok since the alpha giggles at him way too mischievously, causing Taehyung to roll his eyes at him and twist around to face his desk again as an attempt to hide his reddened cheeks.

“Are you jealous, Taetae?” Hoseok asks teasingly, hopping on his desk and grinning at him widely. “You shouldn’t be! I mean, it’s still early stages. It’s not like he’s mated already.”

Taehyung clicks his tongue at him. “Can you keep your voice down?” he scolds with eyebrows furrowed, standing up and briefly looking around the office to, thankfully, find all his colleagues— and Jeongguk busy with their own work. 

“Why?” Hoseok continues to tease, shoving him lightly. “Scared your crush would hear?”

“He is not my crush.” Taehyung tells him in a quiet yet firm tone as he takes his seat and frowns at him. “And we shouldn’t even be talking nonsense right now. We’re at work.”

Hoseok rolls his eyes at him. “As if that ever stopped us from gossiping before,” he says. “It was even worse sneaking out before, since Heechul liked to call us out if he notices us idle in our team chat. Jeongguk seems pretty cool about it, though. Don’t you think?”

Taehyung rolls his eyes at him, refusing to take the bait. “Yeah yeah, sure.” he says. “But seriously, go back to your cubicle. I have to finish my report before lunch hour.”

“Fine.” Hoseok says, the corner of his lips twitching suspiciously as he slowly starts to walk out his cubicle. “I guess I’ll have to tell you about what happened to Jeongguk at the team dinner when you left some other time.”

That instantly catches Taehyung’s attention and he’s not even bothered to pretend any longer, since he grabs the hem of Hoseok’s suit jacket and pulls him back inside, causing the alpha to snicker at him in victory as he sits back again on Taehyung’s desk.

“What happened to Jeongguk after I left?” Taehyung asks, not beating around the bush as he raises a curious eyebrow at Hoseok.

“But I thought you weren’t interested?” Hoseok mutters, a sly grin on his face.

“Don’t be an ass.”

Hoseok chuckles. “I will if you stop lying to me,” he retorts. “I mean, I could see right through you, Tae.”

“Whatever.” Taehyung scoffs, not wanting to say anything and hoping Hoseok can just read between the lines. “Just tell me what it is.”

Thankfully, Hoseok doesn’t push him any further and leans down to whisper something in his ear, that has Taehyung’s eyes nearly bulging out as the alpha tells him what happened.

“Holy shit. Really?” Taehyung exclaims quietly as he looks at Hoseok in disbelief. “No freaking way.”

“Unfortunately, it’s true.” Hoseok says, licking his lips as looks at the direction of the source of his tea.

Namely, Jinhee, who’s at the cubicle behind Taehyung and is hiding under her hoodie as she works in silence.

“Jinhee really confessed to Jeongguk?” Taehyung asks under his breath, unable to help but feel half-embarrassed for her and half-relieved for himself since he wasn’t the only one who made a fool of himself that night.

“Yeah.” Hoseok nods at him with a chuckle. “It’s a good thing everyone else was drunk out of their minds when it happened, so no one really remembered shit.”

“But weren’t you drunk too, though?”

“I was, before I puked everything I ate and drank out in the toilet.” Hoseok grimaces at the memory, causing Taehyung to snort at him. “I was just going back when I heard Jinhee confess to Jeongguk and asked if she could court him.”

Taehyung winces at that thought, but he does admire his co-omega’s bravery in asking an alpha if they could court them instead. After all, it wasn’t everyday that you get to see the roles reversed and see an omega court an omega. 

Plus even though Jinhee made Taehyung roll his eyes at her a few times when she’d try to grab Jeongguk’s attention, Taehyung always thought of her as nice and reliable when it comes to work. Another omega trying to make a name for themself.

Still, he can’t shake off the secondhand embarrassment he feels as he imagines what happened and be curious about what Jeongguk had said considering that he was seeing someone already.

“What did Jeongguk have to say?” Taehyung asks, subtly looking in the direction of Jeongguk’s office, where he finds the alpha busy talking to someone on the phone behind his desk. Wearing the normal dark clothes he wears everyday— with only two buttons on his shirt left open. 

A thought that has the tips of Taehyung’s ears turning red.

Thankfully Hoseok doesn’t notice since he’s looking in Jeongguk’s direction too.

“As expected, Jeongguk was really nice about it.” Hoseok says. “Most alphas would reject them instantly without thinking too much, but Jeongguk let her down easily. He said he was really flattered and that he appreciated Jinhee for admiring him. He also said that he thinks she’s nice and pretty and a good person, but— ”

Hoseok turns to meet Taehyung’s eyes with a glint reflecting in his irises, causing Taehyung to raise an eyebrow at him in question. 

“But Jeongguk said that he already likes someone else, and that it’s been a really long time since he’s liked them.” Hoseok tells him. “Jeongguk told Jinhee that he’s sure she’ll find someone for her, and that he’s not looking to be courted or court anyone else but one wolf.”

Taehyung tries to keep his face unaffected, albeit his scent turns a bit heavy as he remembers the omega that Jeongguk was embracing last friday night and wonders if that’s the person who Jeongguk is referring to.

Hoseok seems to be watching him, since he hears him snicker as he playfully shoves him on the shoulder lightly and says, “For someone who doesn’t care, you seem to look a bit disappointed.”

Taehyung scoffs at him. “I don’t ,” he says, sounding more convincing this time around. “Like I said, I have better things to focus on— things that could actually change my life. So, he can go and court whoever that person is. I don’t care.”

He seems to sound convincing enough, since Hoseok sighs at him and nods before he hops off of Taehyung’s table so he could finally go back to work. “I guess it’s better off that way,” the alpha says. “I mean, it looks like Jeongguk-ssi is really serious about that wolf, so it’s best to get rid of that crush before he breaks your heart.”

“I don’t have to, since I never had one to begin with.” Taehyung replies as he twists around to face his desk and returns to the presentation that’s waiting for him on his computer.

He hears Hoseok chuckle and mutter, “Whatever you say, Baby. ” in a playful tone before he disappears to his cubicle and leaves him alone.

Once the sound of Hoseok’s loud keyboard clatters, Taehyung releases a sigh that he was holding as he slumps back on his seat and frowns down on his desk. Feeling annoyed with himself for being affected when he has no rights to feel that way, and feeling annoyed at Jeongguk for being… Jeongguk.

Taehyung huffs under his breath as starts typing on his computer again, willing his mind to forget about the alpha and focus on work, until he’s finally done finalizing his presentation and just as Jeongguk leaves his office, hastily calling everyone’s attention with his eyebrows meeting.

“Guys.” the alpha says, his tone sounding slightly stressed and urgent, causing everyone to drop everything that they’re doing to go and look at him curiously.

“Emergency meeting in the conference room, please.” Jeongguk says as he types something on his phone, his bamboo scent oddly smelling heavy as he starts heading into that direction with everyone else following behind.

Taehyung catches Hoseok’s eyes as the two of them follow the rest of their teammates inside and take a seat around one of the swivel chairs around the long table, where Jeongguk is sitting at the end, busy on his phone.

“What do you think it’s about?” Taehyung hears one of colleagues whisper to him and Hoseok. “He looks stressed.”

“He was speaking to Heechul when I came in to drop by the sample prints he wanted.” Another colleague quips quietly. “Sounded like a heated argument.”

“Do you think it has anything to do with our old projects?” Hoseok asks them. “I mean, Heechul always had issues back then that we needed to fix.”

Another colleague groans. “Looks like it.” he replies, slumping back on their seat. “Last time I had to do overtime to fix the sizes of all our paper ads, ‘cause Heechul edited them at the last second before submitting it to the client.”

“Happened to me too on the project before that.” another replies. “Do you think Jeongguk is going to ask one of us to take care of it?”

“Looks like it.” Hoseok says. “He never called us for an emergency meeting before, so I think it has something to do with it.”

Everyone sighs quietly at that, since they’re all busy with the current project that's due to be pitched in front of the big bosses next week, with so many visuals and graphics that still need to be created to show as samples.

Eventually, Jeongguk puts his phone down on the table and sighs deeply, before he looks at everyone else and smiles weakly as an attempt to lighten the mood.

“Sorry about that, guys,” he starts, standing up and placing his hands inside his pockets. “I– uhm. Well, I figured you all guessed by now why I’m so stressed.”

“Does it have anything to do with the last project?” someone asks.

“Yeah.” Jeongguk pokes the inside of his cheek with his tongue as he leans on his chair’s backrest and looks at them earnestly. “As you all know, your last manager was transferred to Productions and left the design team— and all his backlogs with me.”

Everyone in the room stills, already knowing where this is going as they look at each other wearily.

“I usually take care of all our post-project concerns, so you can focus on your current tasks,” Jeongguk continues as he licks his lips. “But I’m afraid Heechul left us with something big on our plates and I could really use the extra help so we could complete it before the deadline.”

“Which one is it?” One of Taehyung’s teammates asks him. “Don’t tell me it’s the Compose account.”

Jeongguk grimaces at them; a dead giveaway as to what his answer is, causing everyone in the room to groan in exhaustion.

Compose is new business that the company recently acquired, and was one of the biggest projects that the Design team took on in partnership with the Advertising team, since they had to rebrand it completely and create an entire concept for it from scratch— down to the visuals on all their cafes across Seoul, the packaging of all their products, their cup sleeves, menus, their website, even the commercial ads that would play on all their LED screens, and everything else.

The team had to work double shifts because the project was urgent, considering it was an unexpected acquisition, and considering it took a lot of manpower to get the website up and running, only a few were tasked to do everything else. Taehyung included in the latter.

They watch Jeongguk walk around the table, trying to permeate his bamboo scent to calm everyone down and smile at them reassuringly.

“Don’t worry, guys.” he tells them in a gentle tone. “I promise to take care of all the heavy lifting, but like I said, I could really use one of you to help me see everything out, since your last manager left this mess with us. The new account is going live next week, so time is of the essence, and I need the best.”

“What kind of help do you need?” One of Taehyung’s teammates asks; an alpha who’s in charge of Team A or the website development team. “Honestly, Jeongguk-ssi, my team is kind of struggling to figure out a UI issue, so I need all hands on deck if we want the Scout account pitch ready by next week.”

“Same here.” The leader of Team B chips in. “We’re still in the middle of researching and my team is the smallest.”

“You don’t have to volunteer if you’re already busy, guys.” Jeongguk tells them in an understanding yet tired tone. “I know this is short notice, but I just found out about it ten minutes ago, so I really have no choice. Plus, I’m not familiar with that account as much as you, since I wasn’t here yet.”

“Taehyung can do it.” Hoseok offers— annoyingly so, causing Taehyung to widen his eyes and elbow him on the side.

“Hobi.” Taehyung hisses under his breath.

“Yeah,” one of Taehyung’s team members from Team O agrees innocently as she turns to look at Taehyung. “Didn’t you mention that you were done with the design pitch already, Taehyung-ie?”

“Oh, uhm.” Taehyung clears his throat, looking down at his lap as he licks his lips. “Yeah… I am. But, uh, I still need to, uhm, review it again.”

“What for?” Another one of his team members asks. “I was going through it just before it was called in, and it looks good to me.”

“Plus, we only need to prepare a few of the graphics before the corporate meeting.” they add. “The four of us can easily do it while you’re busy with Compose, Tae-ah.”

Taehyung wants to smack all of his team member’s mouths closed, so they could stop volun-telling him. He looks in Jeongguk’s direction and finds a serious yet scrutinizing look on the alpha’s face. Not telling him what to do, but waiting to see what he has to say.

Taehyung sighs. “What kind of help do you need, sir?” he asks defeatedly.

“Nothing too heavy. I’ll take care of the resizing and the last minute edits needed tonight, but—” Jeongguk says, shooting Taehyung an important look. “I’ll need you to be on standby during the Ad team’s commercial shooting and to do any other graphics necessary while you’re there.”

“When’s the shoot?” the omega asks, awfully aware of all the eyes trained on him. “Sounds like a, uhm, really important job. Don’t you think I’m not fit for it?”

Jeongguk scoffs at him goodnaturedly. “No. I was actually hoping that you would consider it,” he says genuinely. “After all, you’re the most tenure here in the Design team. You’ve made a lot of big contributions on our last project and I can trust your skills. You’d be the perfect fit.”

“Yeah, you’re really good at thinking of last minute concepts, Tae! I’m sure you’ll make the Design Team proud!” Hoseok says in an encouraging tone, followed by a few of his teammates’ genuine agreement, causing Taehyung’s ears to turn a shade of red.

“I don’t know.” Taehyung mumbles, touched that everyone seems to be on board, but at the same time, unable to help but overthink and wonder if he has what it takes.

The thing is, even though Taehyung is adamant on growing in the company, he’s been struggling with his self confidence in terms of stepping up on roles like this. Call it Impostor Syndrome, but despite him giving it his all on every graphic, he sometimes doubts if any of his work is good.

He guesses it’s part of the reason why he’s still stuck in the same place after so long, aside from his old bosses not giving him a chance.

It’s him who’s stopping himself from moving.

Jeongguk can perhaps hear his thoughts, since he sees the alpha shoot him an understanding look, and asks everyone else to leave so he could talk to Taehyung privately, to which they all do.

Once it’s just the two of them alone, Taehyung finds himself playing with his fingers as Jeongguk sits on the chair across from him and shoots him an earnest look. The slight tension in the air grows as they sit in silence and wait for the other to speak.

Eventually, he hears Jeongguk sigh, making him look up to find the alpha staring at him.

“What’s stopping, Taehyung?” Jeongguk asks in a gentle tone. It’s the first time he heard the alpha call him by his name, and for some reason, he can’t decide if he likes it or not.

“I– I don’t know.” Taehyung slumps back on his seat, looking down on his lap as he bites his cheek. “I guess I’m just not confident about it.”

“Why?” Jeongguk asks. “I’m confident in you. Like I said, I trust your skills. You’ve proven yourself capable of leading, considering that out of all the teams, your team is the one who’s a step ahead.” 

“I know, but—” Taehyung sighs, shaking his head as he forces himself to look at Jeongguk. “But you’re forgetting that I’m the most tenure here, because everyone else has already climbed up the ladder or moved on to better things. I, on the other hand, have no choice but to stay here.”

“But that’s only because no one has given you the chance to climb up,” Jeongguk tells him with a small encouraging smile. “I mean, remember what you told me last Friday?”

Taehyung visibly turns scarlet at the mention of Friday, as he clears his throat and mutters, “I said a lot of things last Friday.”

Jeongguk seems to think the same, since the corner of his lips twists in slight amusement, but he doesn’t bring any of the silly things he said.

Instead, Jeongguk says, “You told me that you want to succeed.”

Taehyung purses his lips, remembering that bit of their conversation briefly as he looks up to meet the alpha’s eyes. “I did.” he replies, sounding a bit unsure.

“And I’m here to make that happen.” Jeongguk tells him in a determined tone as he sits back on his chair and crosses his legs from under the table. 

“Yeah, but… I don't know.” Taehyung licks his lips. “It just seems so sudden. What if I’m not prepared? What if I fail?”

“Do you really think I’ll let you?” the alpha replies in a kind and reassuring tone as he shoots him a small smile, before he sits up on his seat and gives him a serious look.

“Listen, Taehyung.” he starts to say. “I’ve been watching you— and I don’t mean that in a creepy way, I mean, I’ve been watching your progress since I joined the team, and I like how you give it your everything in every task you’re given and how serious you are about your job. Not a lot of wolves are like that. Not everyone has… that spark.”

Taehyung snorts at him. “I wouldn’t call it a spark,” he mutters. “I’d say it’s more a dying flame.”

“A dying flame that’s eager to start on his tasks and is dead set on stealing my job?” Jeongguk raises an eyebrow at him.

“I’m not.” the omega denies immediately.

Jeongguk chuckles. “Don’t deny it,” he says. “I actually like that about you. I think that should be everyone’s goal to be honest— To replace their boss. To prove that you can do things better than them. You’re already on the right track, so let me help you.”

“Don’t you think the other would think that you’re picking favorites, though?” Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him.

“No. I don’t think that’s the case.” Jeongguk shrugs. “I go on one-on-one meetings with you guys, so I can get a clear picture on what your personal goals are. Some are just here to get a paycheck, some want to be transferred to IT and Development, while some of your teammates just want to gain experience before moving on to something else. But you…”

Jeongguk trails off as a boyish smile spreads across his handsome face. 

“You never told me what you wanted, Taehyung,” he says. “But I could see it in your eyes that you want to move to my office by the time my contract’s up. Right?”

“What makes you say that?” the omega asks, crossing his arms as he lifts an eyebrow at him.

Jeongguk merely grins at him. “Cause I had the same look in my eye, when I was working as an intern in Company H’s creative team too.” he says. “I know that look when I see it.”

Taehyung merely stares at him, unable to help but feel seen— understood. And it’s crazy, because like what Jeongguk said, he didn’t even have to say anything. Jeongguk just knows.

He always does.

Sighing, Taehyung licks his lips as he shakes his head at the alpha. Feeling a little encouraged about accepting the job that Jeongguk is offering as he sits up straight and shoots him a more determined look.

A look that has Jeongguk grinning at him, as Taehyung says, “So, what do I need to do to help?”

“I need you to accompany me to a shoot tomorrow,” the alpha explains. “It’s in Busan and the shoot is going to last for two days and we’ll be staying over since it’ll start early and end really late. Would you be interested in doing that?”

Taehyung huffs, but nods at the alpha nonetheless, causing Jeongguk to beam at him proudly and stand.

“Great.” Jeongguk says, fishing his phone out his pockets and beginning to type. “I’ll let Procurement know that you’re on board. You can take the rest of the day off if you want. We leave tomorrow at five.”

“Okay.” Taehyung sighs, standing up slowly and watching Jeongguk type on his phone.

Suddenly, the things that happened on Friday come to the forefront of the omega’s mind when he sees the buttons on Jeongguk’s clothes, causing Taehyung’s cheeks to turn red as he clears his throat to catch the alpha’s attention.

Jeongguk looks at him with an eyebrow raised. “Do you have any questions?” he asks.

Taehyung nods at him slowly, still feeling his cheeks run hot as he forces himself to apologize to the alpha for what had happened back then. Again, he and Jeongguk will be working closely together for the next few days, so he thinks it’s only right to bring that up so they could both put it behind them.

But before Taehyung could utter a word, Jeongguk’s phone suddenly pings with an incoming call, causing both of them to look at it and Taehyung to gesture for him to accept it.

Jeongguk nods at him gratefully before he picks up the call. “Jeon.” he answers in his usual professional tone. Taehyung can’t help but feel affected at how naturally domineering Jeongguk is, but as usual, he schools his face to look unaffected.

But only for a while, since Jeongguk suddenly breaks into the biggest grin that Taehyung has ever seen and says, “Hey Jih.” in a soft tone.

It makes Taehyung feel like he’s a bystander; like he’s listening to something that he shouldn’t.

“Yeah yeah.” Jeongguk says, nodding at his phone. “I should be able to drive you there tonight before I have to leave tomorrow.”

Jeongguk pauses, listening to this mystery person— who Taehyung suspects to already know, since he’s only seen the alpha wear that smile once.

Namely, on the night he saw him with that omega outside the restaurant.

Taehyung’s mood shifts as he listens to Jeongguk chuckle on the phone and smile fondly.

“Yeah, I’ll— I’ll try, okay? Stop bugging me.” Jeongguk laughs. “Anyway, I have to go. I’m at work. I’ll call you when I’m on my way.”

Taehyung starts preparing for the speech he has in his mind— thinking it’s best to just get to the point of it all. Just apologize, say he was drunk and that he didn’t mean any of it.

But as he was trying to come up with the words, he heard Jeongguk say, “Okay. See you later, Jih. Love you.”

Taehyung furrows his eyebrows at the alpha, as the latter hangs up the call and pockets his phone so he could look at him.

“Sorry about that.” Jeongguk mutters, shooting him a shy smile.

And as if a switch has flipped, Taehyung’s face suddenly turns blank as he meets the alpha’s eyes and balls his hands into fists to try and control his urge to say something that he shouldn’t.

“You’re good.” Taehyung smiles tightly.

“Anyway, did you have any questions or anything?” Jeongguk asks.

Who did you say I love you to?

“Uhm. Should I meet you here in the office tomorrow?” Taehyung asks instead.

“Nah. I can go pick you up instead.” Jeongguk tells him easily. Too casual for Taehyung’s liking. It makes the omega’s scent slightly spike as he frowns at him.

“Okay.” he replies, nodding. “See you tomorrow then.”

And without waiting for the alpha’s reply, he storms out the door with heavy feet and scent heavy. Feeling a mix of odd emotions as he times out and gets ready to leave.

And missing the “See you tomorrow, Baby.” that Jeongguk had playfully replied as he watched Taehyung head out the office.

◇

Boss 

I’m outside your apartment.

[Sent 4:54 AM]

Taehyung steps out of his apartment building’s elevator with a yawn escaping his lips, the omega dragging his tiny luggage behind him as heads out the foyer.

It’s still early, with the sun barely peeking out the horizons and the sky is a hint of light blue. Seoul is still at the brink of waking up. 

Taehyung looks out through the glass doors and finds a rather fancy and familiar SUV parked outside with the hazard lights blinking on and off— An SUV that awfully looks like the one that a certain alpha owns— An alpha, who’s currently letting out the biggest yawn as he leans against said vehicle and is looking down on his phone with slightly droopy eyes.

Taehyung takes his time in walking out, slightly caught a bit off guard in seeing the alpha— Jeongguk dressed in something casual instead of the usual business attire he wears, clad in some loose black jeans, an oversized white printed t-shirt that gives Taehyung the perfect view of nearly all his tattoos on one of his arms, some sneakers, a ballcap, and a couple of silver earrings dangling from both his ears, that has Taehyung blinking repeatedly because— what the fuck?!

Perhaps it’s the result of reading too many fictional works, but Taehyung always preferred his wolves looking cool with all the bad boy aesthetics included, but is actually really nice on the outside. And Jeongguk seems to embody that.

It’s unfair, really. It’s unfair to have a crush on someone who’s exactly like the wolf you dreamed of mating one day. A wolf who’s nice inside and out. A wolf your parents would approve of.

A wolf that already has their eyes on someone else for a long time and has no plans to be court or to court anyone else, a thought enters his mind, causing Taehyung to frown as he shakes his head to remove it completely from his brain.

Right, he thinks, his mood beginning to sour as he drags his luggage out the door and sees Jeongguk perk and stand instantly at the sight of him; the alpha smiling at him as if he wasn’t just battling his exhaustion mere seconds ago.

And perhaps, it sweetens the omega’s mood a little.

“Hey Bab— Taehyung. Good morning,” Jeongguk says, the pet name nearly slipping out his lips, causing the frown on Taehyung’s lips to deepen. His mood sours again.

“Morning.” Taehyung replies in a blank tone as Jeongguk heads to the back of his car to open the compartment with the omega following him behind.

“Did you rest well?” the alpha asks as Taehyung hauls his suitcase inside the car, another yawn escaping the alpha’s lips as he says this and closes the door.

Taehyung wants to snort at him, remembering that phone call that Jeongguk had with that mystery person— that omega, and about how Jeongguk promised to drive them somewhere the night before, which explains why he’s tired that morning.

“I should be asking you that,” Taehyung replies as Jeongguk closes the compartment door. “You look like you barely had any sleep. Let me drive.”

“I can do it.” Jeongguk says in a reassuring tone. “I’m okay to drive. It’s only a four hour drive anyway.”

Taehyung scoffs at him, crossing his arms. “Four hours is enough to at least get yourself recharged for the day,” he points out. “I mean, look at you. You could barely stop yourself from yawning every couple minutes and there are bags under your eyes. I’m just worried about yo— Me. ”

Taehyung licks his lips and huffs at himself quietly. “I’m worried about me.” he repeats. “I don’t want to get into an accident.”

If Jeongguk hears the slip, then he does a good job in pretending that he didn’t. Or perhaps, it didn’t quite register in his sleep-deprived brain, since the alpha scrunches his eyebrows at him and says, “You don’t have to worry. I mean, I know I look tired but I won’t let anything happen to you.”

They’re just simple words, but the way Jeongguk says them— like he means it; like he’s a bit offended at the thought of Taehyung thinking that he can’t take care of him— does something to him and it causes the tip of his ears to tinge a light of shade of pink.

But as always, he tries to mask it away by scoffing at him yet again as he shakes his head, before proceeding to walk towards the driver’s side of the car and climbing inside, using the small window of time alone to get himself together— to stop himself from fucking blushing, before Jeongguk climbs on the passenger side next to him.

“I swear I can drive.” Jeongguk tells him in a defeated tone as he closes the door after him, words that land on deaf ears.

“Your seatbelt, please.” he tells the alpha as he looks at him expectantly with an eyebrow raised, causing Jeongguk to sigh as he does what he’s told without any more qualms.

Once Jeongguk enters the address on the car’s GPS, Taehyung sets the car on drive and begins the journey towards their location as soft music plays in the background. 

From beside him, Jeongguk says, “We can switch halfway.” 

“Sure.” Taehyung half-agrees, not planning on giving the wheel back to him. “Get some sleep, though. You look like a zombie.”

“I’m fine.” the alpha insists, but only to stifle another yawn a second later, causing the omega to smirk at him. “I just had a long night. That’s all.”

With that omega? Taehyung thinks to himself. Absolutely hating the fact that he can’t even stop himself from being a little jealous as he tries to keep his composure and drives on.

But still, his curiosity can’t help but get the best of him despite the crawling feeling under his skin at the thought of Jeongguk being with someone else. Perhaps it’s just Taehyung’s way of convincing himself to get over this silly crush that would lead nowhere. Perhaps not.

All Taehyung knows is that he desperately wants to get some sort of closure or confirmation to help him forget that past the three months that Jeongguk has been spending in making him feel special, so he clears his throat and asks, “What did you even do last night anyway? You knew we were leaving early today.” in what he hopes is a composed tone, eyes focused on the road as he turns right at the intersection. 

He hears Jeongguk hum at him slowly, the omega refusing to shoot the alpha a look. “I had to stay late at the office to finish the stuff Heechul left,” he says, making Taehyung nod. “And, uh, I had to take care of a personal errand afterwards too.”

Taehyung’s lips pursed slightly, but he successfully manages to keep his cool as he drives on. “Well, you should have gone home early and did your errands some other day.”

“Yeah well, it was non-negotiable.” Jeongguk simply says. “I had to be there.”

Taehyung hums at him as a response, already getting the answer that he’s looking for as he enters the highway and proceeds to ignore the alpha.

The tension in the car starts to grow for many reasons— First, it’s clear that Taehyung is still not eager to talk to him like he has been for the past week, considering how clipped his responses are.  And secondly, because they both hadn’t had the chance to talk about what happened last Friday yet which is something Taehyung is not looking forward to or is even planning on talking about anymore since it was nothing. 

Jeongguk seems to be affected by it though, and is not exactly doing a good job in trying to ignore the huge elephant in the car that’s causing the tension between them, if the way the alpha is shifting in his seat was anything to go by.

Taehyung pretends not to notice. His eyes focused on the road as he tightens his hold around the steering wheel and subtly increases the music’s volume through the controls on the wheel to stop any conversations from starting.

But Jeongguk is one determined alpha— like he always is. And Taehyung is not even a little surprised to see that he’s using this opportunity to talk things out.

“Taehyung, listen. Can we talk?” Jeongguk asks in a careful tone, looking at him expectantly.

Taehyung pretends to act unphased as he briefly glances at him and returns his attention back to the road. “Uh, sure,” he says. “Want to debrief me while we’re on the way?” 

“Uh, no. I’m, uh, actually wanted to talk about last—”

“Wait—” Taehyung interrupts. “I think I forgot to bring my laptop with me. Should we head back and get it?”

He sees Jeongguk scrunch his eyebrows for a quick second, before he says, “Uh, I brought my laptop with me. You can use that instead. It has all our programs installed and files saved there anyway.”

“But what will you use?” the omega asks, raising an eyebrow at him. “Won’t that be an inconvenience for you?”

Jeongguk chuckles at him quietly. “No, it won’t,” he replies. “I won’t be of much help anyway since I’m not familiar with the account. Plus, I’m sure I’m going to help out with the photoshoots and direction more, since I used to be a creative director in my old company.”

Taehyung hums at him in understanding. Though, there is another thing that he doesn’t quite understand about Jeongguk and it’s why he quit his old job— that's basically the highest position you could get at any design department in exchange for a small managerial gig. 

Granted, he’s friends with RKIVE’s CEO and that he’s maybe doing Kim Namjoon a favor, but he could have applied to be in a much better position since he has the credentials for it.

“If you don’t mind me asking, why did you quit your old job?” the omega asks. “I mean, it sounds like you were doing quite well in your old company, so I’m wondering why you gave that all up to be some middle manager.”

Jeongguk doesn’t reply immediately and takes his time to answer such a seemingly simple question, to the point where Taehyung thought that the alpha had finally fallen asleep in the midst of the conversation, since he still had his eyes on the road.

But eventually he hears Jeongguk sigh next to him and say, “Well, let’s just say I owe Namjoon a favor and he owes me one as well.”

Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him in question.

A question, which Jeongguk seems to avoid, since he adds, “Plus I miss doing more hands-on things. When I was a director, I mostly just signed and approved stuff. Maybe suggest a thing or two, and oversee some projects, but ultimately, all the decisions were left under my people’s discretion.”

Taehyung hums at him, still a bit confused, but at the same time, it makes sense since Jeongguk was really attentive to all the small details and is brimming with so much passion and creativity whenever the team would talk about their projects and is very involved in planning stages unlike their previous managers.

“I see,” he replies. “Well, you’re really good at what you do.”

Jeongguk grins at him— wide and boyish and slightly bunny-like. “Thanks,” he replies. “That means a lot coming from you.”

Taehyung merely hums at him, biting the inside of his cheek to control his face from giving anything away. “By the way, what are we doing in Busan anyway?” he asks.

“Well, we’re there to help a bit with the set, but mostly to be an advisor on how the photos should look since we’re going to be editing them later on,” Jeongguk explains. “I took a peek at the files we have last night, and saw that you already have the templates ready— good thinking, by the way.”

“Yeah well, Heechul always made us do a hundred different things at the same time, so I did them in advance so I won’t have to worry about them in the future.” Taehyung shrugs. “It’s not a big deal.”

“But it is, though.” Jeongguk says. “It’s important to think things ahead, so you won’t have to play catch up later and risk missing a deadline. Plus, I didn’t get the chance to tell you this the past week, since, uhm, since we’ve been busy—”

Busy dancing around each other, Taehyung suffices in his head.

“—but great work on Team O’s progress. You’re doing really well, Taehyung.” Jeongguk continues in a genuine and proud tone that makes Taehyung’s inner omega curl around itself bashfully as it listens to the alpha attentively with perked ears. “You didn’t even need me around to help out. Plus, you did way before your deadline too.”

“It’s nothing.” Taehyung mutters, feeling the tip of his ears heat at the genuine praise. “I mean, you gave us clear directions from the start anyway and enough time to take care of it too.”

“Don’t do that.” the alpha chides lightly. 

“Do what?” Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him.

“Discredit yourself.” Jeongguk replies as he lets out another yawn and slumps back on his seat. “If there’s one thing I learned from being in the management team, it’s that you need to be accountable for both the bad and the good. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like your humility a lot, but if you don’t want other insecure wolves putting you down, you need to make sure you remind them of why you’re there in the first place. Okay?”

The corner of the omega’s lips twists into a small smile. “Noted.” he replies. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You better.” Jeongguk chuckles, before yawning heavily with eyes closed and legs involuntarily stretching on their own accord— making him look so cute, and forcing Taehyung to stop his lips from twisting up out of fondness even more as he tries to drive smoothly. “No one puts my Baby in the corner.”

Taehyung snorts at him as he rolls his eyes, but at the same time, he can’t help but feel that instant serotonin boost injected in his veins at the sound of the alpha calling him that stupid pet name again after days of not doing so, even when it’s said indirectly.

“Not your baby.” the omega mutters. But unlike last time, it’s said without bite— without any form of annoyance, which causes Jeongguk to shoot him a sleepy grin.

“You should really get some sleep.” Taehyung says as turns the music down. “We’ll be there in less than three hours, and by the time we get there, we won’t even get the chance to sit down.”

Jeongguk yawns again, nodding obediently, causing the omega to huff at him. “Fine,” he mutters sleepily. Thankfully forgetting about the topic he initially wanted to have with him as he sits back comfortable in his seat and closes his eyes. “Wake me up when we make a pit stop so I can drive next.”

“Sleep.” Taehyung says. “I got everything taken care of.”

“I know you do. You always have,” Jeongguk sleepily mutters. His eyes still closed and breath begin to even as his exhaustion catches up on him. “It’s why I know you’ll succeed, like you planned.”

That’s enough to make the walls that Taehyung built around himself to crack for a tiny bit, since he appreciates Jeongguk for remembering that detail despite him saying that while he was drunk. 

He actually didn’t expect Jeongguk to take him seriously and thought Jeongguk would brush it off as a drunken musing, but he didn’t.

And not only that, he’s even helping him in making sure that he achieves his goals even if it means that he has to surrender his position to him, which is quite rare for alphas— even more if they have to surrender it to an omega.

Yet again, Taehyung wonders why the universe had to be so cruel to send someone like Jeongguk down his path to test him— Someone like Jeongguk who he can’t really be with, since he’s his boss and the alpha already has his eyes on someone else.

Taehyung sighs as he licks his lips, glancing briefly at the alpha beside him to find Jeongguk starting to doze, which is his cue to finally let out the small smile that he has been trying to hold back for awhile.

Taehyung stops and pulls the brakes when the inevitable Seoul traffic catches up after driving for a few minutes, looking at Jeongguk beside him, who appears to be sound asleep. 

The alpha looks soft and handsome— peaceful, as his dark hair falls on his face and head leans on one side. He resists the urge to brush those strands off his face, afraid of overstepping, and shoots another small smile in his direction before he looks ahead.

It truly feels so unfair, Taehyung thinks. Yet at the same time, he knows he has no right to feel that way. Not after pushing him away and after Jeongguk has finally found someone who will put him first.

Though at the back of his mind, Taehyung can't help but also wonder why Jeongguk had even bothered to invite him to all those overtimes and had asked him out to get dinner together for the past three months if he already liked someone else to begin with.

“I don’t get you.” the omega mutters under his breath, as traffic eventually clears and prompts Taehyung to go back to driving. Making sure to avoid any bumps in the road to ensure that his passenger stays asleep.

Not more than a second later, Jeongguk mumbles, “Me too.” as he shifts in his seat to a more comfortable position and crosses his arms, causing Taehyung to raise an eyebrow at him to check if he’s awake.

But the alpha remains dozing, his quiet breath mixing with the soft music playing on the speakers.

Taehyung brushes it off as nothing, because that’s what this whole thing is.

Nothing.

Just a boss and employee on a work trip. A boss trying to help him reach his goals unlike his old ones. 

It’s nothing.

Sure, his omega mutters, causing Taehyung to scoff at it quietly.

Behave, Taehyung chides his wolf. This is not the place.

When is it ever the right place? His wolf replies sassily.

Taehyung licks his lips slowly, glancing at the sleeping alpha once again, before returning his gaze back on the road.

“Maybe in another world.” he mutters. Totally unaware of the fact that Jeongguk is the type of wolf who snores like a michelin star cruise ship the moment he falls asleep.

Or at least, not yet. 

◇

“You should have woken me up.”

Taehyung snorts as he turns around to look at Jeongguk, who replaced the t-shirt he was wearing for a fitted black sweater to look more professional and some eye glasses to hide the lines under his eyes— going from bad boy next door to boss quickly. 

A transformation that has Taehyung double taking but tries to mask it off with the usual nonchalance as the alpha walks over to him.

“I honestly thought that you’d wake yourself up at some point,” Taehyung replies as the two of them head towards the entrance of the studio where the shoot will take place. “You snore really loud.”

Jeongguk scoffs at him playfully as a response as they climb up the steps towards the entrance and bow at the man that’s working behind the reception desk, before registering themselves in.

The two of them were running late already since traffic had caught up with them halfway through the ride and not giving them the chance to drop by their hotel to change and rest for a bit. Jeongguk had just woken up fifteen minutes ago, confused and a bit dazed when he realized that they were already at their destination, and had been whining like a small pup about not being woken up so they could switch.

Taehyung merely brushed him off with the usual scoff, masking his fondness at how utterly cute Jeongguk looks with his hair tousled and messy— in the best way and eyes a little unfocused.

But despite all that, walking with Jeongguk is able to switch up instantly and has turned completely back to the wolf who’s confident and comfortable in their own skin, walking with authority and unmatchable alpha aura that has people doing a double take as they step inside the building.

“I don’t usually snore.” Jeongguk tells him after they register their names at the reception desk and retrieve their temporary badges. “I was just tired.”

Taehyung hums at him as Jeongguk presses the button of the elevator, crossing his arms and looking at the alpha through the reflection on the elevator doors. “I could tell based on the volume,” he says. “I’m pretty sure the cars next to us during traffic heard you too.”

The elevator door opens, prompting them to enter inside. He hears the alpha snort as the two of them pile inside, and much to Taehyung’s surprise, he sees the alpha’s face turning a light shade of pink at his remark.

“Again, it doesn’t usually happen.” Jeongguk mutters, as he clicks the button on the elevators going up.

“My brother used to snore like that too, and we discovered that he had sleep apnea later. Are you sure it isn’t that?” Taehyung continues to tease, watching Jeongguk’s reflection closely with a blank look on his face.

“No. I already had myself checked and it’s nothing like that,” Jeongguk replies, before the omega sees him turn to look at through his reflection— a small smirk at the corner of the alpha’s lips before he asks. “Why? You worried about me?”

“Do you want me to?” Taehyung counters back in a blank tone. Though his heart picks up a little, when he sees Jeongguk grin. 

“I’d be flattered if you do.” Jeongguk shrugs in an easy tone.

Taehyung licks his lips. “Yeah well, I suppose I care a little,” he replies slowly, hyper aware of the eyes fixed at the side of his head. “You are my boss, after all.”

Jeongguk lets out the faintest sigh— something Taehyung was able to pick up, and says, “I’m flattered, then. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.” the omega replies, allowing himself to turn and meet the alpha’s eyes. “Plus, I’m sure the loud snores would be a turn off in case you bring some other wolf home with you. Don’t you think?”

It’s a slight slip of the tongue— something Taehyung didn’t really want to bring up, since he doesn’t want to appear like he cares. 

But perhaps he’s more bitter than he thought since it slipped out anyway, considering Jeongguk is still trying to say all these silly things that he shouldn’t be telling him since he’s already seeing someone else.

Jeongguk scrunches his eyebrows, his lips slightly frowning. Taehyung thought he overstepped, that he somewhat offended him.

But to his disbelief, Jeongguk asks, “Does that turn you off?” in a very very serious tone.

Taehyung blinks at him, his mouth slightly falling open as he thinks of what to reply. But before he could say anything, the door to the elevator opens and they’re greeted by a wolf who’s waiting for them to arrive.

“Gwajang-nim,” he says, addressing Jeongguk with a bow, as the two of them step out the elevator and bow back at him. “I’m glad you made it.”

Jeongguk smiles at them easily with a nod, back to his usual manager persona in a blink of an eye, before he gestures to Taehyung to introduce them, “Joongki-hyungnim, meet one of my employees who will be assisting the shoot today. This is Kim Taehyung.” he tells him.

The wolf— a beta, nods at Taehyung with a smile as he leads them towards the direction of the door and badges them inside with his ID card. 

“Pleasure to meet you, Taehyung-ssi.” Joongki says, holding up the door for the two of them to let them inside the rather chaotic set, where wolves were either busy going from one place to another with a prop in hand to get things in order, some interns passing some coffees around to anyone who wants them, some are busy setting up equipment and a couple of other wolves— alpha wolves seated around a table and talking amongst themselves. 

“Pleasure to meet you too.” Taehyung replies with a small smile as the three of them approach the alphas, who seem to be in charge of the entire set, and stop beside their table.

The alphas look up at them and stand, bowing in greeting, to which they bow back.

“Jeongguk-ssi,” one of them says as they all stand straight and take a step further to shake Jeongguk’s hand. “Good to see you again.”

“Same here, Yoonseok hyung,” Jeongguk nods politely. “Sorry we’re late. Traffic was rough.”

“It’s fine.” Yoonseok nods at him. “We’re running a bit late anyway, since we’re having trouble with the set. Some of our set designs didn’t come on time, so we’re just setting up. We should start in twenty minutes or so.”

Jeongguk nods at him. “Okay, good.” he replies, before he looks at Taehyung and places a hand on his back to make the omega move forward. “This is Kim Taehyung, by the way. He’s also going to help us out today.”

Taehyung wears his best professional smile as he bows at the elder alpha and offers his hand to him. “Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Gwajang-nim.” he says with confidence.

Yoonseok shakes his hand, but he doesn’t regard Taehyung with the same importance he did with Jeongguk. “Same here.” the alpha mutters, his tone uninterested.

It’s nothing new to Taehyung— or to other omegas for that matter, considering it was quite rare for them to be in places like these unless they’re there as an assistant or intern or some entry-level position. He knows it’s not really personal— it’s just the norm around here, no matter how frustrating that is.

He was just about to take a step back to let the alphas talk and just settle in listening to the four of them, when he felt Jeongguk grip his waist to keep him there. The alpha’s eyes not giving anything away as he looks at Yoonseok and his group of alphas.

“Taehyung-ssi is actually here to lead with you,” Jeongguk tells them in a casual yet firm tone. “I was still with my previous company when the design team was working on this campaign, so I selected Taehyung to come here and work with you guys since he knows more about it. I’m sure he can give very valuable insight.”

Taehyung senses his cheeks start to burn at Jeongguk’s words, appreciating how the alpha is making sure to let these other alphas know that he’s not just some omega to boss around and to belittle. Empowering him like how a boss should, making him nod at the alpha’s firmly in agreement.

“Me and the design team worked hard on this project for the past three months,” Taehyung adds as he looks Yoonseok in the eye. Remembering what Jeongguk had told him in the car about standing his ground and not being humble all the time. “I mostly took lead on some of our visual and graphic designs, and made some templates beforehand. So I’m sure I can help with today’s shoot.”

Yoonseok nods at him, looking slightly hesitant but he doesn’t say anything to dismiss him. “Okay,” he says before turning to look at Jeongguk. “What will you be doing then?”

“I’m just gonna observe.” Jeongguk says with a smile. “Like I said, I barely know anything about this account, so I want to see the concept come to life and offer some help if you need me to.”

“Alright.” Yoonseok nods before he hands Taehyung a clipboard that has a few points of discussion written there and gestures for him to take a seat around their table. Introducing him and Jeongguk to his junior executives and spending the next couple of minutes debriefing them about their shoot.

It’s clear Yoonseok is not used to working with omegas judging by the way he treats Taehyung, and it’s not that Yoonseok is purposely trying to berate him or is trying to make him feel dumb, but it’s how he acts a bit uneasy around Taehyung; like he isn’t sure if he should talk to him like how he talks to their fellow alphas.

But Taehyung tries not to take offense and keeps up with all of them, making sure to contribute to the discussion and explain things clearly— impressing the alphas bit by bit, until they’ve all agreed on what to do and with Yoonseok less weary of him unlike start.

By the time Yoonseok tells the set to get ready, Taehyung turns to look at Jeongguk, who has been silent all throughout their conversation, and finds a rather proud smile on his face. Taehyung rolls his eyes at him, cheeks turning slightly pink, and turns to go to the monitors that’s set up on one side to help direct things while everyone else works.

“You’re doing good.” Jeongguk tells him as he follows him behind with both his hands inside his pockets. “Great job.”

“Just doing my job,” Taehyung mutters, taking a seat on one of the chairs around the control area. “It’s no big deal.”

“No. None of that.” the alpha says in a firm yet playful tone, holding a hand up to stop him and causing Taehyung to roll his eyes at him playfully. “What did I say? This is not the place to be humble. Just accept the compliment and praise. I won’t take no for an answer.”

Taehyung shakes his head at him, but there’s a small shy smile at the corner of his lips as he mutters a quiet, “Thanks.” under his breath. Pretending to consult the notes he wrote down on their meeting earlier to avoid looking at Jeongguk.

“By the way, can I borrow your laptop?” the omega asks. “I kinda need to check on the templates again to make sure they fit the frame well.”

“Sure.” Jeongguk nods. “Do you need anything else? A drink or something to eat? You were driving for the past five hours. I’m sure you’re hungry.”

“Uh, sure. I’m fine with whatever’s available.” Taehyung mumbles, still refusing to meet Jeongguk’s eyes as he pretends to be busy. He hears Jeongguk confirm before he sets off to go back to his car where he left it. 

Once the alpha is out of sight and the others are still busy getting the set prepared, Joongki approaches him with a friendly smile, showing him the physical samples that the design team made and asking him to do a quick quality check.

“Oh. I don’t think it’s up to me to deci—” Taehyung mutters, turning to see if Jeongguk is still inside.

But Joongki stops him with a hand raised, smiling at him all too knowingly, and says, “Jeongguk Gwajang-nim told me to consult you regarding it. He said that you’re in charge and that all decisions are up to you.”

It takes a lot for Taehyung to control his face from showing any sign of emotions, feeling grateful and touched that Jeongguk trusts his judgement— him enough to leave everything under his care like he said he will, and has so far supported him.

Taehyung proceeds to check the samples, unable to control the smile on his face as he checks the packaging and cups meticulously, before he nods in Joongki’s direction and tells them that they’re all good.

“I’ll let the team know they’re approved, Taehyung Gwajang-nim.” Joongki smiles as he collects the samples on the table. Taehyung can’t help but beam at him— liking the title a little too much, even if it’s just a taste. 

“Uh sure.” Taehyung nods at him. “Let me know if you guys need anything else.”

“Sure! I will.” Joongki replies with a grin. “It’s actually so nice to have an omega in charge around here.”

“I’m not really in charge,” he replies, shrugging as he leans back on his chair. “Jeongguk-ssi is still the manager, I’m more his second in command than anything else.”

“I see.” Joongki nods at him. “Still, it’s nice to have you around. And I’m actually quite surprised that Jeongguk Gwajang-nim let you call the shots, considering— Uhm.”

Taehyung chuckles at him. “Yeah, don’t worry. I get it.” he says lightheartedly. “You weren’t the only one surprised to find an alpha like Jeongguk. He’s— He’s nice. Isn’t he?”

Huge understatement, his omega remarks.

“Yeah, he really is.” the beta agrees. “He seems to really care about you too.”

“No, he’s— he’s like that with everyone.” Taehyung dismisses, refusing to let the other water that seed that he’s been trying to kill for the past three months. “Jeongguk-ssi is just really nice to everyone— no matter what the rank is, and he’s a great boss too who believes in all his employees.”

Plus he likes someone else, so he’s not special, Taehyung thinks to himself.

“I’m jealous.” Joongki chuckles. “I wish our manager was like that too, but—”

The beta trails off, not continuing since there are too many people around. But it’s something Taehyung easily understands since he was on the same boat before Jeongguk entered the picture and changed nearly everything. The good outweighs the bad.

“Yeah, well, I’m sure you’ll get the—”

“I got you a strawberry smoothie and a breakfast sandwich, baby.” Jeongguk turns up suddenly, placing a small cardboard box with two sandwiches inside and a cup filled with strawberry smoothie before sitting on the seat next to him. “I got you egg and bacon. That’s your favorite right?”

Taehyung finds himself blushing when he meets Joongki’s teasing eyes; the beta bowing at the two of them quietly before walking away to give them some privacy with the samples in his arms.

“Not your baby.” Taehyung hisses under his breath, looking at the alpha who’s busy arranging the food in front of them and placing his laptop in front of the omega.

“My password is 1993.” Jeongguk says as he nods at his laptop and grabs one of the sandwiches.

“1993?” Taehyung repeats, raising an eyebrow as he enters the password inside. “Why?”

“My year of birth.” Jeongguk shrugs as he takes a bite of his sandwich with a frown.

Meanwhile Taehyung gapes at him, blinking as he processes what the alpha just said. “Wait— you’re older than me?” he asks. “I– I thought you graduated two years after I did?”

“I did.” Jeongguk nods at him. “For my doctorate.”

Taehyung’s jaw falls on the floor. His omega on the other hand purrs in interest at the revelation.

Taehyung has always had a mental list of what his ideal partner is that has the typical characteristic every wolf could ever ask for— like someone kind, intelligent, someone who knows how to cook well, who’s considerate and sweet. If they’re handsome, then that’s a bonus too.

But there’s one niche thing that Taehyung added on that list recently, due to some past bad experiences— and it's that he prefers someone older.

And it seems Jeongguk has managed to tick off every checkbox there is.

Fuck, Taehyung thinks as he looks down on the alpha’s laptop that’s still loading.

“Why?” he hears Jeongguk ask as he passes Taehyung his sandwich. “Is that a turn off too?”

Taehyung merely frowns at him, his lips pursing as the alpha’s lockscreen flashes in front of him that shows a picture of Jeongguk and that omega he saw him with the other day.

Reminding him that Jeongguk didn’t exactly tick every box, since Taehyung also prefers someone single.

Taehyung shrugs at him, refusing to answer as he opens one of their programs to begin working. His rain and ocean scent spiking with a tinge of bitterness.

Ignoring the thoughtful smoothie and sandwich that alpha especially picked for him as the smiling images of Jeongguk with an arm around another omega’s waist drilling in his mind.

◇

The shoot ends by the time midnight rolls around with everyone patting each other on the backs for a job well done, all of them proud and relieved to turn what was supposed to be a two-day shoot into one instead, as some stayed to wrap up the set while others started heading out for the day with Taehyung and Jeongguk included in the latter.

Taehyung releases a sigh of relief as he starts to walking towards the exit with Jeongguk in tow, feeling exhaustion cling to his bones with each step since he’s been awake since four in the morning, drove for five hours straight, and has been running around the set to ensure all their photos turn out perfectly.

But despite how tired he feels, Taehyung can’t also shake the feeling of pride that managed to blossom inside his chest for managing to pull off the task that design set managers usually do and somehow change a rather traditional alpha like Yoonseok’s opinion on omegas working alongside him instead of for him.

He’d be lying if he said that he didn’t put his best foot forward because of Yoonseok, honestly. And it’s not because he’s trying to lick his ass or get on his good graces or something, but Taehyung knows that doing his best can also affect Yoonseok’s perception of other omegas in higher positions—  A goal he believed he achieved, since Yoonseok approached him before he left the shoot and expressed how grateful he was for having Taehyung there, and even promised to put in a good word for him to some of his friends in the higher ups, in case Taehyung is looking to get promoted.

Since then, the smile on Taehyung’s face hasn’t wavered for even a second. Glad to finally see a single fruit from his many labors, as he approved the photos the photographers sent him and collected his things to wrap up for the day.

Plus, he also has a certain alpha to thank as well. 

An alpha who’s the main reason why he’s smiling like a kid during Christmas day and finding a ton of presents under the Christmas tree— who trusted him completely; blindly , and sat in the back seat all day and allowed Taehyung to fully take the reins of this project without telling him what to do once or contradicting his decisions.

An alpha was also able to win the hearts of everyone at the set easily like he did when he introduced himself as their new team manager three months ago, due to how humble, down to earth— and kind he is. 

An alpha called Jeongguk, who’s following Taehyung behind as he bows at anyone who looks in his direction and says his farewells politely and tells them to take care in going home. 

“Thank you for working hard today, everyone!” Jeongguk waves at the room a final time, his laptop backpack slung on his shoulders and a wide bunny grin on his face, as he gives everyone there another ninety-degree bow that manages to garner a couple of reddened cheeks and small shy smiles that don't go unnoticed by Taehyung.

The corner of Taehyung’s lips twists into an involuntary small smile as Jeongguk stands and follows him out the exit, using his badge to key them out and walking towards the elevator waiting area.

“You seem to have won yourself a couple more admirers today, Jeongguk Gwajang-nim .” Taehyung tells the alpha in a slightly teasing tone once they’re alone in the hallway.

Jeongguk snorts at him and shakes his head. “No I didn’t,” he replies. “Everyone’s just friendly and nice here.”

Taehyung merely snorts back at him. Though, he can’t find a hint of insincerity in Jeongguk’s tone. Something which doesn’t really surprise him, considering Jeongguk has been nothing but lovely since the day he met him. (not counting the times the alpha would tease him and call him those silly pet names)

There’s just something about Jeongguk that’s very magnetizing, Taehyung thinks. Something deeply special and cannot be forged that sets him apart from other alphas, and has everyone else attracted to him like sunflowers to the sun, a piece of metal to a magnet, a pack of wolves to the full moon.

Perhaps it’s because Jeongguk doesn’t think of himself as such— as great, that is. He never placed himself in a higher position, despite being an alpha and a boss, and has always served instead of sitting around and waiting for others to do what he says.

Jeongguk is great like that— as an alpha, a boss and as a person.

So as… distracting as those not-so-subtle giggles sound every time Jeongguk walked a certain direction or how annoying it is to see wolves flock around the alpha like a hoard of bees seeking nectar from a flower, Taehyung tries to ignore them for as much as he can and focuses on his own thing.

After all, he can’t blame them for feeling a certain way for Jeongguk, the same way they cannot blame him for getting himself entangled in the trap that was set by the alpha.

Falling for Jeongguk seems inevitable at that point. It’s easy— or at least, it’s ideally easy. 

There are certain factors that make it seem hard to fall completely. Like how he’s Taehyung’s boss, how he already likes someone else, and how Taehyung is just not ready for that sort of thing after a rather bad experience.

Jeongguk is not the only one with secrets too, after all.

“Hi, Jeongguk Gwajang-nim,” one of the omega stylists from the shoot greets Jeongguk, as he and the alpha reach the waiting area where a couple of Jeongguk’s admirers were also waiting.

Taehyung faces the elevator, attempting not to pay them any attention as he checks his phone and waits for the elevator to arrive. 

“Hey! Good work today.” Taehyung hears the alpha reply, causing the small group to giggle at him.

Taehyung resists the urge to roll his eyes, but at the same time, he can’t help but wonder how Jeongguk keeps missing all these tiny things.

“Thank you for helping us too, Gwajang-nim,” she replies as the elevator doors swing open, prompting the group to squeeze inside so they could head down. “We couldn’t have done it without you.”

“I did nothing.” Jeongguk shrugs, allowing them to enter first before he squeezes next to Taehyung on one corner. “All I did was carry some of the props and give you all coffee. Anyone else could have done it too.”

“Still, we appreciate it a lot.” Another one adds, smiling at Jeongguk all too sweetly, it makes Taehyung turn to the side to hide his grimace, his rain and ocean scent smelling a tad bit heavier as the elevators make it down to a few more floors and causing Jeongguk to look at him instantly with eyebrows furrowed.

“Hey. You—?” the alpha starts to ask, but before Jeongguk could finish what he’s saying, the elevator doors open on another floor, prompting a new group to enter inside and force the rest of them to make some room.

Taehyung steps to the corner, his nose scrunching uncomfortably due to all the scents that’s mixing inside the tight space. 

He’s not usually fussy about things like scents and all that, but considering that he’s been awake for more than twenty hours already and his head has been protesting after his nth coffee that day, he can’t help but feel a little bothered by it. 

But only for a while, since Jeongguk stands over him with his face turned to him and an arm with some of his tattoos peeking out his sleeves leaning on the wall next to Taehyung’s head, giving the omega the opportunity to take a whiff of his comforting and soothing bamboo scent that manages to cancel the rest.

“You good, Baby?” Jeongguk asks in a deeply concerned tone, his eyebrows scrunched as he looks at him— all too close. All too… intimate in some way. “Am I too close?”

Usually, Taehyung would call him out on using that stupid pet name— especially if it’s in a crowded place like this where quiet whispers sound more like an echo that’s meant for everyone instead of just one.

But this time, Taehyung lets it pass. (No reason– don’t ask.)

“You’re okay.” Taehyung mutters, still looking to the side and using all his willpower not to inhale the bamboo scent steaming off of the alpha in front of him for too much. (He fails. But don’t tell anyone that.)

“I’m tired.” Jeongguk sighs in exhaustion as the elevator begins to descend at a turtle’s pace. His voice, despite a mere whisper, echoing inside the room. “I can’t wait till we reach our hotel.”

Our.

Again, Taehyung doesn’t correct him.

“Me too.” he replies, sneaking a subtle glance at the group of Jeongguk’s admirers on the other side, and swallowing a smile when he sees a few of them with their lips jutted out in disappointment.

The elevator finally opens once it reaches the lobby, each of them taking turns in going out until it’s just him and Jeongguk. Jeongguk’s fanclub doesn’t bother to say their goodbyes— Taehyung maybe cracks a smile at that.

“Do you know where the hotel is located?” Taehyung asks as he and Jeongguk stop by the reception desk to surrender their temporary passes and signs out of the registration sheet. “Can you drive?”

Jeongguk snorts at him. “I can ,” he says in a firm tone. “So don’t even think about it.”

“I wasn’t.” Taehyung shrugs as he signs the sheets and passes the pen over to Jeongguk. “I was going to suggest a taxi or something if you’re not feeling up to it. We had a long day after all.”

“I got you, Baby.” Jeongguk grins at him— all too teasingly. All too affectionately. All too much. “Relax. I’ll take care of you this time.”

Perhaps Taehyung can’t control the blush on his cheeks this time. Perhaps Jeongguk catches him in the act for the first time too, and perhaps Taehyung lies about it and says he’s allergic to air.

Perhaps.

“Do you want to grab something to eat before we head to the hotel?” Jeongguk asks as he returns the pen back to the person working the reception desk and follows the omega out the building. “You barely touched your dinner during break.”

“How would you know that?” the omega raises an eyebrow at him as the two of them climb down the steps and start walking towards the parking lot. “Were you stalking me or something?”

“Hard not to.” Jeongguk admits unashamedly, causing Taehyung’s lips to straighten, as the alpha checks his phone for their hotel’s address and looks at Taehyung with a playful yet scolding look. “I’ve been acting like your assistant all day and was basically in charge of your well being. Of course I noticed that you hardly ate a bite from that pork dish.”

“It was too spicy,” Taehyung mutters— almost whines. “I don’t do well with spicy food.”

Jeongguk hums, nodding at him in understanding as he pockets his phone and looks at him seriously. “No spice. Got it. Anything else?”

Taehyung side-eyes him suspiciously as they reach the alpha’s SUV and walks towards the passenger side while Jeongguk heads towards the driver’s side, unlocking the car with a click of his keys and climbing inside. 

“Why do you ask?” the omega asks as he straps in his seatbelt. 

“Am I not allowed to know what your likes and dislikes are?” Jeongguk retorts as he clicks the engine on and straps his own seatbelt in. 

“You’ve been asking me all these things since this morning,” Taehyung points out, crossing his arms while Jeongguk enters the hotel’s address in the car’s GPS. “Stuff like what– what’s a turn off or what not. Why are you so interested?”

Jeongguk merely shrugs at him in a seemingly nonchalant manner, it makes Taehyung’s eyebrow lift higher, before Jeongguk eventually sits up straight and looks at him, before he says, “Am I not allowed to?”

Yes.

No!!!!!

YES.

But Taehyung sighs and shakes his head. “You can’t.” he says instead, looking out the window and focusing on the nonexistent view outside. 

It’s quiet for some time with just the sound of the car’s engine and the air conditioner humming filling the tight space, tension mixing in the air as Jeongguk starts to drive out their parking space slowly to head towards their hotel. 

Taehyung hoped that Jeongguk would drop it. He hoped the alpha would just forget about it like the times he’s done before— but he doesn’t. Not this time.

“Why not?” Jeongguk asks. He doesn’t sound offended or annoyed, or like his alpha ego was walked over and was bruised. He sounds curious— like he genuinely wants to understand. And it’s unfair how Jeongguk is still nice, despite this being the nth time Taehyung has shut him down. It’s unfair how Jeongguk is the type to listen and hear you out, instead of reacting immediately— like what Taehyung would have done, but Jeongguk is not like that. 

Taehyung licks his lips as Jeongguk begins to drive out the parking lot and into the main road, thankful it’s dark enough to hide the expressions that’s casting on his face that range from frustration to confusion.

Taehyung sighs defeatedly, figuring it’s best to just get it over with so they could put an end to this.

“Jeongguk,” he starts. He realizes it’s the first time he said his name casually, free of any honorifics or safety precautions to stop them from thinking of it as something that it’s not. Jeongguk notices it too if the way his bamboo scent rises lightly. 

Yet Taehyung tries to steel his voice to ensure that this time, he gets his point across— to make sure that the line is visible to both him and Jeongguk.

“Listen,” Taehyung continues. “I don’t know what your deal is, but it’s inappropriate. Okay? You’re my boss. I’m your employee. I’m pretty sure there’s some sort of company rule about that.”

Jeongguk hums at him in understanding, nodding as he carefully drives and switches lanes. Taking his time to choose his words.

“Well, we don’t have to look at it in a way that’s… inappropriate.” he says. “We can just simply look at it for what it is— just a boss and an employee; two coworkers getting to know each other. That’s all.”

Taehyung knows that it’s a simple way out— a workaround. An excuse that’s readily available if caught. A safety net. But then again, it’s a dangerous game to play, considering the feelings he was able to catch faster than he’d like to admit.

The option to look at all this as something innocent is on the table, yes. But Taehyung would be lying to himself if he said that there won’t be a part of him that would think that it’s something else. Something more.

Plus, Jeongguk is one confusing wolf no matter how straightforward he seemingly is. Alphas would normally be blunt with their intentions from the get go. They’re usually not the type to beat around the bush and keep the omega they’re interested in guessing so other wolves won’t start hounding them before they could even start courting.

But then again, Jeongguk is not like other alphas too. 

He wonders who Jeongguk really is as the memory of his laptop screensaver appears in his mind. If he’s really more than who Taehyung thinks he is, or if he’s just like the rest— collecting omegas like trophies to display on their shelves.

“I just don’t want that to be an issue in the office. That’s all.” Taehyung tells him eventually, looking at the alpha briefly. “I– I know I said some things last week that completely contradicts what I just said, but just forget about it. I was drunk. I wasn’t in the right state of mind. And I apologize for making you feel uncomfortable too. I was just—”

Jealous? Hurt? Confused because you keep calling me Baby for three months straight then turn around and find someone new and have them as your lock screen already? His inner omega lists off.

“Feeling overworked that night. And I didn’t mean to take it out on you.” Taehyung says instead, avoiding his eyes in favor of staring out the window. “I’m sorry.”

Jeongguk nods, his lips unusually straight as he focuses on the road. “Don’t be. I understand,” he says. Again, gentle as ever. “And I’m sorry too for— for you know. For trying, I suppose. I thought you felt the—”

He doesn’t get to finish what he’s saying, since he’s disturbed by the sound of his car’s notification alarm, saying he’s getting an incoming call from Joongki. Jeongguk shoots him an apologetic look before taking the call.

“Jeon.” The alpha greets, his call on loudspeaker.

“Jeongguk Gwajang-nim!” the familiar sound of Joongki’s voice rings, sounding slightly stressed, causing both him and Jeongguk to frown in concern.

“Is there something wrong, Joongki-hyungnim?” Jeongguk asks, signaling the car to the right so he can park in front of a store. “Is everything good back on the set? Do you need me to go back—?”

“Oh. No, sir.” Joongki rushes to say, his tone less tense but still sounding worried nonetheless. “Everything’s all good here. Don’t worry. I actually called about something else— that… that slightly concerns you and Taehyung-ssi.”

He sees Jeongguk’s eyebrows furrow as finally parks by the curb and pulls the brakes of his car. “About what, hyung?” he asks. “Did we forget something?”

“Actually—” the beta mumbles in a slightly quiet tone. “ I was the one who actually forgot to do something, sir. I apologize. I– well.”

Taehyung frowns as he listens to Joongki release a frustrated breath on the other line. “I mixed up all the hotel accommodations, and accidentally gave your rooms away to someone else. I’m— I’m sorry, sir.”

“Oh.” Jeongguk says, the tension on his face evaporating as he slumps back on his chair. “Okay. Sure, hyung. It’s no problem. You don’t have to worry about it.”

Joongki breathes a sigh of relief as he thanks Joongki profusely; something Taehyung easily understands since he knows how some alphas tend to act if they’re inconvenienced in a way and has been on the receiving end of their wrath as a lesson.

“Thank you, Gwajang-nim.” Joongki says. “I swear this won’t happen again. I had so much stuff going on that I didn’t realize there were more people to book on the list. I tried to call the hotel to see if they have any more rooms available, but—”

“Hyung. Relax.” Jeongguk chuckles with a small smile. “Like I said. It’s alright. Me and Taehyung-ssi were just on the way, anyway. At least we saved the time and we can just look for something else instead.”

“Oh! Don’t worry about that Gwajang-nim,” Joongki replies in a more relaxed and brighter tone. “I already booked you and Taehyung-ssi something else. Something way better.”

“Okay, great. Can you text me the address?” 

“I’m sending it now as we speak, sir.” the beta says, just as another notification from Jeongguk’s phone rings. “If you just left the Busan office, then it should be pretty near. The house is located in a village that’s only five blocks away.”

“A house?” Jeongguk asks, entering the new address of his’ and Taehyung’s accommodation in his GPS. “Isn’t that over the budget or something? I hope you didn’t have to pay out of—”

“No, Gwajang-nim. Don’t worry.” Joongki reassures him gently. “It’s just within the budget. Me and my mate stayed there ourselves one time, and it’s quite nice. It should have everything you need and more— there’s a living space, good wifi. The kitchen’s well equipped in case you want to make something, and there’s a small convenience store next to it—”

Taehyung must be imagining it, but there’s a determined glint that flashes in Jeongguk’s eyes at the mention of a kitchen. A glint that has all the hairs on his arm rising.

“—the bathroom’s pretty clean. The bed is big. The air conditioning unit works fine.”

“That sounds amazing, hyung.” Jeongguk cuts him off as he shifts the car on drive and follows the direction to their new accommodation. “We’ll be on our way. Thank you for being on top of it.”

“You’re welcome, Gwajang-nim.” Joongki says in an enthusiastic tone. “Take care, and uh, enjoy!”

Jeongguk bids his polite farewell before he hangs up the phone and drives the short distance towards their stay, which as Joongki mentioned is closer compared to the hotel they initially had.

The house is located in a small yet peaceful village by the hillside with narrow roads that’s dimly lit by warm toned streetlights. Each house is elevated and architecturally designed to blend with the slopes of the hill, with just enough space separating them.  

He and Jeongguk don’t bring up the conversation before Joongki called, thick silence filling the car as the alpha finally locates the house the beta had booked for them, that’s next to a twenty-four hour convenience store as he said.

Jeongguk parks on the driveway and kills the engine of his car, the two of them climbing out before they look at the house closely.

Just like the other houses, their accommodation is decently sized with light blue other walls and white shutters by the windows. It’s two-storey with a small balcony just above the front door. A small garden by the main entrance with a tiny table and chair in the middle. A staircase leading up to the front door, an automatic gate to keep them secured, and lights on the paved driveway leading inside the house.

It’s pretty, Taehyung thinks, gawking as he rounds the car and heads towards the entrance where Jeongguk is waiting by the foot of the stone stairs. Checking his phone and looking up when Taehyung approaches him.

“Here’s the code to the house,” the alpha says as he shows him Joongki’s message. “You can go on ahead without me. I’m just gonna drop by the convenience store next door.”

“Sure.” Taehyung nods, before Jeongguk makes his way out through the gate and as Taehyung climbs up and enters the code in.

The omega is met with a quaint living room that’s artfully designed with hanging plants on some corners, a few paintings here and there, an air conditioning machine that’s already turned on, and warm toned lights to set the ambience. It’s small and rectangular, with some soft cushions on one side facing the huge television mounted on the opposite side of the wall.

A bit further inside the house, past the steep stairs leading to the second floor located on the right side, lies a small kitchen with beige tiles and backsplashes and some cabinets over the small countertops. A fridge. A bar table with two tall chairs tucked underneath it. And an open door on the side revealing a bathroom.

The place reminds Taehyung of those tiny homes he watches on Netflix. It might feel claustrophobic for some, but it’s something the omega had imagined himself living in, since it has all the things he needs within his reach. There’s enough space to work or move around. It’s cozy and it instantly makes him feel relaxed.

Yawning, Taehyung heads out to the front so he could carry his’ and Jeongguk’s bag inside, and so he could start getting ready for bed since he’s tired. Thankfully, the alpha didn’t lock the car so he was able to take them out one by one, balancing Jeongguk’s small duffel over Taehyung’s thin luggage and heading back in.

“Do you need help?” Taehyung hears Jeongguk say, causing him to turn around to find the alpha back from the shop next door with a couple of paper bags in his arms. 

“Do you ?” the omega counters back, gesturing towards the bags in Jeongguk’s arms.

Jeongguk snorts as he locks the gate behind him and catches up with Taehyung at the entrance.

“Quite the shopping spree you did there,” Taehyung comments as the two of them climb up the stairs, and enter the code in to let them inside. “What’s all that for?”

“I got us gimbap to eat before going to bed, and some supplies for breakfast and lunch tomorrow,” Jeongguk answers as they step inside the small house. “Since we finished the shoot in a day, we’re basically off the whole day tomorrow, so we have time to relax before driving back to Seoul.”

Taehyung nods at him sleepily as Jeongguk goes straight to the kitchen to store his groceries away and as Taehyung heads to the stairs so he could start getting ready for bed.

“Come down to eat after you rest for a bit.” Jeongguk calls over his shoulder as Taehyung climbs up the stairs. “You’ll wake up in the middle with a grumbling stomach if you don’t.”

The omega waves a hand at him to confirm before he finally reaches the second floor landing, and jumps way too eagerly on the large queen-sized bed in the middle with pink sheets and four fluffy pillows by the headboard.

His eyes instantly closing, as his body finally relaxes after a long day. The comfortable mattress swallowing him whole and the calming scent of bamboo from downstairs infiltrating his nostrils. Plus it doesn’t help that the sounds that Jeongguk is making in the kitchen are serving as a good white noise to ease his tired mind.

Taehyung nearly purrs as he crawls towards the pillows and hugs one of them tightly around his arms, his scent mixing with calmness as heaves out a sigh and relaxes for a second.

A literal second, that is.

Because as soon as Taehyung was just starting to relax, his panic suddenly sets in instead when he realizes something important—something detrimental. 

Something that he should have realized sooner, if only his muddled brain didn’t force him to ignore it.

“SHIT!” Taehyung exclaims as he grips his hair tight.

From the floor below him, he hears Jeongguk drop something metallic before the sound of his urgent footsteps follows it as the alpha rushes to climb up the stairs.

“What’s wrong?” Jeongguk asks in a serious tone as soon as he makes it in the second landing, pheromones screaming safety and protection , as the alpha looks around the room to find the cause of the omega’s distress.

“You okay?” Jeongguk asks, walking towards him with eyebrows scrunched and sitting by the foot of the bed. “What happened? You smell distressed.”

Taehyung turns to look at Jeongguk with wide eyes, his fingers still entangled in his hair as he bobs his throat.

“Jeongguk.” Taehyung says in a surprisingly calm tone. 

“Yeah?” the other asks, scooting closer. “What is it?”

“Don’t you see it?” the omega asks, his distressed scent not helping in calming the alpha down. 

“See what?” Jeongguk frowns at him, confused and alert (but not so much the latter.) “Don’t talk in codes, Baby. Tell me what’s—”

Before the alpha could finish, Taehyung places both his hands over the alpha’s shoulders and twists him around so he could look at the room closely.

“I don’t get it. What’s wro— Oh .” Jeongguk trails off once it sinks in. 

‘Oh, shit’, more like, Taehyung thinks as he removes his hands over the alpha’s shoulders and climbs out of bed— the only bed inside that second landing they’re meant to share that night.

Chapter Text

“I see, I see. I understand— Yeah, yeah. No. Don’t worry about it. I appreciate you checking.”

Taehyung swallows the whine that’s threatening to escape his lips, as Jeongguk looks up at him with a frown on his face and hangs up with the seventh hotel he called that evening.

“Nothing.” Jeongguk confirms as he checks his phone again to look for another hotel that’s near the area.

Honestly, Taehyung should have seen this coming. He should have already known that something as twisted as this would happen to him, after the first few times he attempted to move on from his silly crush on Jeongguk and the universe would retaliate by making sure he does not . 

And it’s clear, after three whole months, that the universe is hellbent on making sure his stupid crush stays. 

On tonight’s episode of ‘The Universe versus Taehyung’, the universe has decided to give the omega its biggest ‘fuck you’ yet by trapping them in this beautiful, tiny house in the countryside that only has one freaking bed.

Taehyung - 0

The Universe - 100

Taehyung releases a sigh as he slumps down on the stool next to Jeongguk at the bar table— the alpha still busy looking through accommodations on his phone, looking more tired and stressed than anything else.

It was Jeongguk who insisted on Taehyung staying at the house while he went somewhere else, avoiding the omega’s protests and calling one hotel after another in search for an alternate accommodation; a simple task that somehow became a challenge considering it’s rather late in the night already, and because… the universe is against Taehyung. (As always).

Sighing, Jeongguk drops his phone on the table defeatedly and leans back on his chair, his shoulder slumping and the shadows under his eyes getting darker.

“I can go sleep in the car instead,” Jeongguk says, shooting him a reassuring smile when he sees Taehyung make a face at him. “It’s too late to find something anyway, plus we won’t be staying the entire day so it’s just a waste of money.”

“No. I can sleep there instead.” Taehyung retorts, meeting the alpha’s gaze with eyebrows scrunched. “And don’t give me that rank bullshit. I can take care of myself fine.”

Jeongguk snorts at him, shaking his head. “I’m not insisting because of our ranks or because I think you’re an omega who can’t take care of himself,” he replies in a calm tone, standing up and walking towards his duffel bag that’s still sitting on top of Taehyung’s luggage. “I’m insisting because it would make me sleep better knowing you’re safe inside instead of sleeping inside, not knowing if you’re fine out there. Not me as an alpha, but… just me. Just Jeongguk.”

“Still— it doesn’t feel right to make you sleep outside,” he mumbles, watching the alpha gather a change of clothes from his duffel and a small toiletries bag. 

“Don’t be. I’ll be alright,” Jeongguk replies as he heads to the bathroom. “I only want you to be comfortable.”

And with that, Jeongguk disappears inside the bathroom to clean up, leaving Taehyung groaning on the bar table as he buries his face in his arms. Trying to analyze the situation and decide his next course of action.

In retrospect, he knows Jeongguk is one of the handful of alphas that Taehyung can trust. Despite Jeongguk’s playful flirting, he has never attempted to touch anyone in the team without making sure it’s alright with them. He also apologizes instantly if he bumps into somebody accidentally. And overall, he’s just a nice alpha.

Taehyung knows to his core that he has nothing to worry about.

However—

Taehyung doesn’t trust himself. Especially when he’s asleep since he has the tendency to move around too much, talk in his sleep, and… more. Plus it’s worse when he’s tired, because those were the times he gets vivid dreams and tends to act them out in real life.

His older brother even said that he caught him sleep-walking around his apartment once when he slept over, mumbling about going to China so he could sleep next to some chutes of bamboos— much to Taehyung’s dismay. 

He’s afraid of what he would do in his sleep; afraid of what he’d do to Jeongguk and risk making things more embarrassing for him.

But still, the thought of Jeongguk spending the night in his car doesn’t sit right with him— omega nature and all that shit. (And maybe because he’s his crush too.) And as concerned Jeongguk is about his well-being, Taehyung tends to be the worrywart himself.

Sighing, Taehyung looks at the bathroom with a pout. Wondering if it’s worth risking letting Jeongguk sleep with him— Wait. Pause. Sleep next to him. Not with him.

Speak for yourself, his inner omega snorts.

Taehyung rolls his eyes, standing up and approaching his luggage to grab a change of clothes. Behind him, he hears the bathroom door open along with a strong gust of Jeongguk’s bamboo scent that makes his knees slightly weak as he subtly inhales.

“Hey,” the omega says over his shoulder as he pretends to fold his clothes inside his luggage. “So I was thinking about the, uhm, sleeping arrangement thing.”

“I’m not gonna let you sleep outside.” he hears Jeongguk say in a firmer tone. 

“No— uh, no. I wasn’t going to suggest that,” Taehyung replies, voice quieter as he bites his lip, his cheeks turning a shade of pink as he forces himself to voice out his suggestion.

“I mean… we should just sleep together.” Taehyung says— only to pause with wide eyes, and say, “I mean, not— not sleep together as in… you know. I mean, you can sleep with me. I mean— fuck.”

Taehyung turns to face the alpha with a flustered look on his face, unable to find it in himself to look like his usual uninterested self. 

“I mean, you should—”

Taehyung trails off as he finally gets a glimpse of Jeongguk.

Jeongguk, with his dark hair all wet, wearing an oversized shirt that gives him an excellent view of his muscled arms and some loose grey joggers that doesn’t help with Taehyung’s imagination. 

Who smells so comforting— so soothing, that it nearly takes all his willpower to snap himself out of his trance so he can focus on what he’s trying to say.

“You should sleep with me.” Taehyung says, causing Jeongguk to raise a teasing eyebrow at him. “Fuck. You know what I mean. Don’t make me explain!”

Jeongguk breaks out into a full grin at that remark, looking pleased as he hangs his towel on one of the chairs and takes a step towards him.

“I wasn’t trying to make you explain. I understood you the first time.” he says, still grinning wide at him. “You were the one who kept clarifying again and again, as if you were thinking of something else.”

Taehyung scoffs at him, cheeks now tinged with permanent red. “Shut up.” he mutters, gathering all his things in his arms and heading towards the bathroom. 

But before he can even take a step past the alpha, Jeongguk blocks him, laughing quietly as he holds his hands up. “Fine, fine. I’m sorry.” he chuckles. “I’m going to stop teasing.”

The omega huffs, eyes focused on the floor as licks his lips. “So do you want to or not?” he asks, tone clipped and shy. 

“I should ask you that,” Jeongguk replies in a soft tone. “Is that okay with you? Cause like I said, I can sleep in the car instead. It’s really no issue with me. I swear”

“I wouldn’t offer it if I wasn’t okay with it.” he says, forcing himself to meet the alpha’s eyes with a defiant pout on his lips— an act that only has that shit-eating grin on Jeongguk’s face to grow wider. “So stay if you want. I would feel better knowing you’re comfortable and warm inside, instead of some car outside.”

And without waiting for Jeongguk to reply, he storms inside the bathroom and shuts it closed with a loud bang. The annoying sound of the alpha’s laughter ringing behind him, causing him to stifle the whine that escapes his lips.

“Get a hold of yourself.” Taehyung scolds himself in the mirror with eyebrows furrowed as busies himself with his toiletries, setting them on the counter neatly before he starts to strip off his clothes. Hyper aware of the alpha— of Jeon Jeongguk staying in the next room, causing him to blush yet again before he steps into the shower to bathe.

It takes him longer than usual to finish showering— and no. It isn’t because he’s sleeping with– next to Jeongguk, but because he just wants to make sure that he is able to scrub and clean every crevice of his body that he usually doesn’t pay attention to on normal days.

His inner omega huffs at him in disbelief.

Taehyung merely frowns at himself as he finishes brushing his teeth and finally gathers the courage to step outside the bathroom.

Jeongguk has already closed all the lights, leaving a few of the warm-toned lamps on to help him see in the dark better. Taehyung heads to the kitchen and hangs his towel on the stool next to the one where Jeongguk hung his.

Unable to help but think how freaking domestic it feels– how it almost feels like they’re playing house, as Taehyung braves towards the stairs and finds Jeongguk sitting on the floor with his laptop propped over his lap. 

A sight that manages to make Taehyung forget about his worries for one second, as he raises an eyebrow at him and approaches the bed.

“Are you working?” he asks.

Jeongguk looks up at him quickly and shoots him a small smile before he returns his attention back to his device. “Only for a bit.” he mutters, typing on his laptop rapidly as Taehyung carefully climbs on the bed. “I didn’t get to check my emails all day, so I’m just catching up on some of them.”

“Well, it’s almost three in the morning.” Taehyung can’t help but scold as he fixes the pillows and blankets on the bed obsessively, needing something to do with his hands to stop his nerves from taking over. “It can wait in the morning.”

“It is morning.” Jeongguk counters back playfully as he continues to answer his emails.

“You know what I mean.” the omega says as he fluffs a pillow far too many times until he’s content with the shape it formed, before proceeding to the next one and doing the exact same thing. “Go to sleep. Don’t you rest?”

“If my schedule permits it.” the alpha laughs as he finally sends his final email and snaps his laptop shut. A yawn escapes his lips as he turns to look at Taehyung. “I’m used to sleeping around—”

Jeongguk pauses mid sentence, as Taehyung begins to fix the duvet by the foot of the bed, causing the omega to look up at him with an eyebrow raised as he grabs a nearby sheet and starts to fold it.

“What?” Taehyung asks.

The alpha blinks, shaking his head and rubbing his tired eyes with a closed fist, before he looks at Taehyung again with scrunched eyebrows. His mouth hanging open as he watches Taehyung fold the sheet.

“Why are you staring at me?” the omega asks again, sounding a little self-concious as he tucks the sheet under the duvet and places a pillow in the middle. 

Jeongguk’s lips straighten as his bamboo scent spikes.

“I’m sorry. I– just. I’m—” he stutters, licking his lips. “I just wanted to make sure. Are you, uhm, building a nest?”

Taehyung drops the pillow he was obsessively fixing as he realizes that he was, in fact, building a stupid nest. 

Looking from a rather awestruck Jeongguk, to the bed that he was somehow able to turn into a half-completed nest using the limited supplies within his reach.

This time, Taehyung turns away to hide his entire flushed face, omega pheromones spiking in his shame at the thought of building something that’s supposed to be personal and private in front of an alpha he’s not in any type of relationship with.

Jeongguk seems to pick up his distress since Taehyung senses him stand and exude some of his own reassuring, bamboo-scented pheromones. The alpha is not making any attempts to climb inside, since only wolves who are mated or are, at least, in a relationship sleep in an omega’s nest together.

“Hey,” the alpha asks in a gentle tone. “Calm down. I won’t touch your nest. I promise.”

“It’s not a nest!” Taehyung lies convincingly, crossing his arms and puffing his cheeks at him to stop himself from blushing any further. “I was just making the bed more comfortable!”

Jeongguk doesn’t seem to be convinced since he’s still looking at the bed wearily— like he’s afraid to touch something as delicate as this.

“I– uhm. I mean, s-sure. Okay.” Jeongguk stutters, his tongue poking the inside of his cheek as he continues to ogle. “But uh– not that I find anything wrong with your cozy nes– I mean, uh, bed. But are you sure it’s okay if we share? I promise I’ll be okay in the car.”

And just because Taehyung hates to be called out— just because he hates being caught in a lie and is seen by his crush building something as intimate as a freaking nest on their first platonic night together, Taehyung runs with his lie and nods at the alpha firmly.

“Like I said, it’s fine.” he says in a blank tone. “And it’s not a nest. Stop calling it that!”

“Fine fine. I won’t.” Jeongguk sucks up a breath, slowly approaching the nest— the bed, with his eyes focused on the omega. Seemingly waiting for Taehyung to tell him to stop or to step back. All of which Taehyung doesn’t do.

Taehyung’s patience runs out and he takes a hold of the alpha’s shirt and pulls him in, catching Jeongguk by surprise, if the way his eyes are widening comically were anything to go by.

Taehyung then proceeds to lay down with his back turned to Jeongguk, his cheeks hot and his rain and ocean scent fluctuating when he finally senses the alpha move and lay on the other side.

The two of them stay still, not wanting to disturb the silence that’s charged with a mix of combined omega and alpha pheromones. Bamboo and Rain. 

Jeongguk and Taehyung, his omega suggests, causing Taehyung to huff quietly.

But eventually, he hears Jeongguk let go of his breath and slowly starts to relax. 

“You good?” Jeongguk asks him, his tone a bit careful but there’s a tinge of softness that Taehyung easily hears. “Is this okay?”

Taehyung licks his lips, allowing his muscles to relax as he hugs the sheet he folded by his pillow. “Yeah.” he replies, sounding a bit breathless. “You?”

“I’ve never been better.” Jeongguk replies. This time, he doesn’t sound tense or nervous or scared. Instead, Jeongguk oddly sounds relieved. “Thank you for making the bed, Bab– Tae . It’s comfortable.”

Taehyung is, by all means, not a dumb wolf and he knows Jeongguk isn’t dumb either. He knows what the alpha really meant and vice versa. They know what this bed really is. But he appreciates Jeongguk for not pointing it out anymore and for accepting it the way Taehyung tells him so.

“Thanks, Jeongguk.” Taehyung replies, corner of his lips twitching into a small smile since he likes how natural the alpha’s name slips out of his lips. “Good night.”

“Good night.” he replies, before the two of them surrender to both their exhaustions and give in to sleep.

That night, Taehyung dreams of being held in bed.

◇

Taehyung is running at the forest at full speed; his heart beating erratically inside his chest as he forces his legs to run through branches and giant rocks as an attempt to escape his predator. 

I’m gonna catch you, the omega hears.

Taehyung huffs and replies, I wanna see you try.

At that challenge, the sound of a loud and piercing howl— a howl that belongs to an alpha wolf echoes in the air, loud enough to make the birds resting atop of branches to fly away and for small creatures to start running back to each of their hiding places. 

Taehyung himself starts pushing himself to run even faster; skipping vines and tree roots protruding out the earth, slinking through small holes that could fit his body, jumping over small puddles and doing his best to ensure he puts as much distance between him and the predator behind his furry caramel-toned tail.

There’s a stream ahead, which he runs up to, to help cover his tracks– his scent from the alpha and crosses it immediately, looking over his back to look for any signs of the other wolf and huffs in victory when he finds that he lost him completely.

Still, Taehyung continues to run some more to make sure that he loses them completely, even though his breaths are turning ragged by the minute and even when his pink tongue is lolling out of his snout in exhaustion. Only stopping when he scents the air and finds no sign of the alpha tracking him.

Where are you? The omega hears the alpha ask. Stop running away from me.

I’ll stop once you start catching up, the omega replies.

I’m exhausted, the alpha whines, causing the omega to snort as Taehyung begins to climb a steep hill, thinking it would give him a good vantage point to see if the alpha is near or not.

Don’t play games you can’t handle then. Taehyung retorts.

It takes a while for the other wolf to answer, but eventually, the alpha says, Who says I can’t handle it?

Taehyung doesn’t bother answering back, concentrating on reaching the top of the hill using all his strength, until he reaches the summit that has a small clearing where he can rest and be on the lookout for the other wolf.

Sighing, Taehyung finally slows down and stops on one side where there are some tall trees that give him a nice little shade, sniffing the area to make sure everything is clear and marking the spot as his own to ward away others, before he lays down under the shade and anticipates the alpha’s arrival.

When a few minutes pass, and there’s still no sign of any creature making its way to his hill, Taehyung finally allows himself to relax and goes to circle around his spot to find a comfortable position and lays down, sagging in relief as he lets the exhaustion from all that running he did loose.

The forest is quiet, save for the sounds of nature that he’s able to pick up due to his enhanced hearing. He can hear the birds from the forest behind him, the stream from down the hill, leaves swaying along to the breeze of the wind, and so on.

Ideally, it’s something that should calm him completely. Listening to nature has always been something that relaxes him, but for some reason Taehyung can’t shake off the feeling that something is missing— that something isn’t completely right.

He opens his eyes and sits up, looking around the area and finding a couple things amiss, like how some rocks nearby are way too far away from each other. How the small branch nearby is laying on the wrong place and it’s just not arranged how Taehyung wants it to be. And how the area doesn’t smell right despite how everything is covered by his rain and ocean omega pheromones. 

Unable to help himself, Taehyung stands and gets to work so he could start making the spot more comfortable; more right by dragging the misplaced branch and placing it near his shade to enclose him better and make him feel safe. Knocking those rocks together with a paw to make sure that they’re sticking close together and re-scenting the area with his rain and ocean pheromones, hoping it could do the trick.

But it doesn’t.

Something is still not right, even though everything is where they’re supposed to be. 

Taehyung whines under his breath, his caramel ears falling on top of his head as that itching feeling settles at the pit of his stomach, causing him distress as he looks around his half-perfect spot.

Maybe it needs something to help cover his behind? The omega ponders as he looks behind the trees where the dark forest waits. 

Maybe the spot is too exposed? Too open? 

Maybe it needs more of his scent to warn others away?

Feeling anxious, Taehyung circles the area again to leave his scent. Rain and a hint of ocean filling the tiny clearing as an effort to make it feel right– better. Completely forgetting the fact on why he’s up there in the first place, hiding. And totally unaware of what lurks in the shadows, ready to pounce and attack.

Taehyung smells the alpha’s a second too late.

I got you! 

The omega yelps in surprise when a mass of pure unbridled black fur swims in his vision and is knocked to his side. There’s a heavy weight over him, keeping him in place and preventing him from running away again.

Above him, a large black wolf is looking down at him. His red eyes teetering between the line of dangerous and soft, black tail wagging in delight and chest puffed out smugly as he leans down to lick the omega’s fluffy ears.

Taehyung snarls at him, annoyed to lose the game, and playfully bites the alpha to stop him from scenting him.

Caught you, the alpha says, red eyes shining brightly as he looks down at him.

You cheated! Taehyung exclaims, growling at the wolf as he kicks him off of him. You snuck up on me!

The alpha snorts as it takes a step back and sits down next to him while Taehyung stands and shakes the dirt off his coat.

Never let your guard down, Pup. The black wolf— Jeongguk says, clearly fond of him.

Not your pup. Taehyung huffs at him.  

Jeongguk merely leans in to lick his cheek, cleaning the dirt off of his caramel fur with utmost care and gentleness that causes the omega to release a sigh of relief as he sinks down on his shady spot and allows the alpha to take care of him.

What took you so long? The omega asks, peering up at the alpha who’s still busying himself in grooming him.

I was right here all along, Jeongguk says.

How come I didn’t see you? Taehyung asks.

You just weren’t looking properly. The alpha says in amusement.

Taehyung huffs in annoyance as he senses the black wolf lay next to him and perches his head over his neck, permeating a strong gust of bamboo scented pheromones that manages to cling to the omega’s fur and the area easily.

The omega visibly relaxes at the action.

Why were you so stressed, by the way? Jeongguk asks as he nuzzles his neck affectionately.

The omega hums quietly, chest purring as the alpha continues its ministrations in scenting and nuzzling him thoroughly, until you could barely separate the rain and the bamboo apart.

Nothing, Taehyung mumbles. The nest didn’t feel right.

Jeongguk rumbles, laying on the ground so he could look at him properly. Doing his best rendition of a wolfy frown as he meets Taehyung’s eyes. What do you want me to do? He asks.

Taehyung turns to look at the black wolf next to him, and leans up to lick him on the cheek and nuzzles his neck, near the scent gland— where the mating mark should be located.

Nothing. Taehyung purrs, as he inches even closer to the alpha. 

You sure? Jeongguk asks again. Need me to find the perfect branch to build a wall around the nest?

Taehyung nips his ears playfully, feeling appreciative of how thoughtful the other wolf is as he lays down on the forest ground and sticks to the alpha’s side, resting his chin over Jeongguk’s front paws while the latter rests his head over his’.

No, he says. Our nest feels right now. It was only missing you.

The alpha hums at him before he kisses him on the ear one more time, Taehyung nuzzling close to him as his chest vibrates in content. Bamboo and Rain filling the clearing— making the spot theirs.

Taehyung closes his eyes, feeling totally relaxed and protected as Jeongguk cuddles him close.

“I really love your scent, Jeongguk.” he mutters sleepily as he moves even closer to the alpha until there’s hardly any space between them.

There’s a beat of silence— tense and far too long for Taehyung’s liking, that it causes a whine to escape his lips and the scent of distress mixing with his pheromones.

Something Jeongguk easily takes care of by pulling him closer, wounding an arm around his waist and allowing him to nuzzle his neck affectionately, which instantly calms Taehyung down.

“I love your scent too, Baby.” the alpha mutters, hesitant but soft. A tinge amused as he writes something on his waist with his finger. 

“Not your baby.” Taehyung mutters as he inhales deeply, face planted on the alpha’s scent glands and nipping the skin with his teeth, causing the alpha underneath him to stifle a gasp.

“Yeah?” Jeongguk asks, turning to the side and hugging him close as Taehyung continues to bite and nip his skin affectionately. Hand rubbing the alpha’s back as they lock into a tight embrace. “Your actions say otherwise, though.”

Taehyung pouts, opening his eyes to find Jeongguk staring at him with a soft look on his face, red outlining his irises.

“Not your baby yet.” he mutters with a yawn as he returns to his safe spot, which is the juncture between Jeongguk’s shoulder and neck. “You haven’t done anything to make it official.”

Jeongguk merely huffs at him under his breath as he adjusts to make sure Taehyung is safely tucked in his neck. “Are you saying I can finally court you now?” he asks. “Like officially?”

“You mean, you weren’t trying all along?” Taehyung mumbles sleepily.

The alpha chuckles at him softly. “I mean, I tried.”

Taehyung places a kiss on his neck as he scents the alpha with his rain and ocean scent. “Try harder.” he says before he closes his eyes.

Before he completely shuts down, he hears, “I will.” 

◇

Taehyung wakes up to the scent of food in the air, causing his stomach to grumble in protest since he wasn’t able to eat last night, and goes to force his eyes finally open.

There’s sunrays seeping through the glass window next to the bed, emitting a faint orange glow inside the bedroom. Taehyung opens his eyes and finds that he’s alone in bed, the alpha’s side cool under his touch, indicating that it’s been a while since Jeongguk got up.

Yawning, Taehyung lays on his back as he waits for his body to load after waking up, the combined scent of bamboo and rain smothered all over the sheets, reminding the omega of that rather vivid dream he had last night of him and Jeongguk snug in tight embrace in their spiritual wolf forms and eventually in human form.

Taehyung’s cheeks tint a shade of pink as he pulls the blanket over him to hide. “Shit.” he mutters, horrified by the fact that he dreamed of such a thing while Jeongguk was sleeping just a few inches away from him. 

“What the fuck?” Taehyung scolds himself under his breath, as he pulls the blanket— the bamboo and rain scented blanket off of his face and frowns at the ceiling. 

“What has gotten into you? Get a fucking grip.” the omega mumbles, sitting up from bed and climbing out of it so he could go look for Jeongguk.

The placement of the sheets and the duvet hasn’t changed since he fixed them, or rather, since he started arranging the bed into a freaking nest. Honestly, he doesn’t know what went over him last night to trigger his inner wolf to start making one. His heat isn’t due until the next month, and usually, omegas only nest at the comfort of their own home, when they’re in pre-heat, or if they’re feeling safe and comfortable with their mate or intimate partner— none of which was the case.

Feeling embarrassed with himself, he turns to look at the nest— the bed with a pout on his lips, fingers hesitantly grabbing the sheets and pillows he arranged a certain way and dismantling everything so he could start tidying it up, much to his inner omega’s dismay.

From the floor beneath him, he hears Jeongguk hum under his breath as the sound of something sizzling echoes in the house along with the clang of utensils and cabinets opening and closing.

Taehyung can’t help but think of how domestic it is— at how natural and normal it is to wake up to Jeongguk making breakfast for the two of them while he makes the bed. But then again, the dream of him and Jeongguk entangled in an embrace is still fresh in his mind, so he brushes it off as nothing like always, refusing to define this weird situation and turn it into something that it’s not.

Once he finishes making the bed, he climbs down the stairs and finds Jeongguk with his back turned to him, hands busy mixing something into a bowl while something cooks on the stove behind him.

“Hey. You’re awake.” Jeongguk says as he turns to find him climbing down, his hands still whisking something in a small bowl and placing it next to the stove before he grabs a spatula to flip, what looks like bacon, on the frying pan. “Brunch should be done in a few minutes. Have a seat.”

Taehyung nods at the alpha wordlessly as heads towards the stools by the bar table and sits down. Noting how Jeongguk appears to act normal, making him relax since it looks like the night didn’t go how he thought it did.

It seems Jeongguk has been awake for a long time already, considering that he looks like he just got out of the shower since there's a towel dangling around his shoulders and his dark hair looks slightly damp. He also changed out of his sleeping clothes into something casual, with some loose, low-hanging jeans with some rips on the knees, a black shirt and some chain necklaces dangling around his neck.

Plus there’s a rather huge grin on his face too— a grin far too wide, that has the omega raising an eyebrow at him.

“You seem to be in a good mood this morning.” Taehyung observes loudly,  his voice still scratchy from sleep as he watches the alpha cook.

Jeongguk chuckles as he transfers the bacon into the plate next to the stove before reaching for another bowl he was whisking earlier that’s filled with what looks like scrambled eggs, cheese, herbs, and mushrooms in them.

“I slept really well last night.” the alpha shrugs at him, pouring the eggs into the pan and stirring them. “The bed was really comfortable. Don’t you think so?”

You mean the nest, Taehyung’s inner wolf interjects, causing him to purse his lips.

“It wasn’t so bad. I mean, I do feel well rested, so I supposed it was good too.” Taehyung mutters, feeling his stomach rumble at the sight of the savory sight of food that Jeongguk is making. 

Jeongguk seems to hear his stomach, since he looks in his direction with his eyebrows scrunching. “You hungry?” he asks. But before Taehyung can utter a word, the alpha is already heading towards the refrigerator and is taking some packaged gimbap out.

“I told you you should have eaten something last night.” Jeongguk says, placing the food in front of him. “It’s bad to skip meals.”

“We were kind of preoccupied last night.” Taehyung replies, taking the saran wrap off and picking one of the sliced gimbap with his fingers and taking a bite.

“I suppose, but still, you shouldn’t skip meals.” the alpha tells him as he returns to the eggs and begins flipping it on the pan. “I got you some assorted gimbap, since I’m not sure what you prefer.”

“I tend to lose all preferences when I’m hungry so this is perfect,” the omega says, swallowing the gimbap and grabbing another one. “What about you? Have you eaten already?”

“No. Not yet.” Jeongguk shakes his head, grabbing some rice and placing it inside the microwave to heat. “I’ll eat after this.”

“Here.” Taehyung gestures to the gimbap. “Have a snack.”

“I’ll try it later. I don’t want the eggs to burn.” 

And it must be because his brain is still muddled with sleep, or maybe it’s something else, but Taehyung leans in to feed the alpha some gimbap, catching Jeongguk a bit by surprise but he eats the food Taehyung offers nonetheless with a smile.

“Thanks.” Jeongguk chews as he goes back to the eggs and sprinkling some salt and a bit of pepper in them.

Taehyung shrugs as he goes back to snacking on the gimbap. Wearing the usual nonchalant look on his face to make it seem like it wasn’t a big deal.

“What time is it by the way?” he asks once Jeongguk turns the stove off and transfers it on the plate next to the bacon.

“It’s a little after twelve noon last I checked.” the alpha answers, causing Taehyung to widen his eyes at him.

“Wait? Really?” Taehyung asks, pulling his phone out of his pajama’s pocket and finds that it’s nearly one o’clock already. “Why didn’t you wake me? Shouldn’t we get going? What time is our check out? We should—”

“Relax.” Jeongguk cuts him off in an easygoing tone as he walks over to him with the plate of food and places it on the bar table. “I already spoke to Joongki hyungnim on the phone, and our check out time is six in the evening since we came in late. We have time to chill for a bit before we head back to Seoul.”

“But traffic is going to be terrible, though.” Taehyung sighs. “It’s Friday and you know how it is. We’re not avoiding rush hour at this rate.”

Jeongguk hums as he sets the table with two plates and two sets of chopsticks. “Joongki hyungnim also mentioned that there’s a festival today, so I guess it’s going to be twice as bad.”

Taehyung groans. “We should have set an alarm.” 

“I did, actually.” the alpha chuckles, causing Taehyung to turn to look at him with his eyebrows pulled together. “You slept through it.”

“Well, you should have woken me up,” Taehyung retorts. “We could have left early so we could reach Seoul before sundown.”

“I didn’t really want to wake you, honestly. You were, uhm, sleeping well.” Jeongguk replies, the ghost of a smile appearing at the corner of his lips, causing the omega to frown at him suspiciously. “Plus we had a long day yesterday, so I figured you could use the extra hours of sleep.”

“Was I fidgety last night?” Taehyung asks, cutting right to the chase. The question makes a grin appear on Jeongguk’s face— making Taehyung’s eyes grow big. “I was. Wasn’t I?”

“You weren’t so bad. Don’t worry,” Jeongguk shrugs in a seemingly nonchalant manner. “It was nothing I couldn’t handle.”

The omega raises an eyebrow at him, trying to read his face to check if he’s missing something. But Jeongguk merely grins at him boyishly, bunny-like, as he wipes his face with the towel dangling around his shoulders. 

“Plus I wanted to sleep in some more too.” the alpha adds. “Like I said, the ne– bed was so comfortable. I didn’t want to get up and drive just yet, so I turned it off and went back to sleep.”

“Well, I could have driven us home if you were so tired.” Taehyung replies as he grabs his chopsticks and starts to divide the food into two while Jeongguk goes to grab the rice he was heating in the microwave. 

“There’s no use in whining about it now,” Jeongguk says, returning with the rice and placing it on the table. “I mean, we’re already late, so I suggest we make the most out of our situation instead.”

Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him, watching the alpha slowly peel the lid off of the instant rice and fanning the steam off of the rice with a hand to help cool it faster. A sight that has the corner of Taehyung’s lips twitching into a faint smile.

“How do you suggest we do that?” Taehyung asks.

“Well—” Jeongguk says slowly as he sits on the empty chair next to him and hands him one of the rice. 

Taehyung helps himself to the food that the alpha made and stifles a moan as soon as a burst of flavor hits his mouth.

Honestly, what is Jeongguk not good at? The omega thinks to himself with a pout as he grabs another bite to eat. Totally unaware of the alpha grinning at him from ear to ear as he watches Taehyung eat.

“Uhm, like I said,” Jeongguk continues as he also starts helping himself to the food. “Joongki hyungnim mentioned a festival near the area, and he said there’s going to be food stalls of different varieties. Some parlor games and a few shops too—”

Taehyung notices the careful tone that Jeongguk is using; almost as if the alpha’s scared to say something that would upset him. 

To be fair, Jeongguk has every right to walk around eggshells with him considering Taehyung has always declined his invitations in the past— whether it’s something as innocent as eating lunch together during their breaks, eating dinner after a long night of doing overtime, or in this case, killing some time while they’re out on a work trip.

There’s always this stubborn part of him that wants to push Jeongguk away as far as possible and make sure to keep him a distance away— to run away, like he did in the dream.

But this time, Taehyung finds it harder to reject the alpha’s suggestive remark considering Jeongguk took it upon himself to buy them groceries the night before and cook for the two of them without being asked to.

And if it weren’t for Jeongguk, he wouldn’t even be there in the first place. He wouldn’t be given the opportunity to lead an important project all on his own and is faced with the possibility of a promotion too, since he was praised for his good work.

Plus, there’s just something so hopeful in Jeongguk’s eyes that’s causing him to let his guard down for some reason— that’s making Taehyung feel a certain way.

And it’s enough to convince the omega of what the alpha is suggesting despite his hesitation.

“Do you maybe want to check it out?” Taehyung asks in what he hopes is a composed tone as he takes a small bite of the bacon, subtly glancing at the other and finding Jeongguk’s eyes slightly widening in a mix of shock and relief.

The corner of Taehyung’s lips twists into a small smile. 

“I mean, like you said, traffic is going to be a bitch, so why not make the most of our time while we’re here. Right?” Taehyung continues, eyes focused on his plate. “The festival sounds fun.”

“Yeah sure, definitely!” Jeongguk replies eagerly, not even bothering to hide his excitement. “We can go after eating and have a look around! I’m sure it’s going to be worth our while.”

It makes Taehyung smile grow wider, since he really likes Jeongguk’s genuinity. Alphas usually tend to hide their emotions as a means to act all macho and dominant, but Jeongguk isn’t like that at all. He isn’t afraid of showing his emotions and he wears his heart proudly on his sleeve. Some would call it childish but Taehyung likes to look at it as being honest. 

“Sounds good to me. I’ll have to take a shower first, though. And we should probably start packing—” Taehyung trails off as he turns to look at Jeongguk and finds something that slightly looks amiss with him.

“What happened to your neck?” Taehyung asks in a slightly worried tone, as he puts his chopsticks down to look at alpha closer. His omega instincts taking over at the sight of the bandaids that’s plastered on the side of Jeongguk’s neck and the purple bruises covering it.

“Oh.” Jeongguk places a hand over the bandaids to cover them, his neck flushing as Taehyung takes the towel off of shoulders to get a closer look. “Yeah, uh, don’t worry about it. It’s not as bad as it looks.”

“But what happened, though?” Taehyung asks.

“A, uhm, huge bug bit me last night.”

Taehyung frowns at the alpha in disbelief. “A bug?” he repeats, raising an eyebrow. “What kind of bug? Your neck looks red and a bit bruised. You sure nothing attacked you last night?”

It takes a while for Jeongguk to reply since the alpha is taking his time to chew and swallow his food. Taehyung watches him with an eyebrow raised. Feeling like he’s missing something very important but he just can’t place his finger on it.

Eventually, Jeongguk shrugs and shoots him a reassuring smile. “I guess you could say that,” he says in a vague tone. “It was, uhm, a really really big bug. It nearly bit a mark on my neck last night.”

Taehyung blinks at him repeatedly as the memory of his dream last night resurfaces in his mind, and wonders if it was really a dream, or… 

Taehyung shakes his head as he turns to look away from the bandaids on the alpha’s neck, his cheeks flushing crimson at the possibility that he’s the bug that Jeongguk is referring to, and choosing to take the alpha’s word for it if he even wants to survive spending the day with him. 

“You should have slapped it away.” the omega mutters as he takes another bite of his food, avoiding the piercing gaze the alpha is sending his way.

Jeongguk chuckles under his breath. “Yeah well, I didn’t want to.” he mutters.

◇

Taehyung can see the appeal of these festivals. 

He can see the allure of being in the same place with so many other wolves where loud music is playing at the overhead speakers, along with the excited chatter of everyone there. The nostalgia at seeing young pups run around with their friends to win a prize at some parlor game, the sight of different seasonal dishes displayed that you can try out seasonally, and just the overall atmosphere where everyone is there to have a great time.

He can see it. He really does. However— he can’t exactly say that it appeals to him the same way everyone else feels about them.

“Oops, sorry.” 

Taehyung stifles an annoyed groan as he nods at another stranger who stepped on his foot by accident, his eyebrows scrunching in annoyance and lips extending into an aggravated pout.

He’s not usually this easily annoyed when some minor accidents like these happen. Nor is he the type to complain about tight crowds since he’s been living in Seoul for over ten years already and has gotten used to the hustle and bustle of city life. 

Taehyung is no complainer. He’s really not. But for some reason, he can’t help but feel a little more irate today than normal. Like there’s something crawling under his skin that he can’t get rid off or brush off easily like he always does.

Perhaps it’s because the sun is hotter than usual today since spring is upon them, causing his sweat to stick to his skin and making everyone else’s scent smell more potent than usual, giving Taehyung a headache. Or maybe it’s because there’s more people than he anticipated who went there, making it hard for him to enjoy the festivities more and look for those delicious looking chocolate covered strawberries that everyone else has been munching on.

Either way, Taehyung feels slightly peeved as he slinks through the thick crowds to get from one place to another and be a little more hissy than normal at any given mild inconvenience.

Plus, it doesn’t help that his mood is affecting Jeongguk either. 

Jeongguk, who has done nothing but check on him from time to time with his eyebrows pulled together in concern and has been asking him repeatedly if he was alright, since the alpha could probably smell the slight distress that’s mixing with his scent.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” Jeongguk asks for what felt like the thousandth time, as he and the alpha pass by a couple of food stalls with long lines on each of them. 

Taehyung attempts to shoot him a reassuring smile, but he feels like it came out as a grimace instead, since the frown on Jeongguk’s face only grows deeper.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” he tells the other, sighing at himself for even feeling this way, since he didn’t want to ruin the mood. “Sorry. I guess it’s just really hot out today and there’s way too many people around.”

“Do you want to rest for a bit?” the alpha asks. “There’s a park down the road that we could stop by and cool down if you want. There shouldn’t be a lot of people there too, since it’s a bit hidden.”

“What about those fishcakes you wanted, though?” Taehyung asks. But there’s a huge part of him that wants to rest for a bit and to get away from all this chaos since his wolf is starting to feel antsy by all the different scents.

Jeongguk seems to know what’s on his mind, though. He always does for some reason, since the alpha merely grins at him— more reassuring-looking compared to Taehyung’s failed attempts and shrugs at him.

“I can get them next time instead,” he says. “I’m not really hungry anyway. I was just curious about them.”

“You sure?” the omega asks, still slightly hesitant. 

“Yeah. Don’t worry about me.” Jeongguk smiles as places a hand on the small of Taehyung’s back and leads the way towards the park he’s talking about. “I’m more concerned about you. You’re starting to look a bit flushed, Baby.”

Taehyung scoffs at him. “Not your baby.” he mutters. Grateful he has an excuse to look redder than usual to hide his flusteredness before they walk down the road with Jeongguk leading the way.

The alpha’s hand is still protectively keeping Taehyung close and is permeating a gust of his comforting bamboo to help ward the other scents away as if Jeongguk knows that it’s part of the reason why Taehyung’s acting that way.

Taehyung honestly doesn’t know how Jeongguk does it— how he appears to know exactly what Taehyung needs without him having to say a single thing. 

He likes to think that Jeongguk is like this with everyone else, however, there’s a small part of him that also thinks that maybe, just maybe, that treatment is only reserved for him.

Maybe.

After a few minutes of walking, they eventually reach the park that Jeongguk is talking about that’s just a couple feet away from the main festivities; equipped with the usual park benches at the side under the shade of some tall trees. A playground in the middle where a few pups were playing under the watchful eyes of their parents. Some people lounging on top of their blankets that’s splayed on the grass, and a cool breeze that instantly makes the tension on Taehyung’s shoulder disappear.

Jeongguk leads him to one of the empty park benches under a large oak tree that gives them a nice shade, that eerily reminds Taehyung of the dream he had of him and Jeongguk as wolves.

The omega instantly slumps down on the bench, leaning back with a relieved sigh escaping his lips as he closes his eyes to revel on the scent-free air— or rather, Jeongguk’s soothing bamboo.

He senses Jeongguk sit next to him quietly, giving him the time to collect himself, until Taehyung feels relieved enough to open his eyes and to find Jeongguk already looking at him.

Taehyung clears his throat as he shifts his attention to look at the pups instead, as an attempt to hide his flushed cheeks.

“You feeling better?” Jeongguk asks in a soft tone.

“Yeah.” the omega nods, briefly meeting the alpha’s eyes and shooting him a small smile. “Thanks.”

Jeongguk nods back, tongue poking the inside of his cheek as he leans his elbows on his thighs. “You don’t need to thank me,” he mutters. “I mean, I was the one who suggested going out here in the first place.”

For some reason the alpha sounds slightly disappointed, but not towards Taehyung, but at himself. Taehyung scrunches his eyebrows as he looks at him, and finds Jeongguk with his eyebrows slightly scrunching and lips jutting out in a small pout.

The corner of Taehyung’s lips twists into a small smile. “To be fair, it is fun, alright?” He reassures him in a gentle tone. “Don’t be so hard on yourself.”

“Yeah, well, I kind of imagined things going differently in my head,” the alpha replies as he meets his eyes. “But I didn’t think it would be this crowded. Last year’s festival was pretty chill— or at least, it didn’t take us at least thirty minutes to hop from one stall to another since the lines weren’t as long.”

“Oh. So, you’ve been here before?”

“I actually lived here with my family ever since I was born,” Jeongguk reveals with a grin, causing the omega’s eyes to widen. “I only moved to Seoul around three years ago when I got promoted at my old job.”

Taehyung hums at him, nodding.

He never really bothered, or more like, attempted to talk casually with the alpha before since he’s intentionally making their relationship professional, but he sometimes wonders about Jeongguk and his past. 

He wonders about the people who raised him to be this polite and considerate person, and meld him to become the type of alpha who protects with honest intentions instead of the typical ones who just boasts their egos around as if it's their biggest trophy.

He wonders what Jeongguk liked to do when he’s off work; what his hobbies, his likes and dislikes are. How he managed to befriend someone like Kim Namjoon, while working at a different company.

He wonders about the alpha’s goals in life— how he sees himself in the future, since it looks like Jeongguk has only been looking out for others more instead of himself.

Taehyung has all these questions in his head that he hasn’t had the chance— that he has never allowed himself the permission to ask.

But it looks like now’s his chance to fill in the missing blanks.

With a deep breath, Taehyung focuses on the view in front of him, hyper aware of the inches separating him and Jeongguk, before he asks, “Tell me something about yourself.”

It seems the question catches Jeongguk a bit off guard, since Taehyung senses him looking in his direction. But the alpha doesn’t comment on it. Instead, he says, “What do you want to know?”

Taehyung shrugs at him. “You said you lived here all your life, right?” he asks. “Did you plan on moving out to the city?”

“Actually—” Jeongguk says, sounding deep in thought as he leans back on the bench. “I didn’t really want to leave Busan. I like it here. I mean, I like living close to my moms and it’s not really as stressful here compared to Seoul.”

“You have two moms?” Taehyung questions with a soft smile, but as he thinks of it more, it makes sense why Jeongguk is the gentle alpha he is now. 

“Yeah.” Jeongguk chuckles.

“You should have stopped by to visit them while we’re here in Busan if that’s the case.”

“I see them more than enough, actually,” Jeongguk snorts, grinning softly. “I drive here every once in a while to spend some time with them, cause if I don’t, they usually come knocking at my door, worried out of their minds even after telling them that I’m fine.”

Taehyung grins at the image. “They sound sweet.” he mutters.

“They are.” Jeongguk replies, sharing a look with him as a cool breeze sways in their direction and causes Jeongguk’s cool bamboo scent to Taehyung's face, effectively making the omega feel even more relaxed.

“You’ll like them.” the alpha adds with a smile. Taehyung tries not to think too much about what Jeongguk is possibly implying. “Especially my mama.”

“Your mama?” Taehyung repeats, feeling fond of him.

Jeongguk’s smile widens, not looking embarrassed at all, which only makes Taehyung even more fond of the other. “Yeah. My omega mom.” he explains. “She’s kind of like you, actually. People think she’s cold and a bit distant, but she’s actually the kindest person I’ve ever known.”

Taehyung chuckles quietly, licking his lips as he looks at the other. “I’m not really kind, though,” he mutters dryly. “I’m just— civil around everyone. But I don’t consider myself kind, or at least, not as kind as you think I am.”

The alpha scrunches his eyebrows at him, looking offended. “But you are.” he says in a serious tone. “You’re actually really kind, B– Taehyung. You should give yourself more credit.”

“Oh yeah? What makes you say that?” Taehyung raises a challenging eyebrow at the alpha as he turns to face him with his arms crossed. “I mean, I’m usually quiet at work. I tend to keep to myself and am pretty lowkey all the time, so what makes you think that?”

“Cause I see you.” Jeongguk simply says, bunny teeth poking out his lips as he meets the omega’s gaze. “I see you bring Hobi coffee every morning, sometimes it comes with a cupcake when you know he’s going to be busy catching up on deadlines all day.”

The omega was just opening his mouth to reply, only to be stopped by Jeongguk raising a hand in between them.

“You also offer to make photocopies for anyone who needs it every time you go to the copier,” the alpha continues to list off. “You always carry around some tylenol in case someone needs it. You stay in after meeting to clean up after everyone. There’s a stray cat that loiters outside the office building, and a little birdie told me you feed it everyday. You’re so kind, but you never let anyone else see it.”

Taehyung’s retort gets stuck in his throat, since he didn’t really expect Jeongguk to notice it. 

The alpha isn’t exactly wrong about him trying to hide that certain part about him. His older brother always used to warn him about it before— about having a heart that’s too big; a heart that could easily be taken advantage of. 

It’s part of the reason why he tries to keep a straight face all the time. It’s a tactic to keep everyone else within a safe distance away. Close, but not quite. Not close enough to allow them to worm their way into his stupid little heart, at least.

He meets the alpha’s eyes, his throat bobbing nervously as he licks his lips. “It’s nothing.” Taehyung shrugs, tone blank. 

Jeongguk could somehow see right through him, since he doesn’t take offense to his dismissive tone, and even manages to smile softly.

“Exactly.” he says. “You see it as nothing, so that makes you kinder.”

Taehyung’s eyes start to sting a little, causing him to look away and focus on something else instead.

He can’t understand why his emotions are all over the place, honestly. He heard a handful of praises from other wolves before meeting Jeongguk and he hardly batted an eye at them. Thinking, they’re just empty words. Words designed to make you feel a certain way— fabricated.

But the way the alpha says them tugs a heartstring. It hits where it’s supposed to, it makes an impact. But then again, it’s Jeongguk who says them— Jeongguk, who has been truthful to him up front so far.

He senses Jeongguk pick up on his change of mood, since he can smell the bamboo oozing out of him in gentle waves— a way to comfort, in a way.

Taehyung isn’t sure what to make of it.

“What about you, though?” Jeongguk asks in a casual tone, swiftly changing the topic and seemingly unaware of the battle going on in Taehyung’s head. 

“What about me?” Taehyung asks.

“Tell me something about you too.” the alpha says, leaning a tattooed arm over his backrest as the two of them watch the pups play in the playground. 

Taehyung snorts at him lightly. “There’s nothing much to share,” he replies. “I’m not really an interesting person.”

“I have to disagree.” Jeongguk smiles at him easily, trying to light up the mood with his gentle teasing. Again, already knowing what Taehyung needs without being told. 

“Tell me about yourself,” the alpha encourages. “Have you always lived in Seoul or did you live in the countryside too? Do you live alone? Stuff like that. Help me piece the puzzle together.”

Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him. “Puzzle?” he asks.

“Yeah.” Jeongguk nods at him. “You’re one hard puzzle to piece together, so help me see you better.”

“I’m not some type of game.” the omega scoffs at him.

“I didn’t say you were.” the other replies. “I’m just trying to get to know you more. That’s all.”

The omega sighs at the other, still a bit hesitant to open up, but there’s just something about the view, the large oak tree that’s giving them a cool shade, and the way Jeongguk kind of has an arm on his back that makes him want to.

So he lets him in. Kind of.

“What’s the puzzle looking like right now?” Taehyung asks, looking at him.

Jeongguk grins. “Well, apart from what I just said, I know you don’t like spicy food and that you’re kinda bad at drinking alcohol— but you won’t admit the last part, though.” he says teasingly.

Taehyung clicks his tongue at him, but he’s slowly starting to relax due to the alpha’s playfulness.

“For one, I am good at drinking alcohol,” he starts to say, making the alpha raise an eyebrow at him. “You just caught me at a bad time.”

“Sure.” Jeongguk laughs, making Taehyung rolls his eyes at him.

“And second, well, I grew up in Daegu. I moved to Seoul ten years ago for college and lived with my brother for a bit until I graduated and found a job,” Taehyung reveals. “RKIVE is actually the company I stayed the longest in, honestly.”

“Really? How come?”

Taehyung shrugs. “It sucks to be an omega in the corporate world sometimes,” he tells him bluntly. “There’s too many… predators , I guess. I had to get out before I turn into their prey.”

“Sorry to hear,” the alpha replies quietly, nodding at him in acknowledgement. “I know it sucks for your ranks, and I honestly wish things would progress about that sort of stuff— but hey, at least you’re on the right track. Namjoon is pretty progressive about equality and stuff, so you’re in good hands.”

Taehyung smiles, remembering the time he briefly exchanged a few words with their CEO at one of their company parties. He was only working at RKIVE for a couple months at the time and he remembers having a few drinks at the open bar when Kim Namjoon stopped by to get a drink.

At first he thought Namjoon was going to ignore him, considering he’s fairly new to the company and is an omega at that. But the CEO surprisingly turned to him with a kind smile and complimented his sweater.

Taehyung was a mess. Plus it didn’t help that he had already taken a couple drinks, and proceeded to bow at the alpha in gratitude. Namjoon merely chuckled at him and told him to drop the formalities since they’re at a party and was there to loosen up. 

He remembers talking to Namjoon about the artwork displayed behind the bar, and exchanged a few praises about it for some time, until the CEO had to go to attend to his other visitors.

But Taehyung clearly remembers to this day at how Kim Namjoon told him that he had an eye for art and that he could definitely see him grow in his company in the future— words that Taehyung held on to to this day, regardless if Namjoon remembers it or not since he was the first boss, let alone a CEO, to believe in him.

“Yeah.” Taehyung replies with a smile. “He seems very well educated and nice. He appears to be great at what he does.”

Jeongguk snorts, grinning as he shakes his head. “You should see him in his apartment,” he says. “That man could barely cook an egg without burning it. But I do agree with the others. He is a good boss and person. ”

Taehyung rolls his eyes at him. “I forgot you were friends for a second.” he says. “Did you met in school or something?”

“Yeah. He was my roommate in grad school and eventually became one of my closest friends.” Jeongguk replies. “We kept in touch after graduating, and he’s—”

Jeongguk trails off, chuckling under his breath as he licks his lips. Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him in question.

“He’s what?”

“Nothing.” Jeongguk shakes his head. “It’s kind of Namjoon’s personal business, so I don’t want to say too much. I’m already way too involved in it and I prefer to keep out of it, if you don’t mind.”

Taehyung hums at him in understanding, but he can’t help but wonder what that’s about nonetheless. He recalls what Jeongguk told him before about Namjoon owing him a favor and vice versa, and wonders if that’s what Jeongguk means.

Still, Taehyung doesn’t want to overstep and decides to leave it for now. Checking the time on his watch to see that it's only past four in the afternoon, giving them enough time to try and enjoy the festival some more before needing to take their leave by sundown.

“Do you want to go back and find those fishcakes you wanted?” he asks, looking at the alpha next to him. “We still have time to look for them if you want.”

“Only if you want.” Jeongguk replies in an easy-going tone. “There are bigger… fishcakes to catch, after all. I don’t mind missing a small bite.”

Taehyung snorts and rolls his eyes at him, before he stands and pulls the alpha back so they could go back to the fair.

This time, he doesn’t let go of the hold he had around the alpha’s arm— something Jeongguk doesn’t point out as they walk side by side and leave the shade behind them.

“Tell me another thing.” Taehyung asks as they walk.

Jeongguk grins. “As long as you tell me something in return too.”

This time, Taehyung allows himself to give in.

He didn’t really share the appeal when it comes to festivals due a long list of reasons, but with Jeongguk right next to him, he’s slowly starting to think otherwise.

◇

Night has already settled by the time he and Jeongguk park in front of Taehyung’s building, with the roads free of any cars or people, the streetlights emitting a faint golden glow, and Seoul somewhat looking more peaceful.

Surprisingly, the rest of their stop at the festival wasn’t as unbearable as it was compared to when they first got there, since a lot of the festival-goers moved on from the stalls and games to the stage that’s set up in different area where some local idol was going to perform, and making their stroll around the area nicer and easier.

And no — it’s not because Jeongguk made sure to keep their arms linked together throughout the entire time as they looked through shops and stalls despite the extra space they were given, while they did a round of twenty questions.

Nope. It’s not that.

Taehyung’s inner omega snorts at him defeatedly. Idiot, it mutters.

Taehyung ignores it as he climbs down Jeongguk’s car with his bag slung around over his shoulder and while Jeongguk does the same to help him carry his luggage out the trunk of his car.

“I told you, you didn’t have to get down,” the omega chides, rolling his eyes at him, while Jeongguk places the suitcase down on the ground. “I could have done it myself.”

Jeongguk merely grins at him, wide and boyish with his bunny-teeth poking out his lips. “I know you could, but I wanted to do it anyway.” he says easily, rocking back and forth in his heels as he scratches his neck— the area where the bandages are located.

An area that Taehyung has been avoiding looking at the entire day and is not bringing up due to the answers he’s not really ready, or is eager to learn about yet. Or ever, for that matter.

Still, he gestures towards them with an awkward nod of his head and says, “Put some ointment on your, uhm, bite or something. We wouldn’t want people in the office gossiping about that, uhm, bug bite.”

Jeongguk slightly grimaces as he nods at him slowly, poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue and clearing his throat. “Yeah, I will.” he mumbles. “But I think it should be gone by Monday, though. So, there’s nothing to worry about.”

Taehyung can’t help but notice how slightly disappointed the alpha sounded at the mention of his bug bite fading— but again, he doesn’t want to ask and just licks his lips as he adjusts the strap of his bag on his shoulders and grabs the handle of his luggage.

For some reason, it’s kind of weird to say goodbye to Jeongguk after spending nearly two days with him.

In retrospect two days isn’t really long, but considering Jeongguk was practically glued to his hip the entire time, has made him feel comfortable and at ease, and has taken it upon himself to take care of him, it kind of feels a little bittersweet to part ways with him.

Plus it doesn’t help that Jeongguk appears to feel the same way and is not making any moves to climb back inside his car and begin his drive back home.

Silence fills the space surrounding them, their unsaid words hanging in the air, waiting to be spoken out loud.

Taehyung re-adjusts the bag over his shoulder, feeling his cheeks burn at the thought of what he’s hiding there as he waits for Jeongguk to break the silence. Not wanting to be the one to pop that weird bubble around them.

Eventually, Jeongguk releases a deep breath as he licks his lips and smiles at Taehyung.

“Thank you for coming to the trip, Bab– Taehyung.” the alpha says, his tone slightly shaky but oozing with softness nonetheless as he meets Taehyung’s eyes. “You did really good back there. You should be proud of yourself.”

“Thanks.” Taehyung mutters with a tight lipped smile, slowly nodding at the alpha. “I– uhm, thanks for thinking of taking me, too. It’s really gonna help me out, you know?”

A tender smile graces Jeongguk’s lips. “You said you wanted to succeed, remember?” he replies. “I’m just here to help make that happen. That’s all.”

“Still, it means a lot to me. I– I really appreciate it, Jeongguk,” the omega replies, his hands fidgeting with the contents of his bag as he searches for something that he meant to give the alpha earlier, but never really had the chance to do because he’s been beating himself up about it. 

Or at least, until now.

Taehyung bites his lips as he pulls a paper bag out his sling bag and presses it towards the alpha’s chest, looking away to hide his tainted red cheeks and causing Jeongguk to scrunch his eyebrows at it in confusion before checking to see what’s inside.

“I got you this.” the omega mutters quietly as he looks down at his feet, hyper aware of the crinkling sound of the paper bag. “It’s not much, but— I knew you wanted it, so—”

He hears Jeongguk chuckle softly, his soothing bamboo scent mixing with something that the omega can’t pinpoint. Something good, but also, something that oddly terrifies him a little.

“You hunted a fishcake for me.” Jeongguk grins wide as he holds one of those special flavored fishcakes between them. 

Taehyung snorts at him and shakes his head. Though, the corner of his lips twists into a small smile.

They spent the rest of the afternoon hunting for those special fish cakes while they walked around, but to no avail. Jeongguk had already forgotten about them by the time they were ready to go back to the house they were renting.

But while Jeongguk excused himself to go to the bathroom before leaving, Taehyung coincidentally found the stall selling them by the entrance and wasted no time, and bought the last one— almost as if he’s meant to find it.

Taehyung tells him as much. “I found them when you went to the restroom.” he shrugs. “I guess our efforts weren’t for nothing after all.”

Jeongguk laughs as he places the fishcake back inside the paper bag, and shoots the omega with a smile. “Thank you,” he says. “I’ll make sure to heat it up and plate it well once I get home.”

The omega scoffs at him. “No need for all that. It’s just a fishcake.” he says, shaking his head. “You can eat it on your way back if you want.”

“No.” Jeongguk says in a determined tone. “It’s special. I mean, you found it for me, after all.”

“It’s nothing.”

“It’s not.” the alpha retorts. “It’s something. At least to me, it is.”

Taehyung decides not to argue any further, finally releasing the breath he was holding as he pulls his luggage towards him so he could head back to his apartment and let the alpha go home and rest.

He was just opening his mouth to bid his farewell, but before he can utter a word, Jeongguk’s eyes suddenly widened as if he remembered something, and without saying a single word, Jeongguk runs back to his car and opens the backdoor seat.

Taehyung looks at him with eyebrows scrunched as he stays rooted in place, wondering what has gotten into the alpha.

Before he can ask Jeongguk about it, the alpha returns with something in his hands that has Taehyung freezing and shooting the other a stunned look.

At the alpha’s hand is a large plastic cup filled with the strawberry covered chocolates he was silently craving earlier— the strawberries he caught no sign of while he and Jeongguk were out looking for those fishcakes.

The strawberries he doesn’t remember telling Jeongguk about.

Almost as if the alpha could read his mind, Jeongguk says, “Like I said earlier, I see you.”

Taehyung releases a stuttering breath as he looks down at the simple but otherwise meaningful gift that the alpha gave him. Unable to control the smile that’s appearing at the corner of his lips, before he looks up to meet Jeongguk’s eyes.

“I—” he starts to say, his chest beginning to crack as he slowly starts to let go.

But before Taehyung can get a word out his lips, the smell of firewood fills the area, along with the sound of soft footsteps that’s coming from the apartment building’s entrance.

The bubble bursts almost immediately, causing Taehyung to shake his head and take a step back so he could look at the wolf— the alpha wolf that’s approaching their way.

“Tae, what’s taking you so long?” Taehyung hears him say, his tone borderline concerned and threatening as the elder looks at him and Jeongguk.

From behind him, he senses Jeongguk tense. His bamboo scent mixing with dominance as an intent to make the other alpha back off.

Something that the other isn’t affected by since he merely stops next to them and crosses his arms. An eyebrow raised impatiently as he waits for Taehyung to answer him.

Taehyung clears his throat as he looks down at his shoes. “Sorry, hyung,” he mumbles. “I was just saying goodbye to my, uhm, boss.”

“Boss?” his brother repeats, frowning at them impatiently. “Well, go on and say goodbye then. It’s past midnight already.”

Taehyung sighs as he nods at the elder and turns to shoot Jeongguk an apologetic smile. “Sorry,” he mutters. “Brothers, am I right?”

Jeongguk, looking slightly taken aback, turns to him and shoots him a small smile. “Yeah, I know a thing or two about siblings.” he mutters, before he takes a step back to head back to his car. “Have a goodnight, Taehyung. I’ll see you on Monday.”

“See you.” Taehyung mutters with an awkward smile, before Jeongguk finally starts walking to the driver’s side of the car and is driving away a few minutes later.

He hears his brother clear his throat behind him, causing Taehyung to sigh frustratedly before he turns around to look at the elder alpha.

“What’s with the whole act, hyung?” he grumbles as he starts making his way back inside the building with his brother in tow.

“I should ask you the same thing,” the elder replies in a lazy tone as he and Taehyung climb up the steps together. “What’s with those puppy dog eyes you were shooting that other alpha with?” 

“He’s just my boss.” Taehyung says as the two of them enter the building and head towards the elevators. “So, quit trying to turn it into something that’s not.”

“Are you sure about that?” the other asks as Taehyung presses the elevator button. 

“Yes, hyung.” The omega replies in an annoyed tone.

“What about him?” the alpha raises an eyebrow at him. “Does he know that he’s just your boss?”

“Yoongi hyung.” Taehyung deadpans as he shoots his brother a tired look.

Yoongi merely shrugs at him before the elevator door opens and enters inside. “Just looking out for you, pup.”

“Not a pup.” Taehyung says as the elevator door closes.

“You are to me, little one.” Yoongi scoffs as he leans back on the elevators and crosses his arms. 

Taehyung could only groan and hope that his brother’s mate is there to save him.

Chapter Text

“Are you just gonna sit there and stare at me or what, hyung?”

Taehyung turns around with an annoyed breath escaping his lips as he crosses his arms and shoots his elder brother a blank look. 

Funnily enough, Yoongi is wearing a similar look on his face and has his arms folded too; looking like a petulant child as he slouches back on the omega’s vanity chair and raises an eyebrow at him.

“What?” Yoongi asks in a blank tone. “Can’t I sit here and watch?”

“You and I both know that that’s not why you’re here.” Taehyung replies, staring down at the alpha. “Just ask what you want to ask and leave me alone.”

“That’s no way to speak to your hyung.” Yoongi counters back.

Taehyung can only sigh at him as he shakes his head and returns his attention to emptying his luggage, ignoring the scrutinizing look Yoongi kept throwing his way and delaying the inevitable talk the elder clearly wants to have.

A lot of people would argue that being the youngest of the family has more pros than cons. Like how they’re the most spoiled, the most coddled, and sometimes people say they tend to be the secret favorite child regardless if their parents admit it or not.

Taehyung likes to think that that’s not the case for their family considering his parents has given him and Yoongi everything they could want and need growing up with no biases, whether its basketball boot camp for Yoongi, advanced drawing classes for Taehyung, a room of their own that’s designed to each of their tastes, and all the love and support a kid could ever ask. 

And even though he and Yoongi don’t share the same biological father since the elder’s father passed away when their mother was pregnant with him, Taehyung’s father has never treated Yoongi any differently from Taehyung and has raised him as his own flesh and blood.

In fact, their father is closer to Yoongi compared to Taehyung, and has raised his elder brother to be the traditional alpha, whose purpose is to protect, provide and preserve — protect their own, provide them all their needs, and preserve the tradition.

A belief that Taehyung doesn’t completely agree with considering the progressive times, but then again, it has been a teaching that has been passed on in their family from generation to generation, so he can’t blame their father for just doing what he’s taught to do for all his life.

Their mother was a complete worrywart too, being an omega and as someone who lost a mate previously. She was the type who coddled him and Yoongi a little too much, always checking in to see if they’ve eaten or are getting enough sleep. If they’re safe. If they’re feeling anything wrong, and so on.

Yoongi on the other hand, despite being less coddling than his parents, has been acting like Taehyung’s bodyguard ever since the omega has moved to Seoul, since again— protect, provide and preserve.

Taehyung could say that he’s very lucky with the family and support system he has since they’re all very close and they all try to look out and be there for each other even to this day.

However, Taehyung has to admit that they look out for each other a little too much sometimes. 

And as the youngest and the baby omega of the family— his father’s words, not his —, he’s kind of like the wolf that everyone in his family checks in on every once in a while to see if he’s doing fine.

Something that deeply warms his heart, but at the same time, annoys him at times because his family tends to baby him to an extent.

And don’t get him wrong, he loves his family and he feels very fortunate to have people who love him so much, to the point where they feel like they always have to look out for him, but it does get way too much sometimes. 

It’s part of the reason why he decided to move to Seoul for college— to get away from it all and to be a little more independent; to be the person who he knows he can be, rather than the typical omega his parents expect him to be.

It took a whole lot of convincing, and perhaps a bucket full of tears and some convincing bargaining too, but his parents eventually agreed to let him leave and study in Seoul since Yoongi was also there, and had tasked his elder brother to look out for him in their absence.

A task which Yoongi takes way too seriously sometimes, even to this day and even when Taehyung is twenty-nine years old, since again, he was raised to be the traditional alpha and was expected by their parents to protect.

Just like how Yoongi is acting now, if the elder’s strong firewood scent is any indication.

He hears Yoongi sigh behind him before he senses the elder stand and walk up to him, stopping right beside him and proceeding to help him fold some of the clothes that are scattered all over his bed, releasing some firewood scented pheromones to help Taehyung relax— the elder’s version of ‘I’m sorry for going all alpha on you again.’ since he wasn’t the greatest when it comes to talking things out.

And despite Taehyung’s annoyance, he smiles at the simple gesture nonetheless, and knocks Yoongi on the side playfully as they fold his clothes together.

“I’m just worried about you, Pup.” Yoongi starts to say in his usual gentle drawl, his eyes fixed on the sweater he’s folding and placing it on the stack on the bed. “I don’t mean to be that kind of brother or alpha or whatever, but you know how it is. I can’t help it sometimes.”

Taehyung sighs at him, knowing full well what Yoongi means. “I know, hyung,” he mutters. “It’s okay. I’m sorry for snapping at you too. I guess I’m just tired from the, uh, drive.”

Yoongi hums at him quietly, seemingly sounding nonchalant but Taehyung knows him long enough to understand that the elder is just slowly easing his way into talking about what he saw at the front of the building.

Namely, him and Jeongguk. — not that there’s anything going between them, that is.

His inner omega rolls his eyes at him.

“Anyway,” Yoongi says as soon as they finish segregating all of Taehyung’s clothes into a neat and dirty pile, with Taehyung zipping his luggage closed and carrying it over to his closet. “Who is that alpha anyway?”

“I already told you,” Taehyung mumbles as he pulls his cabinet open and steps on a small stool to store his luggage in the upper compartment. “He’s just my boss. I went with him to Busan for a work trip and that’s it.”

“A work trip?” Yoongi raises a suspicious eyebrow at him, crossing his arms as he sits on the foot of Taehyung’s bed. “Why did he take you?”

Taehyung scoffs at him. “Why wouldn’t he?” he counters back, turning to look at Yoongi as he stands on the stool and also crosses his arms. “I’m actually quite good at what I do, hyung, so he picked me because of that.”

“You know that I think you’re brilliant and all, Tae.” Yoongi rolls his eyes at him. “I just meant that this is the first time I’ve heard of an alpha picking an omega to go on some work trip. That’s all. In case you forgot, you’ve been bitching about being ignored at work for more than a year, so I’m just wondering what changed.”

“The boss changed.” Taehyung shrugs, hoping he sounds unsuspicious as he steps down on the stool. “He’s a pretty cool guy and he doesn’t look at your rank when assigning stuff.”

“I see.” Yoongi hums at him. Not sounding convinced. “You sure that’s it.”

“Yoongi hyung.” the omega shoots him a blank stare.

The elder alpha sighs as he throws his hands up. “Look. You can’t blame me for being a little distrusting of the people who're around you, Pup,” he says. “Especially after what happened last time.”

“That was ages ago, hyung.” Taehyung sighs at the other tiredly, licking his lips at the memory of that last incident. “I can take care of myself.”

“That’s what you said the last time, before I caught that dickhead—”

“Hyung.” Taehyung purses his lips.

Yoongi sighs. “I just don’t want people taking advantage of my baby brother,” he says. “I don’t want that incident happening again.”

“It wont.” Taehyung says in an exasperated tone, turning to choose some pajamas in his cabinets. “Like I said, Jeongguk is just my boss.”

“Then what’s with the courting gift, then?” Yoongi asks, nodding towards the direction of the strawberry covered chocolates at his bedside table. “I saw you give him one too.”

Taehyung clicks his tongue at him. Though, the apples of his cheeks turn a shade of pink at the thought of Jeongguk courting him. “It’s not a courting gift.”

“Does he think that?” Yoongi presses on, watching Taehyung slam his closet door closed and turning around to face him. “Cause I know an alpha’s intent when I see it, Tae. He’s—”

“He’s not.” the omega cuts him off. “He’s— he’s already courting someone else. Someone way good looking and better than me. So just drop it.”

“I kind of find that hard to believe when there’s no better person than you, little one.” Yoongi retorts, albeit there’s a teasing undertone in the way he says it, causing Taehyung to scoff and shake his head. 

“Don’t let your mate hear that.” Taehyung mutters with a small smile as he heads out to go to the bathroom to change into his pajamas.

From the bedroom, he hears Yoongi say, “I’m pretty sure he thinks the same anyway.”

Taehyung chuckles as he steps into the bathroom, stripping his clothes and stepping under the showerhead to wash the remains of the day away— almost feeling bad about removing the calming bamboo scent that managed to cling to his skin as he lathers his body with soap and washes his hair.

Almost.

Once he’s dried and dressed in his pajamas, he steps out of the bathroom and makes his way to the bedroom where he finds Yoongi rooted in the same place he left him.

Only—

“Hey!” Taehyung barks, dropping his wet towel on the floor as he approaches the elder wolf in long strides. “Put that down!”

Yoongi smirks as he raises an eyebrow at him. “Why?” he asks. “You said this was nothing, right?”

Taehyung fumes, his cheeks puffing in annoyed, as he reaches for the strawberry covered chocolates that Yoongi has in his hands.

“They’re a gift!” the omega whines, climbing on the bed to grab the cup from the elder, only for the latter to push him away and hold the cup away from Taehyung’s reach. “Hyung! Give it back!”

“Share it with your hyung.” Yoongi insists. 

“No! Give it back!”

The two of them lightly wrestle for the cup in the bed, with Yoongi easily overpowering him since he has thirty-four years of experience in tormenting him, albeit the alpha does it lovingly, Taehyung finds him annoying nonetheless.

“Yoongi hyung.” Taehyung huffs, sitting on the bed and crossing his arms. “I’m serious. Give it back or else I’ll tell Eomma.”

Yoongi snickers at him, his gummy smile poking out widely as he climbs out of bed with the cup at hand, and hands him the strawberries back.

Taehyung was just about to grab it from him when Yoongi pulled his arms back, making the younger omega groan in irritation.

“Hyung!” Taehyung throws a pillow at him, narrowly missing the alpha by a few inches. “I said give them back!”

“Why are you so possessive over some strawberries?” Yoongi laughs as he looks at the strawberries closely with squinted eyes. “They’re not even that ripe yet.”

“So what? I’m eating them, not you.” the omega retorts. “Quit being an ass.”

“I will if you tell me the truth.” Yoongi says, looking at him. “Cause I’m not buying the whole ‘he’s just a boss’ thing, Pup.”

“It is the truth.” Taehyung groans, pulling his hair. “I don’t know what you want me to say.”

“I don’t believe you.” the elder shakes his head. “I saw how he was looking at you. I know when someone’s in lo—”

Yoongi doesn’t get to finish what he’s saying since Taehyung lunges for him as an attempt to bring his strawberries back. An act that the elder was not expecting since he nearly falls off his ass, but catches himself at the last second before he attempts to put the younger in a headlock.

“I’m telling Appa you tried to attack me— and failed. ”

“I’m telling Eomma you retaliated!” 

“Oh yeah? Wait till they hear that another alpha is courting—”

“What are two fighting about?” A third voice joins in from the doorway, causing the two of them to pause in favor of looking at the marshmallow scented beta that’s watching them with an amused smile on his face.

Taehyung uses the distraction to retrieve his strawberries from his brother, before marching over to the beta with a pout on his face.

“Jimin.” he says, hugging the beta around the waist and scrunching his eyebrows in Yoongi’s direction. “It’s not too late to leave this good for nothing alpha. I’ll lie in court for you, if you want.”

Yoongi snorts at him. 

Jimin laughs as he hugs him back and grins in the alpha’s direction. “Tempting offer, but may I know the reason why I’m divorcing my mate before I agree?”

“Cause he’s an ass.” Taehyung mutters.

“Fair enough.” Jimin smiles.

“Aren’t you curious why, though?” Yoongi shakes his head at the two of them as he bends down to pick up the pillow Taehyung threw at him and places it back on the bed. 

“He doesn’t need a reason why.” Taehyung scowls. “It’s me. Jimin would pick me.”

“But what would happen to that alpha courting you, though?” the elder smirks, causing Jimin’s eyes to widen at them in surprise before he looks down at Taehyung.

“Someone’s courting you, Taetae?” the beta asks excitedly.

Taehyung groans. “No!” he whines. “He’s not!” 

“He received a courting gift from his alpha boss.” Yoongi points out as he takes a seat on the bed, obviously enjoying himself in making Taehyung’s life miserable. 

“An alpha boss, eh?” Jimin grins wickedly.

“Not you too, Jimin!” Taehyung protests, shooting him a betrayed look as he pulls back from their hug and frowns at him. “I thought you were on my side?”

“I am.” Jimin laughs, pulling him into the direction of the bed and sitting the omega between him and Yoongi. “But after seeing you fight for your life for those strawberries, I can’t help but be a teeny bit curious.”

Taehyung sighs, looking down at the cup that’s already dented on some parts due to his and Yoongi’s fighting and attempts to smooth them out. “You don’t have to be,” he mutters. “I mean, it’s— it’s nothing. He’s just my boss, and like I told Yoongi hyung, he already has his eyes on someone else.”

“Didn’t look like it down there.” Yoongi mutters, causing Taehyung to elbow him on the side.

“Did he tell you that, though?” Jimin asks, crossing his legs as he looks at Taehyung curiously. “I mean, no offense, baby bear, but you do jump into conclusions sometimes.”

“No I don’t.” Taehyung sighs, crossing his arms like a little kid as he avoids the other two’s eyes. “I saw him with someone else and they hugged.”

Jimin raises an eyebrow at him. “And–?” he asks. “We hug all the time too.”

“Yeah, but that’s different.” Taehyung retorts. “You’re family.”

“This person could be your alpha’s family too, you know?” the beta replies in a gentle tone as he ruffles Taehyung’s hair playfully. “Maybe you’re just misunderstanding.”

Taehyung scoffs and shakes his head. “Yoongi’s my family too, but I’d rather have a dead toenail as my laptop’s lockscreen than his face.”

Yoongi clicks his tongue at him in offense, while Jimin laughs.

“Plus word around the office is Jeongguk has had his eye on this omega for a while and I’ve only met him three months ago, so in case you’re thinking he likes me— you’re wrong. He doesn’t.” Taehyung shrugs, hoping he sounds unaffected. But he does have to admit, the words sting as he says them outloud— which is a bit silly, a bit dangerous, considering what’s at stake.

Jimin seems to understand him, though. He always does. He’s always been that person who could read his mind and pick up on his moods better than anyone, and was that person Taehyung went to for advice if he needed it since Jimin was never biased and gave it to him straight, unlike Yoongi who would cater his answers to make Taehyung choose the one he preferred him to pick.

He senses the beta squeeze his hand, causing Taehyung to shoot a small smile at him as he squeezes his hand back.

Yoongi, on the other hand, is standing and is stretching. A yawn escaping his lips as he turns to look at the two of them. “Well if that’s the case, why did you accept his courting gift then?” 

“For the hundredth time, it’s not a courting gift.” Taehyung whines tiredly. “Jimin!”

“Babe, leave the pup alone and get out.” Jimin tells the alpha with a teasing smile as he points to the direction of the door.

Yoongi shakes his head at the two of them as he starts to make his way out the door, muttering something under his breath about only mating him for his brother, which causes Jimin to snicker and say, “He’s not wrong. I did mate him for you.” before the door clicks shut behind the alpha.

Once they’re sure that Yoongi is back in the living room where he and Jimin were sleeping for the night, the beta turns to look at Taehyung with an all too knowing smile on his face and nods towards the bed, causing the omega to return the smile and wordlessly scurrying over to the middle with Jimin mimicking him.

Taehyung inhales the sweet combination of marshmallow and firewood as he entangles his limbs around Jimin, releasing a sigh of relief as the beta holds him close to his chest and draws patterns down the line of his spine, and thinking about how his brother and his now-bestfriend’s scents perfectly match each other as if they were paired— like it’s fate.

He didn’t really expect to become close with Jimin at first. In fact, it didn’t even cross his mind that his brother will end up mating Jimin one day because the two seemed to be polar opposites— with Yoongi being a bit reserved while Jimin is bubbly. Yoongi who hates being outside unless he absolutely has to, Jimin who can’t stay in one place for too long. One being tough on the outside, soft on the inside, while the other can deceive you into thinking he’s as sweet as he smells but can cut through you like a sharp knife.

When Yoongi brought the beta back to their shared apartment all those years ago and introduced the two of them, Taehyung initially thought that Jimin was just another one of those wolves who would come and go in both his and Yoongi’s lives just like the rest did.

They were complete opposites after all, and Taehyung didn’t really think too much of it. Plus he’s had his experiences when it comes to his older brother’s past relationships, and to say that nearly all of them were complete douchebags was an understatement. Every last one of Yoongi’s exes were assholes.

He remembers Yoongi’s first omega girlfriend when the elder was in high school, who was sweet and kind whenever Yoongi and their parents were around to show them how perfect she was, but acted indifferent towards Taehyung when no one else was looking.

There was this guy who Yoongi briefly messed around with during their college days, who would always steal his brother away and take too much of his time. He’d always complain about how Yoongi and he were way too close, as if it was abnormal to find siblings who are as thick as thieves. And would always send Taehyung away when the younger one desperately needed his older brother.

Then there was this alpha girl who Yoongi had a serious relationship with and had lived with them briefly. At that time, Taehyung was fresh out of college and was in between jobs. He struggled getting past his interviews because of his lack of experience, and quite frankly, because of the stigma that comes with being an omega. Taehyung remembers her treating him like some sort of maid and accused him of leeching off of them, when in reality it was just an older brother looking out for his younger brother. 

At that point, he has lost hope on Yoongi finding someone who’s as good as him, and has barely spared any of his elder brother’s fleeting romances a second glance— until Jimin.

Jimin, who was kind to him despite Taehyung’s indifference and wariness, who tried to be his friend and include him in his and Yoongi’s plans and had even asked Taehyung to hang out so they could get to know each other without Yoongi around.

It took a lot of time, but eventually, Taehyung slowly allowed himself to let his guard down around Jimin and opened up to him little by little, until they discovered that they had a lot of similarities. 

But the final nail to Taehyung’s distrust when it comes to Jimin was the time the beta accidentally caught him in the middle of a heated altercation with some alpha courter, and had stepped in to help him. Just like Yoongi, Jimin fiercely tried to protect him and told the alpha to fuck off without flinching even when the alpha tried to exert his dominance.

By the time they were able to ward away the relentless wolf, Taehyung begged Jimin not to tell Yoongi what happened since he knows how his brother’s like when it came to things like those, and Jimin agreed despite his disapproval, with the exception of making Taehyung promise to call him if anything like that happened again, to which the omega agreed to.

Much to Taehyung’s surprise, Jimin kept his word and didn’t tell Yoongi a single thing. Not even when the beta walked into the same incident a few more times. Not when it almost got physical at one point. Not ever.

It was then that Taehyung truly knew that Jimin was someone he could really trust outside his family pack, with the added bonus of Jimin not overly babying him all the time and not treating him like some omega that’s made of fragile glass.

Or at least, Jimin tries not to baby him too much. He supposes that Yoongi is slowly rubbing off on him in that aspect.

“So,” Jimin starts to say in a gentle tone as he looks down at the omega with a small smile. “Do you want to tell me what’s that about or do you want me to guess?”

Taehyung sighs under his breath, fingers picking on the loose thread poking out of the beta’s t-shirt and eyes fixed on the cup full of strawberry covered chocolates sitting on his bedside table. Wondering if it’s even worth mentioning, since there’s really nothing going on.

Jimin seems to know what’s on his mind like always, since he says, “If you’re taking this long to decide if it’s worth talking about or not, then I can assure you it is.”

“Get out of my head.” The omega scoffs at him playfully.

“I can’t help it.” Jimin laughs. “You think with your face, Taetae. You’re like an open book to me, so don’t even try and lie. I know you, in case you forgot.”

“Yeah. Unfortunately.” Taehyung mutters, causing Jimin to shove him playfully. “But, yeah— I mean, there’s really nothing to say. I wasn’t lying when I said that I wasn’t being courted or anything. Jeongguk is… just my boss. That’s all.”

Jimin hums, nodding his head. “How come I sense a but coming?” he asks with an eyebrow raised. 

Taehyung sighs defeatedly. “I honestly wish that that’s all there is to it— but ” 

He pauses, licking his lips as he forces himself to tear his gaze away from the strawberries to look at his bedroom ceiling instead, where a couple of glow in the dark plastic stars were plastered there. 

Stars that awfully remind Taehyung of a certain alpha’s eyes, that is.

“He’s nice, Jimin.” Taehyung eventually mutters, sounding a bit small, like it’s a secret. “He’s really nice.”

“That’s great, Tae,” Jimin says in an equally soft and encouraging tone, laying on his side to look at him. “Not a lot of people are nice these days.”

“I know.” he replies, licking his lips as he watches the stars faintly glow. “That's why it’s hard to admit it out loud, because despite this image I keep picturing him in my head— he keeps changing it into something I don’t want it to become.”

“But what kind of image is there in your head, though?” Jimin asks, lifting an eyebrow at him curiously. 

Taehyung shrugs. “I don’t know,” he says. “I guess I initially pictured him like those other wolves I’ve met before, you know what I mean?”

Jimin snorts at him, shaking his head. “Of course I do,” he replies. “I’ve met some of them. Remember?”

“Exactly. So, you know why this feels a bit risky for me,” Taehyung says, looking at the beta beside him with scrunched eyebrows. “I don’t want him to act nice, get my stupid hopes up and be disappointed later on. I don’t want to be the typical omega my parents expect me to be, who’d drop everything for a mate and some pups. I refuse to be.”

“And no one’s telling you to be someone who you don’t want to be, Baby Bear. Just because you have a little crush, doesn’t mean that you’re setting your goals aside,” Jimin replies in a light tone, reaching to smooth out the wrinkles on the younger one’s forehead with a smile. “Why? Is this crush of yours trying to hint that you can’t be who you want to be?”

“If he did, then we wouldn’t even be having this conversation in the first place.” the omega sighs deeply. “Like I said, Mimi. He’s nice. He— listens to me. He supports me. He—”

Taehyung swallows as the memory of what Jeongguk had said enters his mind, making his chest constrict.

“He sees me.” he finishes, closing his eyes and pursing his lips. 

He can practically hear Jimin think as the room engulfs in silence, the beta taking his sweet time to choose the right words to say; words Taehyung knows that he can trust, that won’t point him into a direction that doesn’t lead to safety nor destruction, but something he knows that he should take no matter what the outcome is.

Eventually, Jimin releases a deep breath and Taehyung feels arms wrapping around his waist and a chin resting on his shoulder, before he hears the beta say, “You know, you’re really good at giving love, Tae, but sometimes, you’re awfully bad at receiving it.”

That manages to get a snort out of the omega because of how true it is, given the number of bad relationships he’s had in the past is proof— a thing that he and Yoongi have in common, he supposes.

“Can you blame me?” He meets Jimin’s eyes with a ghost of his smile on his face.

“Of course not,” Jimin replies. “But that shouldn’t stop you from accepting something good— something you deserve for a change. If this alpha is as nice as you say he is. If he truly does see all of you, your light and shadows combined, why not take a risk and see how it goes?”

“It’s not that simple, Mi–”

“Of course it is.” Jimin cuts him in an encouraging tone. “You’re the only one who’s trying to make it complicated, because like you said, you already painted a picture of him without even giving him the chance to touch the easel first.”

“Yeah, but what about that omega he likes?” Taehyung frowns. “What if he paints himself up to be this stupidly perfect guy— as if he wasn’t already, and by the time I let myself fall, it’s too late for me?”

Jimin sighs at him patiently. “You really are just like your brother, Tae.” he replies, shaking his head fondly. “I don’t know what’s up with the water you two grew up drinking, but you need to learn how to talk. This guy can be the most patient wolf there is, but it will still end up nowhere if you refuse to be understood.”

“What if I don’t want to be understood?” Taehyung murmurs quietly, not quite believing his own words.

Jimin doesn’t believe him either. “You don’t or you’re scared to be?” he asks.

Taehyung merely shrugs at him, causing the beta to sigh as he pulls him back into his arms and hugs him tight. “I’m not gonna force you to do something you don’t want to, okay?” Jimin mutters into his hair. “But I don’t want you to let things like these— things that could make you feel happy pass you by either. So as scary as it is, sometimes opening your heart can make you feel better too.”

“And if it doesn’t?” Taehyung asks, eyes finding the cup full of strawberries by his bedside table again.

“Then I’ll be there for you,” Jimin easily says with a wide smile. “I don’t mind picking up the pieces to help you feel whole again. I mean, it’s not like I haven’t done that before, right?”

Taehyung merely scoffs at him but he appreciates the tenderness in Jimin’s words and actions, and somehow, it gets to him. It makes him start to wonder if it’s really okay to let Jeongguk have his way with him and see if it’s worth being truly seen.

“I guess you’re right,” he replies with a yawn as he inhales the elder’s marshmallow scented pheromones with a mix of his brother’s firewood in them. Finding the bite mark Yoongi left on Jimin’s neck, and smiling at the thought of his brother finding the right person in the end.

And maybe, just maybe, things could turn out the same way for him the way it did for Yoongi and Jimin.

◇

Taehyung can’t explain it, but he woke up feeling like there’s something different about today— something which he can’t seem to pinpoint that's been making him feel a bit uneasy and antsy for some reason. Like he’s missing something very important that he doesn’t know what and like there’s an itch under his skin that he can’t seem to get rid of.

Monday rolls around in just a blink of an eye, and pretty soon, Taehyung is entering the office building a little before eight in the morning with his bag in hand and is greeting their office receptionist with a small smile as he passes her going to the elevators.

Like most mornings— especially Monday ones, everything is as robotic and as dull as it always is with wolves quietly crowding inside the elevator, not paying the music any mind as each of them tries to wake themselves up and prepare for the day, and once Taehyung reaches the design department’s floor and is entering their office space, he’s greeted by the same monotonous chorus of ‘good morning’ when he walks into the room and heads over to his cubicle.

As always, Hoseok is lightly dozing in his chair while he waits for his computer to load when he passes by him. Normally, that’s Taehyung's cue to wake the alpha up and engage him in some quick early morning tea— the literal and figurative kind, but for some reason, he isn’t feeling it today and decides to skip the ritual for the meantime.

With a sigh, Taehyung steps inside his cubicle and turns his computer on as he peels his jacket off and hangs it on the back of his swivel chair, his eyes checking the pinboard he keeps by his desk to see if anyone left him some notes while he was gone, and finds that it’s all the same except for the photos he keeps there for motivation and the calendar he has pinned.

So far, nothing has been really out of the ordinary for him. Everything is the same as it usually is, but still, Taehyung can’t shake away the feeling that something has. 

Perhaps that talk with Jimin the other night has latched onto him, making ideas and assumptions grow over the weekend, and sprouting into this thing that Taehyung can’t seem to name. 

Hope, his inner omega suggests. It's called hope.

Taehyung frowns, but he can’t deny that the weird feeling does feel a lot like it— Hope. And he knows it isn’t a bad thing to have or to entertain, but he does have his reservations with the feeling considering what he went through in the past.

But maybe, he thinks, maybe it’s worth having it this time around since it involves someone who has yet to disappoint him so far.

Maybe.

“Hi Tae! You’re back!”

Taehyung turns to the side to find his omega colleague, who’s occupying the other cubicle next to him, smiling at him brightly.

“Hey Nayeon. Good morning.” He returns the smile.

“Morning,” the other omega nods at him with a bright smile as she nurses a plastic cup of iced americano in her hands. “Had a great weekend?”

Taehyung shrugs at her. “It wasn’t too bad,” he replies. “Just the usual stuff— weekend chores and shit.”

Nayeon laughs at him as he stands and walks to the border separating their cubicles and leans over it, as Taehyung takes a seat on his chair and enters his password in. “How did the work trip go with Jeongguk-ssi?”. 

“It was fine,” Taehyung replies. “It’s like any other work trip, honestly. Busy and hectic. Me and Jeongguk had to work the entire day until the night to get it done.”

“So you mean it’s like any other night at the office too, then?” she replies with a knowing smirk. “Considering you and Jeongguk-ssi tend to go on your little overtimes here too.”

Taehyung scoffs at her lightly, but he can’t really deny the claims since she’s technically right. It does sound like those nights when he and Jeongguk would finish work until it’s just the two of them in the office, minus the fact that they went to the same house afterwards— and slept in the same bed.

A memory that has his lips thinning and ears turning a shade of pink, which Nayeon appears to have picked up, since he hears her snicker at him.

Taehyung internally groans.

“So, how was working with Jeongguk like?” she asks, looking around their still-sleepy colleagues sneakily and leaning close, so it’s enough for just Taehyung to hear. “Did you at least enjoy spending some time together?”

Taehyung does his best not to let his emotions show on his face as he stares at his loading computer. “Why are you making it sound like we went out on some vacation together or something?” he mutters. “We went on a work trip, Nay. It’s nothing like that.”

“I wasn’t.” Nayeon replies in a teasing tone. “I only asked if you enjoyed spending some time with him. That’s all.”

He rolls his eyes at her, but decides to indulge her with some of the details— leaving out the bit where he and Jeongguk practically played house together and slept on one bed, plus went out on a friendly date— no, went out as friends to visit a fair. 

“He was alright.” he mutters quietly.

“Just alright?” Nayeon raises an eyebrow at him. 

“I mean, you know how Jeongguk is.” Taehyung shrugs at her, hoping he looks nonchalant as he busies himself with opening all the applications he needs for work. “He was nice. He made sure to guide me and let me do whatever needs to be done. He—”

He took care of me, Taehyung thinks but doesn’t voice out.

“He was alright.” he repeats instead.

Nayeon seems to take his word for it, since she hums and nods her head at him. “Okay,” she replies. “I kinda hoped something happened between the two of you.”

There’s that word again— hope. But this time, it’s not just Taehyung entertaining the idea of it. It’s someone who’s fairly out of the loop and has no clue whatsoever on what’s happening between him and Jeongguk beyond what they’re willing to show in front of everyone else.

He wonders what made her think that, since he honestly believed that no one has had their suspicions on them apart from Hoseok.

“Me and Jeongguk?” Taehyung asks, licking his lips as he types a jumble of words into his computer. “What makes you say that?” 

“I don’t know.” she shrugs at him. “I’ve just had this gut feeling that there’s something going on. I mean, you have to admit, Tae. You and Jeongguk go on a lot of overtime together, so it can make people wonder if there’s something there.”

“Well you’re all overthinking it, since me and Jeongguk genuinely just work.” Taehyung replies firmly. It is the truth, after all. Technically speaking. “No funny business happens after hours, just so you know.”

Nayeon playfully rolls her eyes at him. “I don’t mean it like that, silly,” she replies. “I just mean that there appears to be some sort of connection between the two of you. Chemistry, you get me?”

“Sure, scientist.” he snorts.

“You know what I mean, so don’t act like you don’t.” Nayeon laughs. “I know you feel it too. I see the way you pay attention to him in meetings sometimes, and anyone with two working eyes could see that you like him, Tae.”

“I do not.” Taehyung replies, cheeks now tinting pink as he looks at her. 

“Yes, you do.” she smirks. “And don’t worry, a lot of people here are oblivious as hell anyway, so not a lot have noticed yet. Or at least, they haven’t noticed you yet. Jeongguk on the other hand— that guy is something else.”

“Jeongguk doesn’t have any favorites.” Taehyung continues to retort. “He just knows what my future plans are and he’s just working with me to attain them.”

“I’m not saying he’s biased. He’s probably the best boss we’ve ever had in the design team. I’m saying he looks at you differently.” she explains. “His eyes light up. They soften when you speak. It’s actually quite cute, honestly.”

Taehyung scoffs at Nayeon coos at him. “You’re overthinking it,” he says. “He looks at me normally. He treats me normally. Plus, haven’t you heard the gossip already? He already likes someone else.” 

“I know that gossip, but we never really found out who.” she waves a dismissive hand at him. “This mystery omega might not even be a mystery for all we know— if you know what I mean.”

“Oh please.” Taehyung shakes his head. “I saw him— them. Together. I saw them hug that night when we went on a team dinner after our last project. Looked a little intimate.”

“It could have been anyone.” Nayeon scoffs. “Maybe it's a close friend?”

Taehyung wants to also bring up the fact that this mystery omega is Jeongguk’s lockscreen too, but he decides to hold off from now and merely shrugs at her. “Maybe,” he replies. “But we’re not sure, so I won’t take any chances and risk embarrassing myself.”

“So you do like him, then.” the other omega smiles at him smugly.

Taehyung sighs at her, but at that point, he knows that the jig is up and he might as well confide in her and see if he could know what her take on the situation is.

Although he and Nayeon aren’t as close as him and Hoseok, they do chit chat from time to time about random stuff and go on their lunch breaks together sometimes since they’re one of the few omegas in the office. 

At first he thought Nayeon didn’t like him because she never spoke to him as much as she did with the others, but he later found out that his fellow omega was just shy to approach him since Taehyung looked a bit intense while working and didn’t want to disturb him.

They’ve been fairly good friends ever since. They don’t exactly hang out all the time, but they do go to each other whenever it involves dealing with insufferable alphas and taking care of heats. He figures he could divulge Nayeon on this tiny crush as well.

“I won’t deny it.” Taehyung replies, making the other squeal quietly at him.

“I knew it!”

“But—” he gives her a pointed look. “That’s all there is to it. I mean, nothing’s really going on between us… or at least, none that I’ve allowed so far.”

“So he does like you too?” Nayeon grins widely.

“He never told me.” Taehyung shrugs. “And I don’t think I have the courage to ask, considering that mystery omega.”

“But have you tried asking him about that other omega, though?” 

“Ask him what?” he scoffs. “Who’s that omega you were hugging the other night?”

“Uh– yeah?” Nayeon retorts with an eyebrow raised. “Exactly like that.”

“That makes me sound like some sort of jealous lover— which I’m not.” Taehyung says, shaking his head. 

“As if you don’t sound just like one right now.” Nayeon teases. “Plus, there’s nothing wrong with communicating. At least you’d know where the two of you stand. Right?”

“I don’t know, Nay.” Taehyung mutters, looking down at his fingernails as he considers it. “I’m not really good at talking about my feelings. Let alone confessing them.”

“Just think about it, though.” Nayeon sighs at him empathetically as she shoots him an encouraging smile. “It won’t hurt to clarify. And honestly, I think Jeongguk is open to communicate too, but is just waiting for you to start the conversation. We already know that he’s pretty open wolf and is the type to hear us out. I don’t think he’ll be unkind to you— if he doesn’t reciprocate your feelings. Heavy on the word if.”

Taehyung snorts but he nods at her nonetheless. “Fine,” he replies. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.” Nayeon grins, pushing herself off the border and stretching. “End both your suffering. I could smell both your yearn-y pheromones from my cubicle whenever he stops by, so think fast and live happily ever after will you?”

Taehyung can only roll his eyes at her. “Shut up.” he retorts lightly, causing the other omega to giggle at him before she returns back to her desk and leaves the two of them to go back to work.

With a sigh, he gets to work and starts checking on his emails. Monday is slow like it usually is, and is accompanied by the post-weekend hush with each of them trying to get themselves into the working mood.

Taehyung is usually the type who can focus easily as soon as he’s clocked in for work and has everything ready, but after speaking to Nayeon and finding out that Jeongguk looks at him a certain way, he can’t help but focus on that matter instead, and wonder if it’s true or if Nayeon is just saying it to tease.

He’s not dumb or is as oblivious as he’s making himself out to be. He does have a feeling that Jeongguk likes him too. He’s not blind to how the alpha acts or treats him. He has been keeping count of the number of times Jeongguk asked him out to grab dinner after work. 

But there’s always something holding him back— be it his past experiences with old flings, his goal to be promoted, or just him choosing to be difficult.

Sighing, he considers Nayeon’s suggestion and thinks of a way on how he could finally ask Jeongguk about that omega that keeps turning up. 

The itch getting more profound by the second as he scrolls through a jumble of incomprehensible words and types in his reply.

Pushing himself away from his desk, Taehyung massages his temples as he leans his elbows on his desk, his head pounding and eyebrows scrunching in frustration.

He was just about to sit up and go to the break room, thinking some coffee could help get his groove on, when he all of a sudden starts feeling more relaxed at the soothing and familiar scent of Bamboo wafting in his nose that’s getting stronger by the second.

Taehyung sighs in relief, fingers still circling his temples, as he senses a certain alpha behind him. A small smile appearing at the corner of his lips and not even feeling a tad bit annoyed when he hears the familiar, “Hey Baby.” 

“Not your baby.” Taehyung mutters, opening his eyes and turning to face a slightly concerned looking Jeongguk behind him.

Jeongguk smiles at him. It looks the same like it usually does, but somehow, it feels a bit different as well. It looks softer. 

It makes Taehyung smile back at him too, causing the smile on the alpha’s lips to shift into a full wide bunny grin instead.

“Good morning.” Jeongguk says, placing a takeout box on Taehyung’s desk as he looks down at him. “You okay?”

“I’m good,” he shrugs. Better now that you’re here, his inner omega adds, that has Taehyung internally rolling his eyes. “You?”

“I’m great.” Jeongguk replies, nodding at him as he shifts in his feet and licks his lips. “Did you have a good weekend?”

“It was alright.” the omega replies, unable to help but notice that Jeongguk seems a bit antsy, if his fidgeting is anything to go by. 

In fact, it almost seems like the alpha is expecting something different. Like he’s waiting for Taehyung to drop a sign.

Maybe he is, his inner omega suggests.

Usually, that’s Taehyung’s cue to disagree and to brush it off as nothing before he closes off on Jeongguk completely and goes about his day. 

But that doesn’t seem to be the case this time around. 

For once, he’s leaning more on the possibility that maybe there is something different. Something visible to him and Jeongguk, at least, that’s waiting to be unleashed. And it’s enough for Taehyung to put a toe across the invisible line he drew, testing to see if that’s the case. 

Plus, it would also give him the chance to talk to the alpha properly and clarify a few things that’s been holding him back from giving in completely.

“Did you enjoy the fishcake?” the omega asks, careful and low.

Jeongguk visibly perks up at the mention of it and grins even wider— the boyish and bunny kind. The type that reminds Taehyung of a puppy wagging its tail in excitement.

“Yeah. I did.” the alpha replies enthusiastically. “It was delicious, by the way.”

Taehyung bites back the grin that’s threatening to break out his lips, nodding at the other instead. “You sure it didn’t go stale?” he asks. “I, uh, had it for a while before I gave it to you.”

“Nope. It was great.” Jeongguk says immediately in a reassuring tone, which causes the omega to hum in content. 

“What about the strawberries?” he asks. “Was it good?”

“They were good.” Taehyung nods, licking his lips as he thinks of the remaining strawberries in his refrigerator right that second— all five of them. Hoping Yoongi didn’t steal a bite before he and Jimin went back to their house after staying over with him last weekend. “Thanks again for getting them for me.”

“It was nothing. I’m glad you enjoyed them.” Jeongguk scratches the side of his neck shyly— the neck that appears to have healed from those… bug bites he mysteriously received back at the house in Busan. (And no, Taehyung refuses to think of any other reason where those bites came from except for what Jeongguk had told him, thank you.)

The two of them then stare at each other in silence, both of them not knowing what to say to fill it, but neither of them not making any moves to start heading back to work either. Taehyung is usually the one who cuts these moments short, not wanting for them to fester and grow into a monster that would be hard to control later on.

But there’s just something in the way Jeongguk looks at him— all nervous and like he has something important to say that makes him bite his tongue and wait, that makes him eager to know what that thing is that he’s been blindly anticipating for.

Eventually, he hears the alpha suck up a deep breath and says, “So, there’s this new place down the block that opened a month ago.” he starts, making the omega’s heart pause for a second. “Do you maybe want to—”

“Hey Jeongguk.” A third voice quips in, cutting the alpha short of what he’s trying to say, causing the both of them to turn around to find one of their colleagues peeking inside Taehyung’s cubicle and looking at the two of them.

Taehyung smells the tinge of frustration and disappointment in Jeongguk’s scent, but the latter immediately reels it in a second later and smiles at the other wolf as if nothing happened. 

Looks like he and Jeongguk had other things in common too, Taehyung thinks.

“Hey. What’s up?” the alpha asks in a friendly tone, walking towards the cubicle’s entrance and looking like he’s blocking the other from entering it. 

Taehyung raises an eyebrow at the action, but doesn’t comment on it. His inner omega on the other hand is reeling in joy.

“Sajangnim dropped by this morning before you came in and was looking for you,” the other informs him, seemingly unaware of how Jeongguk is trying to keep him at bay. “He asked me to tell you to come up as soon as you come in.”

Taehyung sees Jeongguk’s shoulders slightly tense but the alpha nods at the other nonetheless as a tired sigh escapes his lips. “Okay, I’ll drop by his office in a bit. Thanks for letting me know.”

The other nods at him, before returning back to his cubicle and leaves the two of them alone. 

Jeongguk turns to look at him, looking a little like a dejected puppy, and shoots Taehyung a small smile. And despite the disappointment Taehyung feels, he tries to smile back albeit it doesn’t quite reach his eyes.

“I guess duty calls.” Jeongguk says, poking the inside of his cheek as he backs away from the cubicle. “You sure you’re feeling alright? You looked a little tense when I came in.”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Taehyung replies reassuringly. “I guess I just needed some coffee or something. Today feels off for some reason.”

At that, the alpha’s eyes light up as if he’s remembering something and gestures to the paper bag he left on Taehyung’s desk. “Wait. Now that you mention it, I kinda grabbed you some coffee and a bite of something to eat when I went to go on a coffee run.” Jeongguk says, looking a bit hesitant as he looks at him. “It’s, uh, nothing much. They had a— some sort of promotion, so I thought I’d get you one for… for a job well done on our, uhm work trip.”

Taehyung blinks, looking from Jeongguk to the brown paper bag on his desk and back to the alpha. Feeling his cheeks start to turn a shade of pink and heart starts to stutter at his thoughtfulness, but also wonder how Jeongguk always seems to know what he needs before he even knows it himself.

“Oh.” he says dumbly, shaking his head as he smiles— or rather grimaces at the alpha. “Thanks.”

He must be wearing the wrong look since the smile on Jeongguk’s face is slowly fading as the second ticks by.

Luckily for him, Nayeon seems to be listening in the entire time and is widening his eyes at him in frustration, her hands gesturing to Jeongguk wildly to get Taehyung to start moving.

“I– I, uhm,” Taehyung grabs the paper bag and takes a peek inside the bag at a lack of something to do with his hands.

He finds one of those doughnuts he usually gets in his free time and an iced creamy coffee he usually orders inside. Both things he remembers telling the alpha back in Busan. Small details Jeongguk somehow remembered.

The smile on Taehyung’s face is more genuine now as he looks up to meet Jeongguk.

“Thanks Jeongguk.” he tries again, sounding more sincere as he holds the hugs bag close. “These are my favorites.”

Jeongguk grins at him, wide and boyish like he always does and nods. “I know.” he replies— because of course he does. He sees him. “Enjoy them, and I guess I’ll—”

The alpha was just about to turn to leave him be, probably off to go see Namjoon, when Taehyung suddenly calls his attention. 

“Uh, Jeongguk?” he asks, hesitant and slightly anxious as the alpha looks at him expectantly.

From behind the alpha, Hoseok is suddenly peeking out of the border separating their cubicles, and is gesturing for Taehyung to continue talking with his hands, causing the omega to gesture for him to go away before he starts overthinking.

“Yeah?” Jeongguk asks with an expectant and hopeful look on his face. 

Taking a deep breath, Taehyung licks his lips and tries to meet Jeongguk’s eyes as he sums up all his courage to go and make a move.

 “About that restaurant down the block you mentioned earlier,” he starts, muttering under his breath as he fiddles with his shirt. He hears the alpha suck in a breath across him. 

“Yeah?” he hears him say.

Taehyung decides to fuck it. “Do you maybe want to go have lunch there?” he says in a rush, the words nearly coming out jumbled.

But Jeongguk heard him loud and clear nonetheless, since the alpha says, “Yes.” almost instantly, smiling at him happily like a kid during Christmas morning. “Yeah. Yes. Sure!”

“Won’t you be busy or something?” Taehyung asks, now starting to feel slightly insecure at his split second decision since he remembers how Mondays are usually jam packed with meetings for Jeongguk. “We can try it next time if, you know, you’re busy. It’s fine. That place—”

“No. I’ll make time.” Jeongguk cuts him off in a determined tone, sounding reassuring as his bamboo scented pheromones comfort him like it usually does. “I’ll come by later so we can go, yeah?”

Taehyung merely nods at the other, not trusting his own voice at the moment, since his inner wolf is practically celebrating in joy at the progress Taehyung achieved today, as he watches the alpha slowly back away from his cubicle.

“See you later, then?” Jeongguk asks.

Taehyung exhales the breath he was holding. “I’ll be here when you’re free.” he smiles back at him. 

And with that, Jeongguk turns around and makes his way to the direction of the elevators. 

And maybe it’s just Taehyung’s imagination, but there seems to be a skip in the alpha’s steps, which causes him to snort as he goes back to his desk and places the doughnut and coffee that Jeongguk got them for display.

“Just so you know, those weren’t on sale.” Nayeon says from the direction of her cubicle.

Taehyung merely snorts at her as he goes back to work.

“Plus Jeongguk has a meeting at twelve.” Hoseok adds from the other side. “But something tells me, he has way more important things to do instead of that.”

Taehyung has the same feeling too, but he doesn’t want to voice it out in case he jinxes it or something.

Regardless, Taehyung was right about the day. It does feel different. Or rather, it is. And maybe that’s just dumb hope speaking into his ear, but he can’t wait but anticipate more of what this difference would mean.

◇

Taehyung has that weird bubbling feeling at the pit of his stomach again, and no matter how hard he tries to convince himself that it’s going to be alright, he can’t seem to make himself relax and get rid of this unexplainable anxiety he’s feeling as he waits for Jeongguk to arrive for their lunch… date.

Date.  

Taehyung internally groans at the word that he never thought he’d use again. Let alone be on.  

He honestly doesn’t want to call it a that, considering he and Jeongguk never really made it clear that it was a date to begin with, plus it’s basically forbidden for them to go one too since Jeongguk is his manager and a possible relationship between them could lead or be suspected of a possible conflict of interest. 

Additionally, there’s still that looming question floating around the air about that mystery omega who keeps turning up every once in a while that he has yet to ask the alpha about and is something Taehyung tries not to think too much about. 

But regardless, it feels like a date. A real one.

That’s because it is one, his inner omega snorts, causing Taehyung to grimace as he fidgets with the end of his tie and looks around for any sign of Jeongguk.

He’s currently waiting for the alpha at the lobby where Jeongguk asked to meet him since he’s coming down from the top floor after meeting with their CEO, Namjoon, but Taehyung also likes to think that it’s also a way for them not to raise any suspicions when the design team would see them heading out together.

Taehyung is not the type to go out during his lunch breaks. He usually eats his packed lunch at his desk with Hoseok accompanying him sometimes, and he kind of has a reputation at work where he’s known to work hard and play less hence the team stopped extending their invitations to him when they’d go out since Taehyung would always tell them no.

Well, at least, until now. And to top it all off, he was the one who invited Jeongguk out in the first place.

Shit, he thinks, pacing back and forth to help calm his nerves and tone his heavy rainy scent down.

He was just checking his watch for the nth time when he hears someone call his name, causing him to freeze for a quick second, and turn around to find his last manager, Heechul, approaching him from behind in large strides.

Taehyung internally groans at the sight of him, feeling his anxiety double as the scent of Heechul’s overpowering pheromones fills his nose. Thinking how he offended the universe this time by sending his ex-manager down his way.

Heechul has made a reputation of himself at the design team after leaving where everyone thought that the alpha was bitter with all of them after he moved to Productions. There were rumors going around (that started with a certain Jung Hoseok) that Heechul’s movement was actually a demotion, since Productions was a small team in charge of communicating with the company’s warehouses to create their physical supplies. 

Plus, Productions used to be a part of the design department but was made to be an independent one instead that has Heechul leading it. People liked to think that it turned out that way, just to soften the blow on Heechul’s transfer.

But since then, Heechul has been making some snide remarks about what the design team have been sending him for production and has been complaining about the most minimal things that didn’t have to be an issue in the first place.

Taehyung is positive that this is going to be one of those many times where Heechul is going to complain about something again, as he schools his face to look calm and collected and watches the old alpha come his way.

“Heechul Gwajang-nim.” he greets quietly, bowing briefly and standing up to look at him with pursed lips. “It’s been a while, sir.”

“Yeah yeah. Same here, Kim-ssi.” Heechul waves a hand at him, his tone slightly dismissive like always as he looks at him. “I’m surprised to see you out here. Don’t you usually stay in or something?”

“Uh– yeah. I’m actually headed out to eat today,” the omega replies in a blank tone. Hoping he’s not giving too much away, since the last thing he wants is for Heechul to start spreading rumors of him and Jeongguk before anything even happens between them. “Is there something that you needed, by the way?”

“Yes, actually. I was going to send you an email about that last design you sent in, but since I saw you out here and I figured I’d just tell you myself,” the alpha replies with a sigh. “You’re assigned to take care of Compose, right?”

“Yes sir,” Taehyung replies, nodding at him. “Jeongguk-ssi assigned me to be the person of contact in regards to that account. Did you need anything from it?”

At the mention of him being in charge, Taehyung doesn’t fail to notice Heechul’s lips thinning in disdain. Again, Heechul was more an alpha’s alpha than anything else, and the prospect of any rank lower than alpha being in charge was a strange concept to him.

“I thought Jeon would do that.” Heechul mutters, shaking his head as Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him. “But yeah, like I said, it was about that last design your team sent in. It had the wrong sizes and we already produced about a thousand of them already. By the time their samples came in, I saw that the pictures were cropped.”

Taehyung scrunches his eyebrows at him in confusion. “Oh. I’m sorry to hear that, sir,” he replies in an amicable tone. “But I believe we sent in the file with the updated sizes after getting the approval from Sajangnim.”

“I didn’t get it.” Heechul crosses his arms, looking more like a child instead of the manager he’s supposed to be. “And I don’t think you sent it if I’m honest.”

“I can check my email later once I get back from my lunch break, Gwajangnim,” Taehyung offers with a small smile, wanting to get this over with since he’s starting to feel a little irate. “Again, I’m sorry for the, uhm, miscommunication.”

Heechul sighs at him impatiently. “Yeah well, your sorry won’t help explain to the higher ups why my team wasted a couple thousand won on stuff we won’t be able to use because of the design team’s incompetence,” he says snarkily, his alpha pheromones spiking in annoyance as he points his nose in the air. “Since you're in charge of that project, I expect an email to be sent to me and the higher ups admitting fault. Okay?”

“I will once I confirm that we failed to send you the final end product,” Taehyung replies, standing his ground and refusing to back down as he meets the alpha’s eyes. “After all, it is protocol for the design team to send the draft first for approval before we start resizing them and forwarding it to production. I’m sure you know since you used to be our manager.”

His retort earns him an indignant huff from the elder wolf, Heechul probably not expecting some omega like him to challenge him like that.

“Of course I know that,” he retorts with eyebrows furrowed. “But your file name clearly said it’s the final draft.”

“Exactly.” the omega nods at him in a calm manner. “It’s just a draft. We always called it a draft if it isn’t approved yet. We usually rename it to—”

Heechul waves at him to cut him off, pheromones now teetering the line between frustration and anger. “Don’t act smart with me, Kim-ssi,” he says. “I’m still the superior here in case you’re forgetting, so any sign of disrespect could warrant you an incident report.”

Taehyung bites his lips as he fixes his steely gaze at the elder, balling his hands into small fists as an attempt to calm himself down. “I wasn’t trying to be disrespectful,” he says in a blank tone. “I was just explaining.”

“Well, watch your tone.” Heechul snaps at him. “I know you have those silly little dreams of making it big in the corporate world, so let me give you advice.” 

He watches the alpha take a step close to him. Enough for bystanders to think that they’re talking about business, but Taehyung has worked with Heechul long enough to know that it’s his way of intimidating them. Something that hasn’t worked on Taehyung thus far, and has no plans on changing any time soon.

He meets Heechul eyes, his face blank of any expression as he holds his scent in. 

“Part of being a manager is making sure you own up to your mistakes— which you are clearly doing a bad job at.” Heechul says in a challenging tone as he frowns at him. “This is exactly why alphas are in management positions, Kim. We don’t toss the blame around and wash our hands clean when shit hits the fan.”

The irony, Taehyung thinks but holds himself back from speaking back to him since he knows that he’ll only extend the argument further. Though, he is tempted. Very tempted to give him a piece of his mind.

Yoongi would always scold him as a pup when he’d catch him playing with matches in their backyard. He’d always tell him that it’s not right to play with fire and to let it grow since it could lead to an even bigger one that would be hard to put out. It’s a lesson he had a hard time learning— Not even when he burned himself or nearly obliterated their back lawn into ash one time if only his eomeoni and appa didn’t come home on time.

As an adult he hardly does it, unless he counts those small fires he caused in his kitchen while doing a rather complicated recipe, but that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t really stopped. Not with physical fire, at least.

“And as I’ve said, Heechul-ssi,” Taehyung retorts, dropping the honorifics for a second due to his irritability as he holds the alpha’s stare. Feeling a rush of carelessness overtake him as he maintains eye contact with the elder. “I will take ownership after confirming that the error was made on our end, just like how I expect you, as an alpha, to be accountable too if ever you were in the wrong. You can take my word for it.”

Heechul grimaces at him, but he doesn’t bother replying as he takes a step back so he could go on his merry way. “Of course I’ll hold myself accountable,” he says in an annoyed tone, but Taehyung has a feeling that it’s all bark.. “I’ve always had.”

Taehyung stifles the urge to roll his eyes and continues to wear that mask of indifference on his face as he watches the elder alpha turn around without bothering to say goodbye and disappearing to the halls where the elevators are located.

Once his adrenaline has run out, Taehyung sighs out in relief. The facade dropping instantly as leans against a nearby wall and lets his shoulders slump, eyes closing as he takes deep breaths to calm himself down.

He usually doesn’t let Heechul get to him, knowing the brittle ego on that alpha. He usually lets his words pass through his ears and mind his own business. But considering the whirlwind of emotions he was brewing in already before he came in, he couldn’t help but snarl back.

Taehyung groans to himself, mentally kicking himself in the butt, before he hears the sound of someone chuckling next to him. 

Someone familiar and friendly that has Taehyung standing up straight and looking at the source, where he finds a certain Jeongguk grinning at him from ear to ear with his arms crossed as he leans on the wall.

Taehyung blinks at him.

“If you want my opinion, I think you’ll nail a manager position, Baby.” Jeongguk says. “That was quite a show you put on there.”

“You saw that?” Taehyung asks sheepishly, licking his lips as he pushes himself off the wall to look at him. Still feeling slightly bothered.

“Yeah, I came just in time to hear the end,” Jeongguk replies, also pushing himself off the walk and leading the way out the entrance with the omega following suit. “And you did well showing him his place. I’m proud of you.”

Taehyung snorts at him half-heartedly as he and the alpha step out the building together, sunshine greeting the both of them as they start to head down the block to where the new restaurant was located in silence.

Honestly, he’s still a bit worried about that heated encounter with Heechul— not because he’s afraid of the alpha himself, but more on the possible repercussions that follow it, since Heechul was known to hold a grudge and has friends within the board that could help make certain things happen. 

The scent of bamboo suddenly fills his nose, pheromones coming off in gentle waves from the alpha beside him. Pheromones that make him relax; that comforts. 

By now, he should really get used to the idea that Jeongguk is the type to know him— to see him when he’s doing his very best to hide. And normally, he’d make the alpha stop and insist that he’s okay. Be this independent omega he’s always been.

However, there are moments like these— moments when it gets hard to hide and to control how he’s feeling that makes Taehyung thankful to know that he at least has one wolf out there who’d know without having to be told. Who can see despite the masks.

“You don’t have to be scared.” Jeongguk states in a casual yet gentle tone as they walk together.

Taehyung scoffs at him lightly. “I’m not scared of him.” he replies.

“I’m not saying you’re scared of him,” Jeongguk replies. “I’m saying you don’t have to be scared or worry about the consequences because there aren’t any. I mean, I saw the email you were talking about too. We’re not in the wrong.”

The omega sighs at him dejectedly. “I know we sent it too, Jeongguk,” he replies. “But knowing the type of wolf Heechul is, I’m sure he’s going to get back at me for speaking back or something. He always does. He has some connections in the higher ups that help pull a few strings for him. It’s the only reason why he even became a manager in the first place despite his… lack of skills.”

Jeongguk chuckles at him lightheartedly as they stop by the pedestrian crossing. “Trust me. I know,” he says. “In fact, Namjoon knows about him and his little buddies too. I, uhm, it’s part of the reason why I’m here, actually.”

“Oh.” Taehyung turns to look at him with eyebrows scrunched. “Uh, can I ask why or is that confidential?”

The alpha’s lips purses as the pedestrian sign turns green, prompting them to start crossing. “You’ll find out soon enough,” he says, walking to Taehyung’s other side where incoming traffic is coming as they cross the street. “But one thing that I can tell you is that you’re going to be fine. Okay?”

Taehyung chuckles at him dryly. “Okay.” he mutters.

“I’m serious, Tae.” Jeongguk says in a more firmer and reassuring tone. “I promised to help you succeed, and I honor all my promises. I won’t leave without making them happen. I mean, you already have the technical skills. You know how to stand your ground as I’ve witnessed earlier. You got this. I trust that you do.”

Taehyung feels touched and grateful to have someone, who just doesn’t know and see— but has faith in him too. Honestly, most alphas have this primal need of protecting omegas as their actions are purely based on their inner wolf’s reactions. It’s common for alphas to want to take control of a situation, instead of leaving it up to fate. 

But not Jeongguk. 

Jeongguk seems to be proving himself different every chance he could get — proving to Taehyung that he isn’t like the alphas he has been with, and so far, Jeongguk has been doing a damn good mind in changing his mind.

“Thank you for trusting me, Jeongguk.” Taehyung says, reaching to squeeze Jeongguk’s hand tightly as a way to let him know he appreciates him as they finally make it to the other side of the road and head to the restaurant that’s within sight. 

Jeongguk looks down at his hand, licking his lips slowly, before he tentatively offers up his palm to the omega for quiet permission. As if he’s also asking to be trusted too.

It takes a while of thinking— of convincing himself, but it’s getting hard to keep pretending. Especially if it’s with someone who can distinguish between real and not.

Carefully, Taehyung holds Jeongguk's hand and walks next to him in silence. Refusing to look to the side to see the expression of the alpha’s face as they pass through stalls, in fear of exposing his blushed cheeks.

But—

He does Jeongguk’s reflection on the mirror though, and could make out the ear to ear grin on his face, that has Taehyung snorting quietly to himself as he squeezes the alpha’s hand again.

Jeongguk squeezes his hand back. A quiet ‘thank you for trusting me too’ shared telepathically between them.

◇

Sometimes, Taehyung wonders if Jeongguk is a real person. 

In Taehyung's defense, he likes to think that it's valid to be hesitant towards a seemingly perfect alpha like Jeongguk considering the number of negative experiences he’s had with alphas in general in the past.

And it’s not like he’s keeping score or is waiting for Jeongguk’s act to drop or something, but over the time they’ve spent in the last week, he finds himself falling for the alpha more and more with no stopping.

Friday arrives quickly, and for the past couple of days, he and Jeongguk have gotten dangerously close, but for once, Taehyung lets it be. He doesn’t question nor fight the tides anymore and just goes along with it, hoping the waves won’t drown him and make him regret things later. 

Ever since Monday, he and Jeongguk have been kind of inseparable and have been spending most of their free time together. 

They sneak out to go grab lunch together in some restaurant—

“Is this going to be a thing?” Taehyung had asked as he and Jeongguk stepped out of the building, like they did that first day, and went to another random restaurant.

Jeongguk shrugged at him. “Only if you want it to be.” the alpha simply replied that had the omega making a mental list of places he intended to go before, but hasn’t had the reason or time to— until now.

Jeongguk would also step out of his office from time to time to hangout in Taehyung’s cubicle under the guise of asking a work related question, but in reality, he just makes doodles of Taehyung frowning at his computer. (Doodles the omega has safely tucked in his locked drawer.) —

“Don’t you have work to do or something?” Taehyung playfully chided as he pushed Jeongguk away, since the alpha was leaning way too close to him. “You’re distracting me.”

Jeongguk chuckled as he walked to the side and leaned against the omega’s desk, his hands yet again fiddling with the items on Taehyung’s desk and grabbing a pen and post it note before beginning to sketch. “I need a break. I’ve been working all day.” the alpha retorted.

“We all have.”

“Yeah, but I’ve always said that it’s good to take a step away from work to find inspiration from somewhere else,” Jeongguk said, looking between his pad of paper to Taehyung, hands still busy with the sketch, causing the omega to control the blush that's threatening to show on his cheeks. “We can’t afford a creative block, after all.”

Taehyung sighed at the alpha. “Well, you’ve been here for the past ten minutes now and I can’t get this done with you hovering over my shoulder.” he said. 

Jeongguk scoffed as he quietly finished what he was sketching before he placed it back on Taehyung’s desk. “Fine,” he replied. “I’ll go, then. I know when I’m not wanted.”

“Why didn’t you go ten minutes ago like I asked?” the omega muttered with a roll of his eyes, as a grin appeared on the alpha’s face.

“Like I said,” he replied. “I know when I’m not wanted, and that wasn’t the case when I arrived.”

And before Taehyung could even get a response out, Jeongguk walked out his cubicle and proceeded to head back to his office. Leaving a stunned and blushy Taehyung behind.

From the cubicle next to his, Hoseok popped out from over the border with a teasing smirk on his face. “You’re terrible at pretending, by the way.” the other alpha said. “Why won’t you just give in?”

Taehyung rolled his eyes at him as he twirled his seat to face his desk. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he replied as he tapped his keyboard and began to go back to work.

“You do.” Hoseok accused as he shook his head at him. “But maybe tonight is the night you finally break.”

“Tonight?” Taehyung raised an eyebrow at him.

Hoseok nodded in the direction of the post-it note pad on his desk. “Yeah, tonight.” he repeated with a devilish grin. “On your date.”

Taehyung scrunched his eyebrows as he finally looked at Jeongguk’s work of art, and found a chibi sketch of him with puffed cheeks and crossed arms looking down at a chibi Jeongguk, down on his knees with a speech bubble above the alpha’s head asking, ‘Overtime tonight?’ as he presented a bouquet of chocolate covered strawberries in his hands.

This time, he couldn’t control the blush to break out his cheeks as he smiled at the drawing. Something Hoseok snorted about as he left Taehyung alone, and as the omega started drawing on a new pad and left his response on Jeongguk’s desk later on.

He found the drawing stuck on the alpha’s monitor when he walked past the alpha’s office.

It’s a chibi drawing of Taehyung with his crossed arms and nose pointed in the air. A speech bubble above his head, saying, ‘I accept.’

Which is how Taehyung finds himself with Jeongguk after hours on another overtime yet again.

He honestly doesn’t know what has gotten over him to get to this point. He’s usually careful about these types of things since he’s more focused on his career and he isn’t really looking for any distractions to put a pause to his plans. 

Plus, the fact that Jeongguk is his boss is something to be even more careful about since it’s not really allowed at work.

There’s also the fact that Taehyung still hasn’t asked Jeongguk about that mystery omega yet. A fact that has been bothering him and his inner omega a lot lately since they’ve been spending a guilty amount of time together. But every time he tried to bring it up, he’d get cold feet and avoid thinking about it the entire day even when he knows that he should really get it out of the way.

The soft clicks of the keyboard echoes inside the conference room as he and Jeongguk huddle close together to finish a report and a last minute draft that’s due next week. 

Only the soft glow of the buildings outside the windows and the pin lights on all the corners of the room lighting up the place, and once again giving Taehyung the perfect opportunity to sneak glances at Jeongguk as the alpha frowned at his laptop in concentration.

Like always, it’s just the two of them, with the team clocking out as soon as the clock struck six in the evening. Hardly giving him and Jeongguk a second glance as they rushed to enjoy the start of another weekend with the exception of Hoseok and Nayeon who smiled knowingly in Taehyung’s way as they followed the rest out.

Taehyung is usually one of those people who counts down to the day leading up to their day off, but for some reason, he’s not really looking forward to this one. 

The reason being the alpha beside him. 

Jeongguk, that is.

Taehyung sighs under his breath, causing Jeongguk to look up from his laptop with eyebrows raised. “You good?” he asks.

“Yeah,” Taehyung replies as he leans back on his chair and stretches his legs. “Just a bit tired.”

Jeongguk frowns at him in concern as he turns to save his report on his computer and turns to look at him. “We could just finish this next week,” he replies with a shrug. “It’s not due until Wednesday anyway and we have most of it finished anyway.”

Taehyung hums at the alpha in response as he nods his head. Truthfully, he isn’t really in the mood to work anymore since he stayed up late the night before to build the perfect nest— A nest that he was unable to complete and has been bothering him all day since it lacked a certain bamboo scent and is partly the reason why he agreed to go on overtime with Jeongguk and has not asked him to move away for the purpose of taking some of his scent home with him.

Plus he also feels a little weird about separating from Jeongguk after all that time they spent together— even if it’s just for two days. Lately, his omega has been looking for Jeongguk whenever he can't smell the alpha’s bamboo around or is not within his sight, and the weekend away from him is making Taehyung feel slightly uneasy for some reason.

“Should we get going then?” Jeongguk asks as he shuts his laptop off and stands, looking down at Taehyung with an eyebrow raised.

“I guess.” Taehyung replies with a shrug as he saves his sketch on his tablet and follows the alpha out the door to where the empty office awaits and routinely collect their things from their respective cubicle and office before meeting again at the elevators.

“Any plans this weekend?” Jeongguk asks as they wait for the elevator to arrive.

Taehyung shrugs at him. “Just the usual,” he replies, his eyes fixed on the door. “I didn’t get to buy groceries last week and I have a heap of clothes that’s waiting for me in my hamper.”

“Sounds exciting.” the alpha replies, making Taehyung snort as the elevator doors fly open, prompting the two of them to enter.

“What about you?” Taehyung asks, leaning against the elevator door as Jeongguk clicks on the lobby and basement floor like always. “Any grand plans this weekend?”

“Nothing too grand.” Jeongguk replies with a small smile as the elevator begins its descent downwards. “I might have to meet up with someone, but other than that, it’s the same as you.”

Taehyung nods at him, his mind instantly thinking of the omega he saw Jeongguk with the other week. It’s another one of those opportunities where he could bring that mystery woman up and finally put an end to all his doubts.

As Jeongguk had proved over the last couple of days, he’s shown nothing but sincerity towards him, and at that point, Taehyung won’t lie and deny that he’s beginning to think that Jeongguk’s feelings for him are more than what he initially had let on. That every move he makes is with a purpose to make Taehyung feel like he… wants him. 

Something Taehyung is slowly starting to consider but is just too cautious to fully accept, knowing what the entire situation is in terms of his career, the mystery omega and his overall experiences with alphas.

But then again, it’s an opportunity to put at least one of his worries to rest, and Taehyung decides to take a chance as he takes a deep breath and turns to look at Jeongguk.

“Hey Jeongguk—” he starts, the same time Jeongguk says, “So Taehyung.”

They look at each other and snort.

“You go ahead,” Taehyung says as he crosses his arms.

He watches Jeongguk nod at him, the alpha slowly licking his lips as a wave of bamboo pheromones permeates out of him. Looking oddly nervous as he bounces on his heels. A sight that looks all too familiar to Taehyung.

“So, I’ve already asked this before, but let me try my luck and ask again anyway,” Jeongguk says, getting right to the point as the elevator arrives at the second floor, near Taehyung’s stop. “Do you maybe want to have dinner with me tonight?”

And even though he expects it— that he knows how it goes since Jeongguk always asks him the same thing, Taehyung finds himself stifling the urge to react as the elevator reaches the lobby and opens. 

But this time, he doesn’t step out and reject the alpha’s invitation as always. He stays inside a little longer as Jeongguk holds the door open, giving Taehyung the opportunity to leave if he wants to.

Taehyung knows that he should leave. That accepting the invitation is crossing that line he drew yet again and could lead to something that he isn’t sure he’s ready to handle yet.

But Jeongguk is looking at him with those hopeful eyes like he always is. He’s been such a good alpha, even before the previous week, and Taehyung really doesn’t want to put a stop to the time they’ve spent together just yet and wants to collect some more bamboo scent to take home to his nest. 

Reluctantly, Taehyung reaches for the elevator doors and clicks on the close button next to it, causing Jeongguk to grin at him widely– boyish and bunny like, that makes the corner of the omega’s lips to twist into a small smile as the elevators begins to descend down to the basement floor.

“Are you cooking me something good?” Taehyung asks in a seemingly blank tone as he stares at the alpha’s reflection on the elevator doors.

“I’ll make it worth your while.” Jeongguk replies as he continues to smile and leans back on the elevator doors. “I’ve been doing a good job on that so far, haven’t I?”

Taehyung doesn’t reply as the elevator doors open and follows Jeongguk towards the direction of his car. Letting the mystery float between the two of them as Jeongguk opens the passenger door for him and drives the two of them to his house.

◇

There are times when it’s easy to forget that Jeongguk is a wolf with money. 

Taehyung is not a materialistic person by any means, but he wouldn’t exactly say no to some extra cash given the state of the world's economy these days with prices and bills increasing almost every week. 

In fact, it’s mostly the reason why he’s even adamant on getting promoted at work since it would also mean a bigger paycheck. 

Building his status and proving that he’s capable of doing what alphas can do is one thing he wants to achieve, yes— definitely . But like everyone else in the corporate world, he’s not just grinding to make a name for himself all for the sake of his ego, but to fund the stuff that could make him feel happy and satisfied too no matter how simple his happiness could be to others. 

In Jeongguk’s case, it’s easy to think that he’s just like any other corporate slave since he’s genuinely one of the most down to earth people Taehyung has ever met and is not the type to flaunt his riches around or wave a black card with his name on it to anyone who’s looking. 

Jeongguk acts just like any other person in the office with very simple joys that match the rest of them, whether it’s their bi-weekly pay coming in an extra day early or getting a good deal on something he bought. 

It’s one of those things that makes him approachable and it’s what makes it easy for people like Taehyung and the rest of the team to treat him like an equal despite the number of zeros after the nine in his fat bank account.

Plus he’s not pretentious about it too which Taehyung really likes. Jeongguk knows he’s financially more capable compared to all of them. He hasn’t outright denied that he’s well off, but he doesn’t show it off either. He knows what it’s like for people like them who're mostly living paycheck to paycheck, so he treats them from time to time to show his appreciation. 

Jeongguk knows because like always, he looks— he sees them.

But then again, no matter how humble Jeon Jeongguk is, he’s still a wolf with a lot money that people like Taehyung could only dream about having, and it’s only hitting the omega now how true that is as he takes a look at the alpha’s house (yes, a house— in this economy) with his mouth slightly agape. 

Taehyung could hardly blink as the gates open automatically to let Jeongguk’s SUV inside where a lavish and intimidating-looking house stands tall before them, making Taehyung feel slightly self-conscious as he slowly unbuckles his seatbelt and climbs out the alpha’s car.

“Wow,” the omega mutters under his breath as he looks up at the two-storey modern house in front of him, with dark concrete walls and tinted glass windows that hardly give you a peek of what it looks like inside. “That’s— that’s a place.”

He hears Jeongguk snort from the other side of the car as he locks the car and gestures for Taehyung to walk ahead. “Yeah, it’s— it’s quite a place, I suppose.” he replies, sounding slightly bashful as follows the omega closely behind. “Do you like it?”

Taehyung hums at him as they pass through an immaculate green lawn that leads towards the large oak front doors with a fancy door handle installed in it. “You’ve seen where I live, so I think you’d know what my answer is.” he answers.

“Your place is nice, actually.” Jeongguk says in a genuine tone as he scans his fingerprint on the door handle and swipes a code to unlock the door. “Your neighborhood seems very secure and clean.”

“Yeah well, It’s not a gated community like this one, but I suppose it’s okay.” Taehyung shrugs as they take their shoes off and leave them by the door, before he follows Jeongguk through a dimly lit hallway that leads to a lavish living room. 

Like the exterior, the inside of Jeongguk’s house is mostly made up of monochromatic colors. Black on black on black , with a hint of white and silver here and there as an added accent. Dim lighting illuminating the place, making it seem more daunting.

Taehyung finds himself looking at everything at once as Jeongguk leads him to the sitting area that’s made up of two leather couches that’s adjacent to a ginormous television that’s mounted above a fireplace and a coffee table made of granite in the middle where a few unwashed cups and glasses were sitting, making the place seem more homey and lived in— something that eases some of Taehyung’s self-consciousness as he sits down on the comfortable couch and as Jeongguk starts to collect the glasses he left on the table. 

“Sorry about the mess,” the alpha mutters. “My housekeeper didn’t come in for a week, so it’s a bit untidy.”

Taehyung internally snorts for two reasons. One— he hardly counts the unwashed cups as a mess compared to the tragedy that’s waiting for the omega in his sink back in his apartment. And two— of course he has a freaking housekeeper. Of course.

“Don’t worry about it,” Taehyung replies. “You should come over to mine, so I can show you what a real mess looks like.”

Jeongguk chuckles. “Is that an invitation?” 

“More like a warning.” the omega replies, watching Jeongguk stand with a small stack of glasses in his hand. Looking a little awkward— almost as if he’s self-conscious about something.

“Uh, can I get you something to drink? Or do you maybe want a snack while I get started on dinner?” Jeongguk asks as he hovers next to him.

“No, thank you. I’ll wait for dinner,” Taehyung says, looking up at the alpha. “But could I have some water, though?”

“Sure.” Jeongguk nods instantaneously, turning to head over to the kitchen that’s a few steps away since the house has an open floor concept where the living room, the dining place and the kitchen are all converted into one room with some divisions to separate each of them. 

“Do you have any preference?” Jeongguk asks over his shoulder.

“For water?” Taehyung raises an eyebrow at him.

“Uh— yes?” the alpha replies as deposits his dirty glasses in his sink. Sounding slightly curious and reserved.

“Do you have alkaline by any chance?” Taehyung jokes as he lets his fingers glide across the smooth leather under him. 

He hears the sound of the refrigerator opening and the muffled sound of Jeongguk’s voice as the latter takes a peek inside it. “I think I’m out.” Jeongguk says in a serious tone that has Taehyung snorting in disbelief— because of course Jeongguk has a variety of water on hand.

“I have sparkling and mineral, though,” Jeongguk offers, looking over his shoulder with two different bottles in one hand. “Is that fine? Or do you only drink—”

“Jeongguk.” Taehyung shakes his head at him, a small smile appearing at the corner of his lips. “Relax. I was just kidding. Anything is fine with me. You can give me tap water for all I care. It doesn’t matter.”

“Yeah well, let me spoil you for once and give you some options anyway,” Jeongguk says in an easygoing tone; a sheepish smile appearing on his face as he walks back to the living room with both bottles. “Drinking tap water isn’t below me or anything, but let me wine and dine you tonight for a change, Baby.”

The omega scoffs as he reaches for one of the bottles and twists it open, drinking slowly as an attempt to hide the blush that’s creeping up the tip of his ears. Again, he and Jeongguk have not really defined what’s going on between them, so for him to imply that it’s a date this time makes him feel a bit coy.

“I’m not your baby.” Taehyung mutters, setting his bottle down on the table.

Yet, his inner omega adds. Taehyung doesn’t even object.

And maybe his mind is playing tricks on him, but there’s a glint in Jeongguk’s eyes as he says those words. Like he accepts the challenge; the chase.

“Let me work on that, then,” the alpha says unabashedly as he looks Taehyung in the eye determinedly. Not outright saying what he means, but sending the unspoken message nonetheless. 

Taehyung clears his throat, feeling a slight shift in the air as he tears his gaze away from the alpha. “What’s on the menu tonight?” he asks, changing the topic. Not quite ready to have that conversation just yet, but he has a feeling that they’ll get back to it later on, so he might as well beat around the bush a little more until the inevitable happens.

Jeongguk seems to understand, like always, and smiles softly at him.  “Actually—” he says. “I honestly didn’t think that I’d make it this far so I have no clue what to make.”

Taehyung snorts. “And here I was thinking you had everything laid out considering this is the twentieth time you’ve asked me to come over.” he says in a lighthearted tone.

“I’ve only asked around eleven times.” Jeongguk grins at him. “But who’s counting, right?”

“Not you, definitely.” Taehyung smiles back.

The alpha chuckles. “Yeah. Definitely not.” he says, rubbing his palms together as he sucks up a determined breath. “Anyway, let me go and get started on dinner. Do you have any requests?”

Taehyung was just opening his mouth to answer but Jeongguk beat him to it, and adds, “Apart from nothing that’s too spicy?” 

“You seem to know what you’re doing, so I’ll leave you to it.” Taehyung replies as Jeongguk makes his way back to the kitchen. “Do you need any help?”

“Nope.” Jeongguk replies as he begins to push his sleeves up and opens a few drawers to take a few things out. “Just sit tight and make yourself at home, Baby.”

Taehyung scoffs, but he doesn’t call him out on the pet name and watches the alpha begin to work on dinner quietly with just the clang of a pan or a swish of a knife disturbing the peaceful silence. 

For some reason, the set-up reminds Taehyung of their time back in Busan. In that small yet cozy tiny house where space hardly exists. 

In retrospect, Jeongguk’s house has all the space you could ask for, but considering how everything smells like bamboo— like Jeongguk, it somewhat feels like they’re transported back in the middle of nowhere where they’re free to do whatever.

From the kitchen, he hears Jeongguk begin to hum under his breath as he boils some water in a pot and chops slices of meat into smaller sizes with expert hands. Looking very much like he’s in his element as he mans the kitchen expertly.

“Question.” Taehyung starts, disturbing the silence as he leans against the sofa’s backrest and watches the alpha work. Subtly trying to get some of the bamboo scent to stick to his clothes so he could take them back to his nest back at home.

“Shoot.” Jeongguk looks up as his hands work.

“Did you ever consider being anything else apart from being some bigshot boss at some prestigious company?” the omega asks.

Jeongguk hums slowly as he sets the meat aside and reaches for a package of nori. “I did consider being an Idol once.” he reveals, making the omega’s eyes bulge out.

“Really?” Taehyung asks.

The alpha chuckles. “Yeah.” he says, the corner of his eyes crinkling as he laughs. “I was actually recruited by a few companies during middle school, but my moms didn’t want me to drop out of school so young.”

“I’m sure you could’ve juggled them together, though.” Taehyung says in an encouraging tone. 

Jeongguk snorts. “I doubt it.” he says. “I mean, I only got my shit together when I got into college. I was a very indecisive pup, so it was only right for my parents to put me back on the right path.”

“And the right path is subjecting yourself to a lifetime of paperwork?” Taehyung says with a chuckle.

“The right path is making sure I keep my feet on the ground at all times and experience life in its highs and lows.” the alpha says calmly as he tears the nori into small pieces. “I was fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who know and understand me well enough to lead me to the right place— even if it does mean that I have to send a bloody report every Friday night.”

Taehyung scoffs, but he can’t help but feel like he’s taking a closer and deeper understanding of what Jeongguk’s character is and it’s exactly what he means when he says that it’s easy to look past what Jeongguk has to offer— the house made of luxury and the titles bestowed upon his shoulders. Jeongguk is just that person who can shine on his own terms. Who doesn’t need to make a lot of noise to make people look at his sparkle.

“Plus, making my Friday night reports has its perks too.” Jeongguk adds with a small grin, causing the omega to roll his eyes. 

“Yeah well, I’m glad you find my company amusing.” Taehyung says, perching his chin over his palm.

“Very amusing, actually,” Jeongguk replies as he checks on the noodles. “You’re the most interesting person I have ever met if I’m being honest.”

Taehyung snorts. “You’ve only known me for four months.” he points out.

“That still doesn’t change anything.” Jeongguk shrugs. 

Taehyung shakes his head at him, chuckling quietly under his breath. “So you’re saying after all those CEOs and other important people you’ve met, some random omega is the most interesting person you’ve met?” 

“Yes.” The alpha nods without missing a beat as he returns the lid back on the pot and meets Taehyung’s eyes. “Some random omega who works double than everyone else in the office and refuses to let anything or anyone get in their way of achieving their goals.”

Taehyung purses his lips, shrugging. “Life as an omega is tough.” he simply states. “You kinda need to do all that if you want half the things you have.”

“I know.” Jeongguk sighs, more in understanding than anything else. “I still think the rank system sucks, but I have hope on things changing.”

“Yeah well, I hope I live to see the day.” Taehyung mutters with a sigh. “I can’t keep living like this if I’m being honest.”

“Like what?” Jeongguk raises an eyebrow, looking at him.

“Like a slave.” Taehyung says in a dramatic tone, causing the other to snort at him amusedly.

“A slave who's waiting to be served dinner, you mean?” the alpha says in a lighthearted tone.

Taehyung hums in agreement. “Exactly,” he says. “A slave you coerced to work after hours, in case you’re forgetting.”

“Touche.” Jeongguk chuckles as he sets all the ingredients he prepared aside and puts the stove on low heat, before he heads over to him and takes the seat next to him. Smelling strongly of bamboo due to his sweat as he releases a sigh of relief.

“Can I ask you something, though?” the alpha asks, looking at him.

Taehyung shrugs. “Sure.”

“If ranks didn’t exist and if you could be whatever you want to be without being discriminated, what would it be?” Jeongguk asks.

Yours, his inner omega answers, causing Taehyung’s lips to purse.

“I don’t know.” he tells the alpha instead.

“I’m sure you can think of something,” Jeongguk encourages, leaning an arm over the couch’s backrest and turning to face him. “C’mon. You know I won’t judge.”

“My answer is your typical omega answer, honestly.” Taehyung sighs. 

“And?” The alpha raises an eyebrow at him. “You aren’t defined by what you do or what you want to be.”

“Society does.” the omega points out.

“Not me, though.” Jeongguk simply says. Gentle and honest like always. Trustworthy. It’s enough to make Taehyung let some of his defenses down and let Jeongguk in on a little secret. 

He turns to meet Jeongguk’s eyes, turning his head and leaning on the backrest. The alpha is close, but at the same time, he’s far. But it’s enough to allow Taehyung to drink in his natural bamboo scent, making his inner omega delirious with it.

“Don’t judge me.” Taehyung starts.

“I haven’t done so.” Jeongguk replies. “And I don’t plan on doing so anytime soon.”

Taehyung snorts as he shakes his head. “Fine,” he says, sighing. “So, I grew up in a pretty sheltered environment, being the youngest and an omega, and all, so my life mostly revolved around my family.”

Jeongguk hums, listening in.

“I woke up everyday to the typical family setting,” Taehyung continues. “My eomma would make us all breakfast, while my appa reads the morning paper. My brother would nag me about taking too long in the bathroom since we’re running late for school. You know— that kinda thing.”

“Sounds nice if you ask me.” Jeongguk says in a sincere tone, a small smile on his face.

“It is.” Taehyung agrees with a nod. “It really is. And don’t get me wrong, me and my parents have very different beliefs when it comes to rank roles, but… the life I had growing up. That’s the kind of thing I aspire to have.”

“A family.” Jeongguk says, looking at him. 

“Yeah.” Taehyung sighs, shaking his head. Feeling rather insecure as he admits it out loud, considering how hellbent he’s been in getting promoted at work. “A happy one, who disagrees on a few things here and there, but… a happy one nonetheless. That’s what I want to have.”

From the corner of his eyes, he sees a soft smile appear on Jeongguk’s face. The alpha probably picturing it in his head.

“But as simple as that sounds, it’s no easy thing,” Taehyung continues, trying to sound dismissive. Like it’s no big deal as he sits up straight. “And I’d rather die instead of being called a typical omega.”

“That makes sense.” the alpha agrees with a nod. “I mean, now I understand why you work so hard. You don’t want people talking shit about you, and a solid and stable career on your shoulders will shut them up, should you finally settle down in the future.”

Taehyung smiles. “Exactly.” he admits, releasing a sigh. “Plus that’s not all— finding someone who respects and understands all that is hard. I would know. I went out with a bunch of dickheads to prove it, after all. My brother could attest to that.”

He hears Jeongguk hum, quietly taking it all in as he ponders this bit of information. Taehyung turns to look at him and finds the alpha looking deep in thought.

Eventually, Jeongguk says, “What do you think he’d think of me?” 

“My brother?” Taehyung asks, making the alpha nod. “Well, he doesn't have the traditional mindset like our parents does and he dated an alpha before, but he’s already mated.”

Jeongguk rolls his eyes at him, the corner of his lips twisting into a small smile. “C’mon,” he says. “You know that’s not what I mean.”

Taehyung bites his lips, stifling his grin as he looks at the other. “I don’t.” he lies. 

“Ah. So this is how you want to do it, then?” Jeongguk chuckles nervously as he fidgets in his seat, poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue as he turns to look at the omega. “Want me to spell it out for you?”

The omega shrugs at him, pretending not to know, when deep down, he just really wants to hear the alpha say the words out loud so it could feel a little more real compared to all his quiet assumptions.

Jeongguk releases a breath, his bamboo scented pheromones heightening as he meets Taehyung’s eyes with a brave yet careful look on his face.

Taehyung finds himself holding his breath as Jeongguk opens his mouth and says—

“What would your brother think about me cou—”

But before Jeongguk could speak the words into existence, the sound of a loud clang echoes inside the room, causing the bubble around them to pop and remind them of where they are.

They turn to the kitchen to find the pot that Jeongguk left boiling angrily with bubbles appearing on the surface to indicate that it’s way beyond the boiling point already.

Hastily, Jeongguk stands and rushes back to the stove to turn it off. “Shit.” he mutters. 

You could say that again, his inner omega whines.

I third that, Taehyung thinks as he watches Jeongguk carry the pot over to the sink to save the noodles from being overcooked.

While Jeongguk busies himself in salvaging the noodles in his sink, Taehyung releases the breath that he was holding as he slumps back on the sofa and closes his eyes. 

Honestly, he does feel a bit disappointed that Jeongguk was unable to finish what he was about to tell him, or rather, to ask of him. He’s not dumb and he’s not blind, after all. Just like Jeongguk, Taehyung sees him too. He sees through his actions, understands his words between the lines and it’s honestly taking him all his self control to stop himself from giving into what his inner omega has been yearning for and just go for it.

But at the same time, he does feel a little relieved of the delay too, since there are a few loose ends that he has to clarify with Jeongguk first— like, who that mystery omega is and if she’s the wolf who everyone says that Jeongguk has liked for a long time already.

In retrospect, three months is a long time to get to know someone, but it also feels like it’s not enough time to properly decide if you really like them or not. And although Taehyung’s crush on the alpha has considerably progressed over time, he’s been nothing but difficult with Jeongguk and has only recently started opening up to him more, so he’s not so sure about how serious Jeongguk is.

Sighing, Taehyung stands and turns to look at the alpha’s direction. Needing some time to collect and pull himself together before he does something stupid. “Can I use your bathroom real quick?” he asks. 

Jeongguk briefly looks at him as he’s straining the noodles under running water. “Yeah, sure,” he replies. “It’s the third door on the left in that hallway.”

Taehyung nods at him, heading over to the direction the alpha pointed at and tells him that he’ll be back.

As soon as the bathroom door closes, Taehyung leans against it and whines under his breath. “Fuck,” he mutters, shaking his head as he pushes himself to walk over to the sink. “Pull yourself together.”

When he sees his reflection in the mirror, he finds himself looking a bit flushed and scoffs.

“He hardly said anything and you already look like a mess.” he chides, turning the faucet on to splash some water on his heated face.

Can you blame me? His inner omega whines.

Taehyung sighs. “I know, but I can’t just rush into things.” he mumbles, leaning on the counter as water drips from his face. “It’s too risky.”

It’s not, his wolf insists, whining in dismay. You’re the only one who’s holding back here. I can’t hold back anymore.

Taehyung purses and licks his lips. “Just a little more.” he says before standing up straight to look for a towel to dry his face. He finds one hanging near the shower area and uses it to pat his face, but as he’s doing so, he gets a strong whiff of Jeongguk’s bamboo scented pheromones and nearly crumbles at the intensity of it.

He always liked Jeongguk’s scent, but ever since that trip to Busan, it has gotten so much worse to the point where he started spraying some bamboo scented linen spray on his nest at home, but nothing quite beats the real thing that not only smells of bamboo but of Jeongguk— Jeongguk’s shower gel, the products he uses on his skin and everything else. Everything Jeongguk.

It’s embarrassing how he’s trying to take so much of the alpha’s scent, but with the incomplete nest waiting for him back home, he can’t help but take and take and take despite his inner protests. His instincts taking over his reasons.

Out of the corner of his eyes, he finds a hamper with a couple of Jeongguk’s clothes inside and an idea— a bad one begins to formulate in his head as he hangs the towel back on the rack and approaches it. 

Without even thinking, he grabs a dress shirt he saw Jeongguk wore the other day and sniffs it generously. Using the material to rub against his scent gland, enough to last for a few hours but not too much to make it noticeable to others.

“Shit. What the fuck am I doing?” Taehyung groans, throwing the shirt back inside the rack as he rubs his face with his palms. “I’m acting like a fucking creep!”

Speak for yourself, his inner omega retorts, nearly delirious with the bamboo scent that Taehyung inhaled. 

Steal one, his wolf demands. We need it to complete the nest.

Taehyung bites his bottom lip at the suggestion. “No.” he mutters, but not entirely sounding all too convincing. “No, that’s— that’s a terrible idea.”

And as if it materialized out of nowhere to test him, Taehyung spots a small handkerchief he knows Jeongguk uses to wipe his sweat. Laying innocently on the side, ready for taking.

He knows he shouldn’t do it. He knows that there’s no way Jeongguk wouldn’t notice it missing if he does his laundry later on.

However, the need to take something home that smells of Jeongguk is getting stronger by the second for some reason. Especially with the thought that he won’t get to see Jeongguk again until Monday. Especially after that near-confession back in the alpha’s living room. And especially now that he triggered his wolf and has a nest at home that he needs to get done.

Throwing all his reservations out the door, Taehyung decides to give into his wolf’s request and pockets the handkerchief. Telling himself that he’s only borrowing and that he’ll return it back to Jeongguk on Monday with a dumb excuse saying that he didn’t realize he took it with him.

By the time Taehyung steps out the bathroom with the goods safely tucked in his pants’ pockets, the alluring scent of food fills his nostrils and he stops midtrack when he finds the dining table fully transformed into what looks like a fine dining set-up.

With two plates across each other and utensils on one side over a gold placemat. Wine glasses next to a normal one that already has some water in it. A candle in the center with a vase that has a singular rose sitting inside it prettily and some table napkins folded beautifully.

Taehyung blinks repeatedly, trying to snap himself out of his trance, as the soft sound of jazz music suddenly fills the room and finds Jeongguk heading out a door with a bottle of wine in his hands.

“I thought you said you weren’t prepared.” Taehyung accuses, sounding a bit awestruck as Jeongguk smiles his signature smile— the youthful and bunny-like one that makes the corner of his eyes crease and nose to scrunch. 

He hears the alpha chuckle as he stops by the kitchen to grab a wine bottle opener and places the bottle over the island to pop it open.

“I wasn’t.” Jeongguk replies in an easygoing tone as he works on opening the wine bottle. “But that’s no excuse to settle for anything less than what I initially planned.”

Taehyung’s inner omega internally swoons and he can feel his face beginning to heat again, as he forces his legs to move so he could approach the table that Jeongguk carefully and thoughtfully prepared while he was out busy being a total freak.

“I–” Taehyung stutters, a complete loss for words as the alpha meets him at the table and starts to fill their wine glasses with white wine. “I don’t know what to say. I’m— I’m impressed.”

Jeongguk’s grin widens as he sets the bottle in a bucket full of ice and rounds the table to pull up a chair for him. “Good,” he replies. “I’ve been trying my best to do that these last couple of months.”

Taehyung scoffs, but he doesn’t comment on it any further as he sits down on the chair the alpha pulled for him. Fearing the state of his reddened ears and beating chest as he watches Jeongguk hurry back to the kitchen to retrieve a pan filled with the food he cooked.

“I hope you like it,” Jeongguk says, sounding a bit shy as he starts to fill Taehyung’s plate with a noodle dish he remembers telling the alpha was his favorite. “It’s a new recipe that I’ve been working on. I tried not to make it too spicy but there’s still some spice, but it’s—”

“Jeongguk.” Taehyung cuts him off, shaking his head at him fondly. “Don’t worry about it. I– I like it. It’s perfect.”

You’re perfect, his inner omega internally sighs. Taehyung agrees.

Jeongguk beams, his chest puffing in pride and grinning so wide, as he puts some noodles on his own plate and takes the seat across the omega. 

The alpha then grabs his wine glass and holds it up the center, to which Taehyung mimics by grabbing his own and holding it in front of him too.

“I, uh, don’t exactly know what to toast about, but cheers to surviving a new week. I suppose?” Jeongguk chuckles awkwardly.

Taehyung scoffs. “I’m sure you can do better than that.”

Jeongguk snorts, but the smile on his face doesn’t falter as he scrunches his eyebrows in concentration and thinks long and hard about it. Something which makes Taehyung smile secretly about.

“I can think of one, but I’m actually saving it for later,” he starts to say, making the omega’s eyebrows raise in question. 

“What is it?” he asks.

Jeongguk licks his lips slowly as he meets Taehyung’s eyes. “This is supposed to be confidential, but—” he says. “But congratulations on stealing my job.”

Taehyung stares at the alpha, not smiling or reacting as Jeongguk clinks their glasses together and takes a sip.

“What?” the omega frowns.

“You heard me.” Jeongguk smirks through his glass, his eyes still fixed on him.

“I did.” Taehyung replies as he sets his glass down on the table without taking a sip and frowning at him. Not really knowing how to feel about this. “But– but that doesn’t make any sense. How the hell did that happen?”

Jeongguk shrugs at him. “Word travels fast, I guess,” he replies. “I had a meeting with Namjoon and a few other executives the other day about my future plans. As you know, I’m only contracted to work here for a year so I only have a few months left till that expires.”

Taehyung nods at him, listening intently. Still in a state of disbelief.

“So we started talking about any potential replacements, and believe it or not, but Yoonseok was the one who recommended you.” Jeongguk smiles at him. 

“The alpha we worked with in Busan?” the omega clarifies.

“Yeah.” Jeongguk replies. “He put in a good word for you during the meeting, and I might have backed him up a little to make it happen, but yeah. That’s that. Namjoon’s convinced and I was supposed to tell you next week after everything is finalized and signed.”

Taehyung leans back on his chair, still processing the news as he looks down at the food Jeongguk prepared with scrunched eyes.

He doesn’t know how to feel about it. Ultimately, he’s happy. He’s very happy to know that all his efforts are finally being acknowledged and that he’s finally getting the big break that he’s been working hard on for years.

But on another side…

“But what happens to you?” he asks Jeongguk, scrunching his eyebrows at him. 

What happens to us, he doesn’t ask.

“What happens after your contract ends?” Taehyung asks the alpha, not allowing himself to celebrate just yet.

Jeongguk shrugs at him. “I don’t know yet,” he admits. “But I’m sure something will come up. I get emails from headhunters every week. Don’t worry about me.”

“I will worry about you because it’s your job I’m stealing, Jeongguk.” Taehyung replies, shaking his head. “This is serious.”

“It’s fine, Baby.” Jeongguk says in a reassuring tone, reaching to pat the back of his hand comfortingly. “I’ll be fine. I promise.”

“No.” Taehyung purses his lips. “You can’t just give this up for me. I won’t let you.”

“But I did.” Jeongguk replies, meeting his eyes. “And I won’t hesitate to do it again. You said you wanted to succeed, right?”

“But not at someone else’s expense!” Taehyung exclaims, sighing as he licks his lips and shakes his head.

He honestly doesn’t know why he’s feeling worked up about this. He knows Jeongguk raises a good point and that he really doesn’t have to worry about his career since he has an impressive CV that other companies would compete for.

Perhaps he’s just tired and that the lack of sleep is making him overthink all this. Or perhaps the thought of finally seeing his plans come to life is a bit overwhelming—and doing all that without Jeongguk to help him is only making him doubt if he’s really capable.

Maybe it’s both.

Jeongguk, like always, seems to know. He understands without the need for words.

Taehyung senses Jeongguk stand and walk around the table, stopping beside him and placing a hand over his shoulder.

“Hey,” he says. “I promise there’s really nothing to worry about. I didn’t sacrifice anything and I honestly had no plans on staying in the company for more than a year. Promotion or not, this still would have happened, so don’t think too much about it. Okay?”

The omega sighs, his shoulders slumping as he looks up at him. The notions on Jeongguk’s fingers massaging his shoulders comforting him slowly.

“Yeah yeah, I know,” he mutters. “Sorry. I just— I don’t know. I was just surprised.”

“The good or the bad kind?” the alpha asks.

“The confusing kind.” Taehyung admits, chuckling dryly as he licks his lips. “Don’t get me wrong, this is good news. I mean— this is what I wanted and it’s been the plan, so I guess it’s gonna take me some time to process it.”

Jeongguk chuckles at him. “Well, take all the time you need. We still have a few months left before you officially become the boss and I’ll make sure to be here every step of the way to ensure you succeed.”

Taehyung locks his eyes with Jeongguk, feeling grateful and excited and fearful and a mix of different other emotions course through his veins. But above all, he feels so smitten with him. He suddenly has this stupid urge to show him how he really feels.

Plus Jeongguk is so close and he smells so temptingly good— better than the stolen handkerchief in his pocket. Better than those commercial spray he bought online. But then again, he is the real thing and nothing could really quite compare.

Sighing, Taehyung stands and smiles sheepishly at Jeongguk. Slowly licking his lips as he thinks of what to say and finds that the alpha has been staring at his lips.

Taehyung clears his throat as he blushes, feeling hot all over as he tries his best to compose himself. 

Jeongguk stays standing in place, not uttering a word as he watches him.

Eventually, Taehyung releases a breath and meets the alpha’s eyes. “Thank you, Jeongguk,” he says. “This— this really means a lot to me.”

Jeongguk smiles at him. “Don’t mention it.” he says.

“No. I will.” Taehyung insists. Frowning slightly at him in annoyance, causing the alpha to grin wider. “Like I said, I– It’s been something I’ve been working on for a long time, and this never would have happened if it weren’t for you.”

“I doubt it.” the alpha replies. “I’ve seen you work, Tae. I know what you’re capable of. You didn’t need me to make it happen.”

“Somehow, I doubt that.” Taehyung mutters. “But either way, if— if you didn’t really believe in me. If you– if you didn’t see me. I would have stayed in the same place for god only knows how long.”

“Well, you saw me first.” Jeongguk reveals, causing the omega to scrunch his eyebrows at him. “I’m only returning what you did for me.”

“What?” Taehyung asks. “I saw you first?”

Jeongguk smiles sheepishly at him. “Yeah, but I don’t think you’d remember,” he mumbles. “Like I told you before, you’re not quite good at holding your alcohol.”

Taehyung frowns at him in confusion. “Huh? What do you mean?” he asks, tilting his head to the side. Feeling his chest beat against his ribcage and face flushing as he watches Jeongguk stare intensely at him.

He sucks up a breath as Jeongguk takes a step close, making his bamboo scent even more prominent and causing his inner omega to completely lose every sense of control.

“Ever wondered why I keep calling you baby?” Jeongguk begins.

“Uh, yeah. I have.” Taehyung mutters, licking his lips as he feels his hands begin to clam and sweat to collect on his nape as he looks at Jeongguk. “But you call us all pet names at work, so—”

“Because you asked me to.” Jeongguk cuts him off as he releases a sigh and pokes the inside of his cheek.

Taehyung blinks at him, his eyes staring down at the alpha’s lips. Feeling weirdly hot and worked up as he tries to focus on what the other is saying. “I— I did?” he stutters.

“Yes.” Jeongguk chuckles. “I—”

But before Jeongguk could continue, he pauses suddenly as the strong scent of rain permeates out of Taehyung and looks at the latter with scrunched eyebrows.

“Hey,” he says. “You okay?”

“What? Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” Taehyung replies, looking confused as he watches the alpha. “Why?”

“I- uh,” Jeongguk scrunches his eyebrows as he looks at Taehyung and places his hands over his shoulders. “You smell different. You— I—”

Taehyung frowns, not knowing what he means. He feels fine. A little worked up and tired and stressed after the bombs that Jeongguk dropped on him, plus his inner omega is being a bit weird, but overall, he feels okay. 

Or he was until another strong gust of strong rainy pheromones escapes him, along with the feeling of his lower abdomen stinging in pain.

Taehyung’s eyes widened in horror. Shit, he thinks. So that explains the obsessive nesting, then. 

He looks up to meet Jeongguk’s wide and shocked eyes, frowning when he sees the alpha take a few steps away from him.

“Baby,” Jeongguk says in a seemingly calm tone as he holds his hands up between them. “I think you just got your heat.”

Taehyung blinks as he puts a hand over his abdomen to help with the pain that’s slowly coming in waves. “Are you gonna help me?”

Jeongguk could only wince as he pulled Taehyung along with him to deposit him into one of the rooms.

Chapter Text

If you told Jeongguk a few months back that he’d be spending the night outside his own home because a certain omega suddenly got his heat out of nowhere and is currently spending it in his house alone, then he’d call you a liar. A big one.

He’d probably roll his eyes and call bullshit as he shook his head, because after doing nearly everything within his means to catch this certain omega’s attention for the past few months, he thinks it’s a ludicrous thought to have and entertain. 

But then again, that’s exactly what’s happening at the moment, so he guesses that the Jeongguk in the past would be in for the surprise of his life.

Jeongguk heaves out a tired sigh as he takes a seat on the steps of his front porch, his arms resting atop his knees and head bowed low as he takes calm breaths to tame his alpha wolf. Feeling stressed and anxious yet alert as he sits outside and waits for help to arrive. 

Most people would think that being an alpha is the best thing that could happen to a wolf. And to some degree, Jeongguk could understand why people would think that. After all, alphas are at the top of the food chain and they are generally seen as the best rank there is by most of society. They have it way easier compared to betas and especially omegas. It’s easier to secure their dream jobs and to gain respect without having to do much, and basically have everyone bend down to their every need. 

He knows all this. 

He lives it. 

He’s grateful to be in a position where life is practically catered for alphas like him.

But one thing they don’t tell you about alphas, and something alphas themselves don’t say out loud at the fear of being seen as weak, is that they’re actually pretty helpless around their inner wolves themselves.

Unlike betas and omegas who could reason with their inner wolves and have most of their self control intact, alphas are quite the opposite— their wolves control them . They are mostly driven by what their inner wolves want and need because it’s in an alpha’s nature to assert their dominance even if it means asserting that dominance on themselves.

It’s why most alphas out there behave the way they do. It’s why alpha leaders still have all these traditional and stupid laws around to uplift their own rank and set others aside, because alpha wolves think that that’s how it should be. They think they should be on top and it's why they dominate others— because their own wolves have been keeping them under a short leash.

Luckily enough, Jeongguk could say that his wolf has been mostly kind to him. Or tame, at least. It doesn’t have a fragile ego and is not at all perturbed when others, even betas and omegas, tell him what to do. He doesn’t feel like he needs to be at the center of everyone’s attention or like he should be the one who should be barking orders around.

He likes to think that it all stems from having a loving family with two nurturing mothers who didn’t get tired of teaching him what a real alpha should be, which is to basically protect others who can’t protect themselves and safekeep the peace. 

Jeongguk grew up with a strong belief that being a real alpha is not about trying to prove to others who’s stronger. It’s about making sure the pack stays in peace and harmony, regardless of roles.

Plus he also likes to think that his inner alpha is a pretty chill wolf too. A bit playful and puppy-ish sometimes. It aims to please others and protect the ones he loves. He was even often called a golden retriever by his family too, which Jeongguk always snorted at.

But all that being said, he’s still an alpha with his natural instincts at the end of the day, who has his moments of weakness where his inner wolf would feel the need to take over and dominate when it feels like Jeongguk won’t make the right call.

And in this case, Jeongguk had to use all the self control that he could muster just to stop his inner alpha from doing something stupid like… mate. 

Mate Taehyung , specifically. 

Taehyung, who’s probably in his bedroom experiencing the first wave of his heat that very second and is probably doing god only knows what, which Jeongguk doesn’t even want to think about at the risk of setting off his inner wolf.

Taehyung, who asked him to help him out before the heat haze set in and caught Jeongguk off guard. 

Taehyung, who shot him a confused look when Jeongguk backed away from him when he tried to approach him and asked what was wrong. Whose rain and ocean scent mixed with distressed and rejection at the sight of Jeongguk leaving him locked inside the room as the first wave of his heat set in and shut the door behind him.

Jeongguk honestly doesn’t know how he did it. He honest to god has no clue how he resisted the urge to pounce on the omega right then and there despite Taehyung’s consent and walked out that door. But he does know that it physically pained him to do all that, and that it took a huge toll on his alpha, considering the emotional distress he’s in right that second.

Though at the same time, Jeongguk doesn’t have any regrets. At least he tries not to.

Jeongguk groans as he rests his head over his knees and breathes out another frustrated breath, his heart stammering inside his chest and inner alpha in complete turmoil as it fights him to go back inside and help his omega out.

His, Jeongguk winces at the thought in longing as he counts up to a hundred, hoping the person he called would come faster as it’s beginning to be hard to stay away.

Jeongguk has never really helped anyone with their heat before, but he’s taught the effect that an omega in heat has on alpha wolves and knows that it tends to blur all their common sense out of their need to mate and breed. 

And although Jeongguk and his inner alpha has had a good harmonious relationship thus far; that his wolf could be trusted to do the right thing and to hold back, he can’t just trust himself enough with Taehyung. 

Not when they’re just beginning to get closer and comfortable around each other. Not when their relationship has already started to cross the line between boss and employee to something more and just when Taehyung has started letting him in.

And not after waiting for so long to get this chance with him again.

The thought of their meeting for the first time somewhat brings a smile to Jeongguk’s face, and it’s enough to distract him from thinking about what’s inside his house as the alpha focuses on the drunken smile Taehyung had on his face that day.

He remembers it as if it was yesterday. Mostly because he lives on the day on repeat. Or at least, until he got the chance to meet Taehyung again and put all his pending plans into action.

Jeongguk met Taehyung at one of RKIVE’s year end company party more than a year ago when Namjoon invited him to come as a guest. At that time, Jeongguk was still employed at H Company as their creative director— or rather — he was assigned to work there until further notice.

What people didn’t know about Jeon Jeongguk is that he isn’t just H Company’s creative director, but he’s also under the Ministry of Labor’s payroll to secretly audit large businesses and conglomerates and report any misconducts and malpractices that the company has made. 

He’s kind of like a spy of some sort whose mission is to report to the MOL and collect enough evidence to incriminate the company; going from one shady business after another and leaving just before the ministry is ready to start taking legal actions with the information he provided.

Only his family and a handful of very close friends know about this— Namjoon included, which is why he believes he’s there at RKIVE’s party to begin with.

For the past few weeks, Namjoon has been hinting about getting someone to investigate one of his departments over suspected mistreatment. Namely, the Design Department. According to his friend, the design team has been getting numerous resignations and that most of his tenure employees have left without properly telling them the reason why— and Jeongguk suspects that he’s invited there to know what that reason is.

The official program has long since concluded and the afterparty is in full bloom. The party was held at a hotel’s grand ballroom that’s decorated lavishly with a hoard of silver and gold balloons that’s floating at the high ceiling with long colorful streamers attached to them.

There’s also a DJ playing some old school music in full volume on the stage in front of a crowded dance floor that’s being illuminated by beam lights of different colors as wolves danced and jumped to the beat. At the sides are tables and chairs for wolves to sit and chat that’s near the buffet tables where a few selections of snacks were available to take and an open bar on each side of the room where everyone’s free to grab an unlimited supply of drinks. 

In short, it’s a wild and heavily budgeted party that everyone appears to be enjoying.

Jeongguk honestly doesn’t know why Namjoon even wanted him there, considering RKIVE is a Fortune 100 company and is even named South Korea’s best place to work since it offered the best benefits and has attained the highest rating when the ministry did its annual check-in. 

But then again, he guesses that that’s part of the reason why RKIVE is successful in the first place. It has a CEO who truly cares about everyone and everything— down to the last detail and employee, and is doing his best to ensure it stays that way.

“Shit.” Namjoon muttered under his breath as he bowed his head to avoid being seen, his lips twisted in a frown as he turned to face Jeongguk.

“What’s wrong?” Jeongguk asked in an amused tone as he subtly tried to look over Namjoon’s shoulder to find the source of his friend’s annoyance.

“Two o’clock.” Namjoon replied as he took a sip of his fruity drink and adjusted the tie around his neck. “See those old men by the presidential table shaking hands?”

“Yeah. Why?” Jeongguk asked as he subtly observed over the mouth of the glass he’s drinking from. 

“That’s the board of directors.” Namjoon said with a deep frustrated sigh. 

“Ah.” Jeongguk hummed, nodding as he smoked at the elder. “You mean your fans?”

Namjoon scoffed at him. “They’re far from it, but in a way, I suppose you can call them that since they’re always in my fucking business.” he huffed in a disdainful tone as he scrunched his eyebrows. “I’m pretty sure that they’re the reason why I’m losing people recently too.”

Jeongguk could only shoot his friend an empathetic smile as he watched the group of wolves rub shoulders and talk amongst themselves with fake smiles on their faces.

“Is that because they overruled your decisions on your last board meeting?” he asked. 

“Yeah.” the other replied in a defeated tone as he licked his lips and shook his head. “And it’s been absolute hell ever since. I lost a few of my tenured employees from the design team and I have a couple of pending resignations sent in too.”

“Did you check with HR like I told you?” 

“I did, but according to their exit interviews, they’re quitting because of better companies out there,” Namjoon said. “I mean it’s probably true, but RKIVE has the highest employee satisfaction rating. We get thousands of applications everyday for that sole reason, so it doesn’t make sense why that’s the reason why people keep leaving.”

“And did you talk to the current employees that you already have?” Jeongguk asked as he took a sip of his beverage.

“I asked their new manager to talk to the team, but according to him, everything is okay,” Namjoon answered. Though, Jeongguk doesn’t fail to notice how the elder sounded slightly doubtful. Like he doesn’t think that that’s the entire truth.

“You don’t believe them.” Jeongguk stated.

Namjoon sighed. “I do have my doubts,” he admitted. “The design team’s new manager is pretty close to the board. In fact, he was appointed by the board to lead Design, so I’m not so sure if I can trust him.”

“Which is why you invited me here in the first place, right?” the younger one said as he shot the elder a knowing look, causing Namjoon to give him a sheepish smile.

“I mean, if there’s anyone who can get information effectively, it’s you, Guk.” Namjoon said, cutting right to the chase and causing Jeongguk to snort. “I mean, I already tried to investigate myself but everyone seemed intimidated when I dropped by.”

“Well, that only makes sense, hyung.” Jeongguk shrugged. “If I were an employee, the last thing I would do is tell my CEO that the company sucks for so and so reason.”

“But that’s the very thing that they should be telling me.” Namjoon countered back with a sigh. “It’s my job to run the place and to make sure everything is going well.”

“Yeah, but once you’re forgetting that some things can happen behind your back too.” Jeongguk said. Knowing full well how dynamics usually work between employees and their direct managers. Namely, the power tripping that occurs behind closed doors. “Trust me. It’s more common than you think— and even Fortune 100 companies are no exception.”

Namjoon sighed at him. “Yeah, I thought so too,” he replied. “But I just can’t sit back and do nothing. After all, the design team is a crucial part of my company considering all these rebranding we do. I can’t lose any more people just because I don’t know what’s going on.”

Jeongguk smiled at his friend. It was rare to meet CEOs who genuinely cared about all their employees’ welfare and are actually doing something to fix small problems like these to avoid it from becoming a bigger one.

It’s actually the case he’s currently trying to build against H Company. The ministry has been getting various complaints from H’s employees about being mistreated and discriminated against for their rank and background, and since these things happen off the record, the employees had no solid proof to present to the court that could help build a class action case— which is where Jeongguk comes in: to investigate and collect proof.

H first hired him as an intern since the recruiter said that their CEO believed that everyone needed to work from the bottom before getting to the top— A sentiment Jeongguk would have usually respected and agreed with, if H Company hadn’t done it with hypocrisy. 

While he was working there as an intern, he already saw the power dynamics come into play with alphas getting the more important roles despite their lack of experience rather than the omegas and betas who had thrice as much experience and knowledge compared to them.

Jeongguk was even proof of it. He quickly jumped from being an intern to a junior executive in a matter of months. Then a senior executive turned manager a year after he was hired, and eventually he was promoted as the creative director.

He felt guilty having gotten all these promotions quickly compared to the people who had more tenure than him, but Jeongguk had a job to do at the ministry and he needed that quick ascend to the top to get more intel on the company to help those wolves out. 

Plus he made sure to be fair with them and did his best to empower his beta and omega employees in his own little ways— preparing them for what's to come and change, which was approaching very soon.

Jeongguk sighed at Namjoon as he finished his drink and placed his empty cup on a tray that a waiter was carrying. “I guess I’ll have to find out for you, then,” he said as he stood up straight and straightened the dark long sleeved shirt he was wearing.

Namjoon visibly cheered up at that. “Really?” he asked. 

“Like you said, who could do a better job at investigating things like these than me, yeah?” Jeongguk replied as he placed his hands inside his pants’ pockets and looked at him. “It should be easy. I mean, half the people here are already drunk so that should make them a little loose tongued.”

“You’re the best, Guk.” Namjoon grinned, the dimple on his cheek deepening. “I wouldn’t know what to do without you.”

“Yeah well, you owe me, Joon hyung.” the younger one retorted with a grin. “Expect me to cash out on this favor in the future.”

“I don’t expect anything less.” the elder chuckled. “In fact, I could offer you something in return right now.”

“Yeah?” Jeongguk raised an eyebrow at him. “What kind of offer are you talking about?”

“A job.” 

Jeongguk snorted and rolled his eyes at him.

Namjoon shot him a serious look. “I’m serious, Guk.” he said. “I mean, we already suspect that the issue is management related, so once we figure that out, I’ll need a replacement manager. Plus you have design experience. You’d be perfect for the job.”

“What about your board of directors?” Jeongguk raised an eyebrow at him as he gestured to the group of wolves from afar. “Don’t they have to approve that decision first?”

Namjoon scoffed. “They’ll agree as soon as they see your CV,” he said. “And you’re an alpha— you know they’d like you for that fact alone.”

Jeongguk grimaced, but he can’t deny that truth to Namjoon’s words no matter how rankist it sounded. It is an alpha-dominated world, after all.

“I’ll think about it, but don’t get your hopes too high.” Jeongguk replied. “I actually like my job, hyung. I like living my double life. It’s cool. I feel like I’m some sort of Avenger or some shit.”

Namjoon scoffed. “It is cool. I agree. But at least think about it, okay?” the elder alpha begged. “Even if it’s just a temporary position. I can’t risk the board choosing another douche once we confirm that the issue is with the manager. At least, I’d know you’d do good while you’re there.”

“I’ll think about it, hyung.” Jeongguk promised.

“Fine.” Namjoon sighed. “But for the meantime, can you do that spy shit and help me figure out what’s happening to the design team?”

Jeongguk snorted. “Fine,” he replied. “It’s not like you want me here to keep you company anyway. I know you prefer someone else’s.”

Namjoon clicked his tongue at him in annoyance as the tip of his ears turned a shade of red. “Shut up.” he muttered.

Jeongguk laughed as he began to walk away. “Like what you’ve been doing the past few years?” he countered back.

The elder alpha merely rolled his eyes at him, before Jeongguk snickered a final time and parted ways with him so he could start doing what Namjoon had asked while the latter retreated back to the presidential table to talk to his board.

Jeongguk then started walking around the room in search of someone from the design team. According to Namjoon, each department was assigned a specific color to wear that evening and that the design team was assigned the color purple. 

The alpha kept his eyes peeled as strolled around the room, returning an awkward smile here and there when he’d get one (or ten) sultry looks from a couple wolves and asking people around if they knew anyone from the design team, but to his bewilderment, it seemed like no one had a clue as to where they were and he couldn’t see a single person wearing a shade of purple.

Plus if people weren’t trying to flirt with him, they were ignoring him instead and hardly gave him a second of their time since Jeongguk was practically a nobody there. 

Still, he was determined to help Namjoon out and proceeded to walk back and forth across the large room, talking to RKIVE’s employees in hopes of getting an answer. 

“Hey,” Jeongguk said, sounding visibly tired as he stopped another wolf to question. “Do you know anyone from the design—”

“Sorry.” the wolf interrupted him, sounding clearly impatient as he rounded Jeongguk. “I have to be somewhere.”

And with that, the wolf left him alone and went to wherever he needed to be, causing Jeongguk to release a defeated breath as he walked towards the open bar and took a seat on one of the bar stools.

“Tough crowd.” Jeongguk sighed as he leaned back on the bar table and gestured to the bartender for a drink. 

From the stool right next to him, he heard the sound of a deep and amused snort, causing Jeongguk to glance in that direction and found a guy dressed in head to toe black slouched over the bar with a few empty glasses in front of him as he appeared to be writing something down on a table napkin.

“Welcome to the club.” the wolf muttered under his breath, not even looking up at him as he took a drink from his glass and continued to write something down. “It’s kinda lonely here, but the drinks are nice.”

Jeongguk snorted lightly at him as he accepted a glass of whiskey and coke from the bartender and turned to look at him. He was just about to ask him if he knew anyone from the design team like what he had been doing for the past few minutes, but instead, he found his breath stuck inside his throat once he got a proper look at the wolf— or rather, the most gorgeous wolf he had ever seen.

To say that Jeongguk was at a complete loss for words was an understatement. In fact, he’s pretty sure that his brain short-circuited for a second as he shamelessly ogled the mysterious wolf. 

The omega, his inner alpha corrected him.

Right, Jeongguk thought, as he subtly inhaled the calming scent of rain and ocean from the omega that nearly caused his inner wolf to go into a frenzy.

The omega was lean and is probably the same height as him, with dark brown hair curled and sitting prettily over his head. Honey-toned and flawless skin littered with tiny moles all over his delicate face. Dressed in some skin-tight jeans that looked like it was painted on his long legs. Some tall black boots. A black jacket that was zipped up all the way that sparkled under the light and some earrings dangling on one of his ears.

Jeongguk blinked twice as he looked at him— trying to see if he’s imagining him or not. But to his relief, the omega didn't disappear like a puff of smoke and had even snorted at him again amusedly as he set his pen down on the table and finally turned to meet his eyes.

“See me now?” the omega asked as he perched his chin over his palm.

Jeongguk slowly shook his head to get him out of his stupor.  “I’m surprised I didn’t see you the first time, actually.” he muttered.

“Well, you only passed me by the first eleven times but who’s counting, right?” the other replied in a blank yet slightly teasing tone as the corner of his lips twitched.

“Were you watching me?” the alpha raised an amused eyebrow at him as he took a sip from his drink. Finding himself enamored as he watched the omega shrug at him and slowly slid the napkin across the bar table to show Jeongguk what he was working on.

Jeongguk snorted a laugh as looked down at the table napkin, which was apparently a drawing of him in chibi-style, standing in the middle of what looked like the ballroom, looking agitated with a speech bubble above his head that said ‘Why can’t you see me?’

The alpha looked up with a bright grin and found the omega watching him with a blank look on his face. “Nice sketch.” he said in a sincere tone.

“Thanks.” The other shrugged at him as he picked up his glass of cocktail and took a sip.

Jeongguk continued to smile as he looked between the wolf and the drawing of him. “Can I keep this?” he asked.

“I guess.” The omega hummed non-committedly as he watched Jeongguk pocket the napkin.

“I’m Jeongguk, by the way.” he introduced himself. 

“Nice to meet you.” the omega replied as he chugged his drink and turned to look at Jeongguk with the same blank and uninterested look on his face. A challenge Jeongguk’s inner wolf readily accepted to turn into something else— Something good.

“Why are you looking for the design team, by the way?” the omega asked with an eyebrow raised.

At that, Jeongguk is suddenly reminded of why was there in the first place and tries to focus on the task at hand— A task he found was hard to do as he was more focused on the fact that this mystery omega did not bother to share his name with him.

Still, Jeongguk forced himself to get back on track and thought of a cover to tell the omega. “No reason,” he said. “I’m one of the guest judges for the best in attire competition and I didn’t notice any participants from the design team while I was looking around.”

“Maybe it’s because you weren’t looking hard enough,” the other retorted as he crossed his legs and held his glass of some sort of fruity cocktail in one hand, swirling the glass around with one hand as he maintained eye contact with the alpha. “Cause if you did, you would have seen at least one.

“In my defense, I’ve been walking around this party for the past thirty minutes and I haven’t seen a single one.”

The omega shook his head at him before he slowly reached for the zipper of his jacket and began to pull it down, causing Jeongguk to freeze and hold his breath for one electrifying second as the omega revealed the fitted purple top underneath his glittery jacket.

Two things entered Jeongguk’s mind.

One: he finally found someone from the design team to interview for Namjoon.

And two: Holy fucking shit.

(The second thought weighed more than the first one for obvious reasons.)

The omega, who appeared to be watching Jeongguk, finally broke into a miniscule smile as a soft chuckle escaped his lips.

This mystery omega is beautiful without the need of a smile on his face, but seeing the fullness of his cheeks and the light in his eyes has somewhat made him even more beautiful, Jeongguk thought as he sported a wide grin of his own and thought of a few ways to keep the smile on the omega’s face.

“I think you were robbed of the first prize.” the alpha blurted out, causing the smile on the omega’s face to widen by a little. “Do you want me to talk to the judges and reconsider?”

The omega scoffed as he shook his head at him. “Nah, they can keep first prize. I already have a rice cooker at home,” he replied as he checked Jeongguk out from head to toe shamelessly. 

Normally, Jeongguk would shy away from the look but for some reason, he stayed still and waited for the omega to complete his assessment of him. His inner alpha was widely intrigued as it sat still and slowly wagged its tail in interest.

The omega eventually looked up to meet the alpha’s eyes, and perhaps it must be his imagination, but the smile on the omega’s face turned a little more alluring; kind of flirtatious. 

“You could have won first prize too.” he said, nodding at him. “I like your shirt.”

“Thanks.” Jeongguk smiled as he poked the inside of his cheek. “It’s just my everyday work shirt, but I’m glad you find it nice.”

“It would look nicer with a few buttons undone.” the other replied as he took a drink from his glass, the tip of his ears turning a light shade of red.

Jeongguk took that suggestion to heart though, and unbuttoned the first three buttons for him, causing the omega’s eyebrows to lift in mild surprise and blush to creep to his cheeks as he looked at the alpha.

“Like this?” Jeongguk asked.

“Uh— yeah.” the other replied, shaking his head as he set his glass down and cleared his throat. “Looks better. You don’t like you’re about to serve me a written warning anymore.”

Jeongguk chuckled at him, his grin wide and bright. “In my defense, I don’t think I’ve served anyone a written warning before.” 

The omega hummed. “Ah. Are you some sort of manager?” he asked.

Jeongguk shrugged. “Director.” he admitted, lowkey flexing to gauge the other’s reaction. “But I don’t work here. I work at H.”

“H?” he repeated, frowning at him. “Like, our competitor?”

“Yeah.” the alpha nodded. “I’m friends with Namjoon and he invited me over to, uhm, judge.”

“So you’re a hotshot director who just so happens to be friends with our CEO?” the other raised an eyebrow at him. “Do you have a penthouse apartment in Gangnam too or all that other stuff privileged alphas usually have?”

Jeongguk chuckled at him yet again, not even mildly offended, since he knows far too many alphas who fit the exact same description. “I don’t live in a penthouse.” he said. “I live in a house.”

“In this economy?” the omega scoffed lightly. “Damn. That’s even worse.”

Jeongguk continued to grin. “I figured a house is better to eventually raise a family with my future mate.” he shrugged. “Penthouses seem lonely to me.”

The omega hummed at him in agreement, and the alpha noticed how his eyes subtly tried to check his neck for a mark. (and maybe he stretches his neck to the side to let the other know that he wasn’t committed yet.)

“Yeah, I agree.” the omega replied. “I guess a house is the best choice for a family. I’m sure your partner loves that too.”

“I don’t have a partner.” Jeongguk said. “I’m afraid I’m too overworked to find the time to date.”

“So, you have no partner, and I’m assuming you don’t have pups either?” he asked.

Jeongguk shook his head. “Afraid not.” he replied.

“And you work as a director in H and are friends with a chaebol.” the omega continued as he raised an eyebrow at him and hummed under his breath. “Are you even real?”

“Well, you saw me. Didn’t you?” Jeongguk grinned at him. 

“And yet I find you hard to believe.” the other replied, sighing as his shoulder slumped and asked the bartender for another drink.

“If it makes you feel better, I find you hard to believe too.” the alpha said, watching the omega’s lips twist into a small grin as he grabbed his strawberry daiquiri from the bartender and turned to the side to look at Jeongguk.

“I’m just like any other average omega here,” the other said in what sounded like a casual tone, but somehow, Jeongguk could hear the tinge of bitterness in them. “I work as a junior designer. I make enough to pay for my overpriced one bedroom apartment and buy my five packs of ramen every payday. The only piece of land that has my name on it is the pot in my balcony with the dead plant and I hardly know any chaebol. Trust me. There’s nothing special about me.”

“You don’t need all that to be special,” Jeongguk countered back. “Sometimes, it’s all about character too.”

“You barely know me, though.” the omega challenged with an eyebrow raised. “What do you know about my character?”

“Let’s say I have a gut instinct.” Jeongguk said in an easy tone. “I’m usually good at reading people.”

The omega hummed at him, maintaining eye contact as he met the alpha’s eyes and took a drink of his beverage. 

Jeongguk found himself watching the other’s lips as the other smacked it slowly, before he caught himself and shook his head so he could get a grip of himself.

“So, uhm, where are the rest of the design team?” he asked, trying to get himself to focus on his task. 

“Why? Getting tired of me already?” the other replied in a playful tone.

“No.” Jeongguk instantly answered, causing the other to snort. “I just— I mean, you’re sitting here alone, and people from the same team usually stick together during events like these, so I was just wondering why—”

“Relax.” the omega cut him off in a teasing tone. “I was just teasing.”

“Yeah well, you make me nervous.” Jeongguk admitted with a laugh. 

“I do?”

“Yeah. I don’t get to meet ten’s everyday, you know.”

“I don’t like how you're very good with words,” the omega said, sighing as he shook his head and straightened in his seat. “That usually means the person who says them are the opposite of them.”

Jeongguk chuckled at him. “I don’t blame you for being distrusting, but I swear I mean no harm,” he said. “I don’t mind proving you otherwise.”

The omega scoffed as he leaned his head over the bar table and began to massage his temples in circles. “I’d like to see you try,” he muttered. “But anyway, if you’re looking for the rest of the design team then they’re all a complete no-show.”

Once again, Jeongguk is reminded of the favor Namjoon asked him to do and willed his stupid brain to focus and frowned as the omega’s words registered in his head. “Really?” he asked. “How come?”

The omega shrugged, still massaging his temples as he turned to look at Jeongguk. “We’re all tired,” he simply said. “We had to do back to back double shifts the past week because we’re trying to catch up with a deadline.”

Jeongguk hummed at him as he took a mental note of this. “Even during the holiday season?” he asked. “Aren’t you all supposed to be on break by now?”

The omega snorted. “Well, we were all supposed to, but the new boss wanted the new project done before the end of the year,” he replied as he sat straight and adjusted his glittery jacket. “So what choice do we have?”

“Uh. You can tell him no?” Jeongguk said. Though, he sounded a bit unsure. “You have every right to tell your boss that you’re all overworked. I’m sure he can do something about the deadline if that’s the case.”

“Sounds like a great idea! I’m sure he won’t overreact if we suggest that.” the omega replied sarcastically, causing Jeongguk to scoff at the other lightly.

He and Namjoon already suspected that the design team’s declining performance and increasing attrition had something to do with management issues. Namely, the power play that usually comes into play behind closed doors.

He can’t help but feel empathetic, considering it’s the same issues he deals with in the Ministry of Labor, but unlike H Company, it’s something that’s out of Jeongguk’s hands since he’s only there to report back to Namjoon and nothing else.

Unless you want to do something about it, his inner alpha suggested that had Jeongguk entertaining Namjoon’s offer early on.

“I mean, I don’t usually mind going on overtime and all that stuff,” the omega continued to say, oblivious to the plans that Jeongguk is making in his head. “But it does get tiring sometimes. Especially if people don’t see you despite your efforts.”

Jeongguk’s stomach curled in guilt, since he’s basically one of those wolves who didn’t see him the first time when he passed him by. 

He was just about to apologize to the other, when the omega suddenly banged his fist over the bar table, causing the glasses perched there to rattle.

“But you know what?” the omega continued to say, sounding determined as he shot Jeongguk a serious look. “That only means that I need to work even harder, right?”

Still taken aback, Jeongguk blinked as he shook his head and grinned at him encouragingly. “I mean— not to the point of being overworked.”

“Yeah well, sacrifices have to be made.” the other retorted, scrunching his eyebrows as he pursed his lips. “Why do you think I’m here in the first place?”

Jeongguk shrugged. He was actually wondering the same thing, considering what the other had just said. “The open bar?” he joked.

“I mean, it’s definitely a consolation, even though the floor is starting to shake, but no. Not the open bar.” the omega replied. “I’m here because I need to be here. I came here in hopes of meeting a couple people who could maybe see me. My brother always told me that there are two ways you can look at a goal. It’s either one day or day one.”

Jeongguk made no moves as the omega (ungracefully) got up his two drunken feet and leaned into his space with a finger pointed in the air. “I refuse to sit and wait it out,” he said with a dead set look on his face. “If I want it to happen, I need to work for it. Right?”

“With that attitude, it’s only a matter of when it’ll happen.” the alpha said in an encouraging tone. “You know what they say, there’s always a few seconds of silence before the fireworks start going off.”

The omega chuckled at that, the smile on his face is no longer controlled or small. This time it expanded wide, causing his cheeks to look fuller and eyes to twinkle. Jeongguk found it hard to look away from them.

Plus the omega’s sheer determination has somehow started a fire within Jeongguk that’s hard to extinguish. He never really believed in a strong infatuation at first sight, but perhaps, this mystery omega was about to change that.

He probably has, actually.

“Today’s my day one.” the omega said as met Jeongguk’s eyes. “And I might not have shaken hands with the people who I was supposed to, but I guess the CEO’s friend is a good start— even if it took you the eleventh time to notice me.”

Jeongguk chuckled. “If it’s any consolation, I doubt there would be a twelfth.” he replied with a smile. “Plus I’m Namjoon’s best friend if that counts.”

“I’ll take it.” the other replied as he returned his smile. “What was your name again?”

“Jeongguk.”

“Jagi?”

The tip of Jeongguk’s ears turned a shade of pink. “Sure,” he replied. “That works.”

The omega snorted as he stood up straight and released a tired sigh. “You know what? I’ll let you have that,” he said. “I’m starting to get too drunk to remember names if I’m being honest.”

“Need a ride home?” Jeongguk asked, watching the other turn to the bartender and ask for some water. 

“Don’t push it. I can take care of myself.” the omega scoffed with a laugh. “Plus my brother’s picking me up. He’s probably waiting for me already since I asked him to come by midnight.”

Jeongguk nodded at the other, feeling a little unsettled at the thought of not seeing this mystery omega again without even getting his number— or at least his name. 

He decided to take the chance as the omega grabbed a small bag from the other chair, about to leave. “Can I maybe get your number or something?” he asked sheepishly, scratching the side of his neck. 

“My number?” The omega raised an eyebrow at him. “For what?”

“I dunno.” the alpha muttered. “Maybe because I want to see you again after this?”

The omega hummed as he thought about it. “How about you prove that first?” 

“How?” Jeongguk scrunched his eyebrows at him.

“Well, you said you wouldn’t miss me for the twelfth time.” the omega grinned at him mischievously as slowly began to walk away as he met the alpha’s eyes. “Want to test that theory out?”

Jeongguk opened and closed his mouth, but ended up chuckling as he watched the other walk off. “I suppose,” he replied. “Maybe this is my day one too.”

The omega snorted, but Jeongguk saw a glimpse of the wide boxy grin on his face before he disappeared into the crowd and left the alpha standing there, still hung up on the moment and frozen in place as he thought of a way to see him again.

Jeongguk is not the type of wolf to be hooked on someone after only meeting them once. He’s usually the type to take his time in getting to know someone first before he forms an opinion of them, but there’s just something about this omega that had him and inner wolf transfixed. He has never felt the need to hang on to someone else’s words like they held the secrets to the universe. There was just something there he couldn't ignore.

Belatedly, Jeongguk realizes that he forgot to ask for the omega’s name as he stared at the spot the omega disappeared to.

But then again, it’s only day one and he figures he could find that out in the next one as he finished the last of his whiskey and dived back into the crowd to look for Namjoon.

“So?” Namjoon asked once he found the CEO a few minutes later. “Did you get anything?”

“Not much, but it’s what we suspected all along,” Jeongguk answered as he and Namjoon began to make it towards the exit together. “Another case of bad management with a sprinkle of overworked employees.”

“Fuck. I knew it.” Namjoon sighed. “What am I supposed to do now? They just promoted that new manager.”

“Well.” Jeongguk sighed as he and Namjoon stopped by the elevators and waited for it to arrive. “You can’t do anything about firing that new manager right now, but—”

The elevator opened, letting the two of them inside. Namjoon lifted an eyebrow at him as the door closed.

“But what?” the elder asked.

Jeongguk turned to look at Namjoon. “But maybe I can convince the MOL to audit RKIVE next after I’m done with H.” he finished.

Namjoon shot him a funny look. “What’s with the sudden change of heart?” he asked.

Jeongguk shrugged. “I’ll tell you later,” he said as the elevator door opened, bringing the two of them to the lobby. “But first, you need to talk to your design guy and tell him not to force his employees to go on double shifts.”

The elder alpha’s eyebrows scrunched at that. “Yeah, I’ll speak to HR in the morning and have them put out a memorandum regarding forced overtime. What else?”

“You might want to call Seokjin hyung too.” Jeongguk added.

“Why?” Namjoon asked. “Are we facing any legal issues or something?”

“Well, not yet.” the younger replied as they walked out the door together and waited for the valet to get their cars. “But you do know that it’s illegal to force employees to go on double shifts without a waiver, right?”

“Oh come on, Guk.” Namjoon groaned. “Can’t you let this go this one time?”

Jeongguk clicked his tongue at him. “If I do then I’d be doing a disservice to your employees, hyung.” he replied in a light hearted tone. “You asked me to come to investigate, so I did, and while doing so, I found some labor codes broken. I have to report them. If I don’t, who else is going to look out for the small guys?”

The elder sighed at him defeatedly. “Fine,” he muttered. “Can I get the MOL’s number so I can give it to Jin hyung?”

“Yeah sure. My phone’s dead but I have the number memorized. Do you have a pen?”

“Wait. Let me check.” the elder replied as he began to pat his suit’s pocket in search for one.

Jeongguk did the same and checked his pockets, only to find the table napkin he pocketed earlier with the drawing of him in the middle, causing the alpha to grin.

He was just about to put the napkin back in his pocket when he caught a glimpse of another drawing inside it, prompting the alpha to unfold it and found a hidden chibi style drawing of the mystery omega there, sitting alone in a bar as he watched the chibi style of Jeongguk from afar with a thought bubble above his head that read, I see you.

Signed Kim Taehyung underneath it, with an open and close parentheses that had the words ‘but he can call me baby if he wants to’ inside it, causing Jeongguk to grin.

“What are you grinning about?” Namjoon grumbled, disturbing his thoughts as holds a pen with one hand. “Happy you finally got to fine me after so long?”

Jeongguk chuckled as he pocketed the drawing and looked at the elder. “Think of it this way, hyung,” he said. “I just made it easy for you to get rid of the new design manager.”

Namjoon snorted. “That’s true, but it won’t be quick.”

“That’s fine.” Jeongguk replied as their car came into view and parked in front of them. “I need a few months to complete my tasks in H anyway. That should give you enough time to hand me the design manager position, right?”

The elder raised a suspicious eyebrow at him as they climbed inside the car together. “What the hell are you planning, Jeongguk?”

“You’ll see.” 

The sound of a car door closing snaps Jeongguk back to present, causing him to look up and find a sleek black car parked outside his driveway and a familiar omega dressed in oversized sweats climbing out of it. 

Jeongguk stands and walks over to the gate to greet her and let her in. “Hey Jih.” he greets, flinging the gates open to let her inside. “Thanks for coming again.”

“Yeah yeah, but you owe me, Guk,” the omega replies with a wave of her hand as she locks her car with her keys and steps inside his house. “I can’t keep coming to your rescue every time you get into omega trouble.”

“Who else am I going to go to for omega trouble or whatever?” Jeongguk snorts as the two of them stand across his front door and face each other. “It’s not like I know a lot of omegas besides you and mom, and— and.”

“And your baby?” Jihyo raises an eyebrow at him as her lips curled into a teasing smile.

Jeongguk rolls his eyes at her. “He’s not my baby.”

“That’s not what you’ve been saying for the past— how long has it been?” Jihyo asks.

“It’s day five hundred fifty seven today.” 

Jihyo snorts. “Of course. How could I forget?” she says as she starts to climb up the steps and reaches to open Jeongguk’s front door. 

“Hey, Jih.” Jeongguk calls, just before the omega is about to push it open and turns to look at him with an eyebrow raised. “You’ll take care of him, right?”

The omega sighs at him. And even though it sounds a little impatient, there’s a tinge of fondness in them. 

“I will. I promise.” Jihyo says. “I mean, I have been taking care of you for the past thirty two years, haven’t I?”

Jeongguk snorts. “I think it was the other way around, but sure.”

The omega rolls her eyes at him. “Watch it,” she warns, as she pushes the door open, letting the heavy scent of rain and ocean come out from the inside and causing his inner alpha to stir. “I’m still older than you.”

“By just seven minutes.”

His sister rolls her eyes at him as she steps inside the house. “Best seven minutes of my life.” Jeongguk hears her say as she shuts the door closed behind her.