Chapter Text
Are you single?
Looking for your potential mate?
Lonely, without a date or plans?
Or all of the above?
If YES, then come on down to Room 123- Red Ladies’ Club Room to fill out an application for a chance to have the GREATEST date night of your life with your future boo! Only 10 lucky singles will be compatible, so don’t wait up and sign up now! *application includes mandatory questionnaire and screening, as well as fee of $25; all proceeds will go to 1 lucky winner!
*any questions and concerns can be addressed by any club member
Jooheon finishes reading the flyer, before handing it back with a shake of his head to his best friends, Kihyun and Changkyun. He had just unwrapped his homemade lunch, ready to dig in when they’d come barreling to his spot like excited puppies, weaving through the throng of people walking around campus. They’d shoved the flyer right into his face, both yapping loudly about how all three of them should sign up to see if even one of them would get lucky.
Now Jooheon just sighs, before laying a very pointed look onto the duo. “You guys do know the likelihood of any of the three of us getting picked is practically zero percent? C’mon guys, please be realistic.”
Changkyun pouts, crossing his arms over his chest in indignation. “I think we have a pretty good chance…”
Jooheon sighs again, before placing a comforting hand on Changkyun’s shoulder. “Kyun, think about it. For one thing, we’re a bunch of omega STEM geeks. Do you honestly think the Red Ladies are going to pick us out of all the other candidates? For one, I’m pretty sure the first thing they look for is someone attractive, and I’m sorry to say we’re significantly lacking in that department. Second of all, think about how many other omegas are applying; this sounds like the type of thing we’re supposed to like. Now imagine the ratio of omegas, betas and alphas applying; omegas is most likely the highest number of applicants, followed by the other two. We statistically don’t stand a chance. Last of all, a $25 fee? And that’s just to apply? Sounds like a scam honestly, they’re probably going to rake in a bunch of money and then only choose people they personally know.”
Kihyun twists his mouth, but nods his head in agreement. “He has a point, Kyunnie. What would they gain if they picked us?”
Changkyun looks away at those words, looking more annoyed than anything as he says, “You guys are so...where is your faith? Is it so hard to believe that even one of us could get picked?”
Kihyun and Jooheon look at each other, before simultaneously telling him, “Yes.”
Changkyun scoffs but doesn’t bother saying anything more, and the three friends sit in silence, the topic already slipping from their busy minds.
The rest of the week passes in quite a blur, if Jooheon’s busy schedule is anything to go by. Friday consists of only going to two classes, and then Jooheon is free for the weekend. Well, besides all of the coursework he has due in a couple of days, but Jooheon doesn’t really want to think about that.
He’s looking through his busy genda, having arrive ten minutes before to his class like he usually does, accompanied only by two giggling girls sitting some seats in from of him, and some other students dispersed throughout the relatively empty classroom. He doesn’t mean to eavesdrop on the conversation of his classmates, but there really isn’t much else that Jooheon can focus on at the moment. Besides, these girls always have something interesting to say.
“Did you hear that some of the football team was roped into participating in the Roses with Cupid event?” one of them says, Jooheon thinks her name is Yerim but can’t really remember.
The other girl, Kim Jiwoo or something along those lines, audibly gasps, finding Yerim’s words gasp-worthy. Jooheon resists the urge to gasp as well, if he’s being honest, because he can’t honestly believe that the football team would do something like participate in that thing Changkyun wanted to. But, he doesn’t make any indication that this news stuns him, and instead pays closer attention to see if Yerim will elaborate, keeping his eyes trained on his notebook so as not to cause suspicion.
“Yeah, I know! I couldn’t believe it either! But it’s true, apparently one of them really needs the money for a really important surgery or something, and so like four of them agreed to be official dates!” Yerim gushes, obviously very pleased at her friend’s reaction.
“So how does that work then? You said official dates, so you mean whoever applies has a chance to land a date with one of them?” Jiwoo asks, placing a dramatic hand over her face.
Yerim nods enthusiastically, and stops to lean into her friend, holding her breath as she reaches the climax of her exciting news, “I heard Chae Hyungwon is one of them.”
Jiwoo squeals, earning a look from another classmate, but it’s obvious she doesn’t care, if her high-pitched giggle is anything to go off of. Jooheon has his hands wrapped to cover his own mouth, trying his best to not make a noise, for fear of them finding out he was eavesdropping. He slowly lifts his hands to cover the rest of his face, which he knows must be burning red.
Chae Hyungwon.
The object of Jooheon’s every fantasy since he began attending uni.
Chae Hyungwon, with a presence that just screamed alpha, also known as a football extraordinaire, extremely handsome, with a smile dazzling enough to make anyone weak at the knees. Weak enough to have Jooheon on his knees, if Hyungwon ever asked.
He’d interacted with the alpha classmate some times during the two years he’d been attending university, but the interactions were very much hyped up in Jooheon’s imagination.
They’d been lab partners for his intro to physics class, and when he’d been assigned to the alpha beauty, he swears his pheromones started acting crazy. He’d never experienced something like it, the way his body heat involuntarily turned up, causing him to feel stuffy in what he was wearing. And when Hyungwon had turned to smile at him in greeting, he had turned away, blushing furiously at the gaze, feeling himself involuntarily bare the back of his neck at the statuesque beauty. Hyungwon had apologized profusely, grabbing Jooheon by the collar of his shirt to lift his head up, telling him he didn’t need to submit to him. He had apologized for having released so much alpha pheromone, claiming it was something he was working on, and told Jooheon he had been avoiding omegas so that this kind of thing wouldn’t happen.
“All this means is that I’m going to get better practice at handling this, since we’re basically going to be glued to each other’s side all semester,” Hyungwon had said, flashing a dazzling smile.
Hyungwon had managed to pull his own weight during the class, but, to be honest, Jooheon would have gladly done all of the work if it meant seeing Hyungwon smile at him. They’d brushed hands at times, when they needed to pass one lab instrument or tool to the other, and Jooheon can still remember what that felt like. His hands were huge, fingers long and calloused from playing sports, large enough to engulf both of Jooheon’s clasped hands in one of his.
Jooheon hates to admit that he’d thought of those hands more than once after that semester had been over, late at night, when his heats would be especially unbearable even with suppressants
After that physics class, they’d parted ways, Jooheon dangerously in love with him, and Hyungwon, well, probably had already forgotten what his name even was. But Jooheon didn’t care, that interaction was enough to keep him him going all these months.
Jooheon didn’t bother thinking twice. He knew he had to try getting that date with Hyungwon, no matter what kind of morals he was throwing out the window. So, as soon as class ended, without giving it a second thought, he marched himself directly to the Club Room that’d been listed on the flyer Changkyun had brought him, and queued up behind the line of omegas who had had the same idea as Jooheon.
It wasn’t until he was almost next in line, that he shook his head, wondering what the hell he was doing. He looked at all of the omegas in line, delicate and pretty, with scents that would definitely attract such a powerful alpha as Hyungwon, before glancing down quickly at himself. Who was he kidding, there was no way he’d ever get picked over any of them. Not to mention, he didn’t even know if Hyungwon was definitely a part of the dates. What if the club organizers end up setting him up with some asshole alpha, and all Jooheon would do is think about Hyungwon on the date? No, this was definitely a mistake.
Jooheon makes a move to step out of the line, but someone comes up to him just before he has the chance to do so. She’s not too tall, but her presence definitely screams alpha, it’s powerful enough to make Jooheon shrink back in line. She smiles sweetly at him, and Jooheon is afraid to think about what that smile could mean.
“Hello, I’m Bae Irene, official president of the Red Ladies!” she bows, causing Jooheon to do so as well, finding her presence too nerve-wracking to try to disrespect her in any way. “You’re actually the ideal candidate that we were looking for today, so I’ll personally be in charge of your application! Come, follow me.”
Bae Irene doesn’t leave this is a question, so Jooheon has no choice but to be dragged by her into the Red Ladies’ club room, amid pouting looks from the omegas still in line. He’s taken into a different office within the club room, which clearly belongs to the club president. She sets him down in the only chair facing her desk, before she starts to pull paperwork out around her.
Jooheon sees this as his chance to mention that she’s probably mistaken him for someone else, that he’s probably not what they’re looking for, so he can escape before he has to pay for something he knows he’s not getting picked for.
“Listen, I think...I think I made a mistake.” The strong resolve Jooheon had had all left when Irene made eye contact with him, and now he’s not sure if he can get all the words out. No, he told himself, he has to.
“I think you mistook me for someone else. I-I wasn’t supposed to apply, but I heard someone...someone I like was going to, and thought I honestly had a shot, but looking at tht line, I don’t stand a chance. So, if you’ll excuse me, I’ll be on my way. Sorry for wasting your time.” Jooheon bows, never raising his eyes from the floor until he’s near the door, which is when Irene decides to tsk.
“I think you’re confused, Jooheon. You see, one of our official date candidates specifically requested he be paired up with you should you apply. So, how about you sit down and let me ask the questions, and then decide if you still want to walk away,” Irene tells him, voice soothing and enchanting enough to make Jooheon let his guard down. He doesn’t dare make eye contact, wanting to ask how she even knew who he was, but nods his head wordlessly, shuffling back to sit in the chair. Irene smiles at him, and clicks her pen to begin the questionnaire.
“So I’ll just ask a couple of questions so that we can make the date as tailored to your interests and your dates’ as possible, so answer as honest as you can. Name and status?”
“...Lee Jooheon, omega.”
“Major and Year?”
“Second Year Bio Major.”
“Course Schedule?”
The questionnaire is pretty standard, and Irene drones on asking Jooheon’s likes and dislikes, what he likes to do in his free time, what kind of qualities he looks for in a person, and the like. The more questions he’s asked, the more he begins to forget he even applied for Hyungwon, and answers keeping only his own best interests in mind.
After the questions are done, Irene glances over it one more time before smirking. “I’d say we have a candidate that you matched up pretty well with. If you get chosen, we will send a letter to you during one of your classes on Valentine’s Day, along with balloons or something else that the candidate has chosen to give you. There will be specific instructions that you need to follow inside the letter, which we have planned, with help from the candidate of course. Keep in mind that you pay the fee now, so if you back out, you have to let us know so that you don’t leave the other person stranded. Does that sound good?”
Jooheon nods, trying to wrap his brain around everything. Irene said he had a chance. She didn’t say with who, but there must have been someone. Jooheon hoped with all his might that it could be Hyungwon, but he knows the possibilities of that are slim. Well, at least he’ll probably get a date out of this.