Chapter Text
Yeonjun arrived to the address stated in the letter twenty-one minutes earlier. It was an apartment’s complex, far from his parents’ house but close to his university, with a suitcase and a backpack, carrying the basics for his newly-mated life. There was a boy waiting in front of the door dressed in a long fur-lined parka, with a scarf that covered half of his face and a beanie that covered a great portion of the rest of his head, he was also carrying luggage. Maybe he was his…?
“Hi,” Yeonjun smiled. He tried to be as non-threatening as he could, watching how the eyes of the boy lifted to meet his gaze, blinking rapidly. “Are you here for your—?”
“Do not speak to the omega until I say so,” a harsh voice interrupted, making the boy flinch and Yeonjun turn immediately, guessing that was their mating inspector. He also guessed he didn’t want to get on her bad side, so he tried to make amends at once.
“I apologize, it won’t happen again.” He bowed. The boy, an omega now that the wind let him know his second gender, bowed as well to greet.
The inspector, a petite middle aged woman in a long black coat, black shiny purse and leather suitcase, gave them a long scrutinizing stare. Her scowl was scary, Yeonjun had to stop himself from standing in front of the omega to cover him.
“I sincerely hope so,” she arranged her glasses. “Well, since we’re all early we can proceed with introductions. I am beta inspector officer Park. You are alpha Choi Yeonjun, twenty, and that over there is omega Choi Beomgyu, eighteen. Now, I would normally wait until the time scheduled but it’s cold enough so let’s see your designated home, shall we?”
“Of course,” muttered the alpha. The woman took a plastic sealed bag from her purse and handed it to him; it had a single silver key. Yeonjun looked at her, self-conscious of his own confusion.
“That is the key to your new residence. If you wish you can make a copy and give it to the omega, but as a rule we only give one to the alpha or male beta of the couple. Remember, the Ministry for Family Affairs keeps a copy of every designated home, expect surprise inspections at any given moment. You can ask for another copy if you lose this one but if that happens you will be fined. Understood?”
“Yes, Park-nim. May I open it?”
“You may. Hurry, my feet are freezing.”
“Yes, Park-nim.”
He hastily ripped the plastic bag and then opened the door, letting the inspector officer to go in first. He saw Choi Beomgyu, the omega boy, waiting patiently, but Yeonjun gestured silently for him to enter before him. The boy nodded, also in silence, and once they were all inside the alpha noticed that the woman had already taken off her shoes, was seated on the couch and was taking some papers from her open suitcase, arranging them on the coffee table.
“You, omega,” she pointed as she took a little pile of papers on her lap. The boy flinched as he took off his combat boots. He had barely had time to put his bags on the floor. “Go wash your hands and bring me a glass of water. There should be a bottle in the fridge, I gave instructions to leave it well supplied for you first night together. No ice. Hurry.”
Yeonjun watched as Beomgyu-ssi hurried to the kitchen, trying to breathe in slowly, calming down, biting his own tongue. It was hard not to say anything, but to even mention anything was dangerous. She had enough power to make their lives miserable.
“Okay, let’s start. Have a seat, alpha Yeonjun. This is a small apartment, so a tour won’t be necessary. You have two bedrooms, one bathroom, a little storage room, a kitchen and a living room with dining room. 90 square meters, all furnished. You can’t have a tenant but you are allowed to have guests. Any guests can stay the night as long as they don’t stay for longer than a week. Remember we will be monitoring you this first year, you don’t want a stain in your file. Ah, my water,” she took the glass from the boy and asked before taking a sip, “any questions thus far?”
“No, Park-nim.”
“Great. You can seat down, omega. Now, even if you are soulmates you have the right to reject your mate but only after a week from today,” she said as she looked at Yeonjun, and only Yeonjun. “If you do—” she rambled on, the alpha had the urge to butt in and say that he didn’t have any intention to do so, especially after looking at the dejected face of the boy next to him, but again, it was dangerous to do so, “—so remember, form 41-A, got it?”
“Yes, Park-nim.”
“Terrific. So I handed you the main key, these are the keys for the bedrooms, the bathroom and main drawers in the master bedroom and kitchen—of course, they are just for you but you can grant access of some keys to your omega if you think is necessary. Here’s the list of the furniture, they belong to the Ministry so take good care of it. This one is the list of appliances, also the Ministry’s. This is the list of items that belong to you, including bedding, towels, first-aid kit, utensils, and etcetera. This is the monetary aid you will get as long as you are mated with this or any other omega, even a female beta, and you must know this but this has nothing to do with your scholarship, that’s your right as an alpha. You understand the difference, yes?”
“Yes, Park-nim.”
“Which reminds me…” she started looking for a particular pile of documents inside of her case and a pen. “Since your omega is currently underage, you can choose whether you’d like for him or not to finish his high school education. You don’t have to make a choice now, obviously.”
“I think is important that he graduates. May I ask a question?”
“You may.”
“It’s about this law…”
“Ah,” the beta deadpanned. “I know the one. Yes, omegas are allowed in university, but it’s not your duty to comply with it, don’t fret.”
“Are there any scholarships available?”
There was a beat of silence. The woman’s expression was as stony as ever.
“Yes.” She said after a painful pause. “Form 96-G. I’m afraid I didn’t bring it, but I can mail it to you this week. You have to present the omega’s grades’ report, three recommendation letters, an essay handwritten by you and another handwritten by the omega. I wouldn’t worry about the grades, but make sure he keeps school attendance of 85% or higher. Let’s say you apply now and get the scholarship, if the omega’s admission tests are not good enough or you mistakenly help him apply to med school or law school, which is illegal for his kind, then he won’t be eligible for higher education, he will lose his spot and it will go to someone else in waiting list. Easy as that. There’s another issue if you decide to grant your omega permission to enter university.”
“What is it?”
“That means a commitment. He must finish whatever it is he starts. You will have to keep this omega for as long as he’s in school, and if you decide to break your bond before he graduates then you take the risk that his next designated alpha won’t allow him to keep attending classes. Then he will lose the scholarship and you will be fined.”
“…Okay.”
“I would think about it more thoroughly if I were you.”
“Thank you for your concern, Park-nim. I will think about it. I would appreciate it if you could still send me the form, uh…”
“96-G.”
“96-G, that one, thank you.”
“And use a blue-ink pen.”
“I sure will, thank you very much.”
“Also,” she begun again, “the fact that your omega is in school does not exempt you from your duties. The Ministry for Family Affairs spends millions every hear finding and pairing soulmates, sometimes even outside Korea, brings them together and offers them housing, education, opportunities, and the only thing that we expect in return is your offspring. At least three pups, the first one in less than a year counting from today, if you decide to keep your omega. We are facing a crisis like no other before, if we do not act now we, as a race, will banish. You and your omega are lucky not only because you’re meant to be, but also because you’re both fertile, like every other person with a soulmark is. We had to make sure you were worth the money we spend on you before giving you all of this. If you know what’s good for you and for your country, you will give us three pups as soon as you can. By the way, omega, are you a virgin?”
Choi Beomgyu, still covered under the scarf but at least free of the beanie now, flinched. He gave a quick glance to Yeonjun and, pale as a sheet, shook his head no.
“Still want him?” the beta gave an impassive stare at the alpha.
And, sure, that hurt. Yeonjun was a little ashamed of admitting it, but he had saved himself for his soulmate. For all the flirty attitude people accused him of having and the perfect body rolls he performed when he danced, he knew he was a softie. And he thought that his soulmate would share that with him. They were made for each other after all, right?
Even so…
“Yes,” he simply said. That syllable alone brushed the smirk out of the beta’s face. “…Park-nim.”
“Fine. Here’s form 2-E, to keep track of the times you mate, if you knot the omega, if the omega had an orgasm, you record everything, understand? If you fail to deliver this before the end of the month, we will have to make an intervention and monitor your mating in person. This one here is the form 9, no letter, it has the omega’s parents’ information in case you wish to grant him permission to see them. I must warn you, though, they live in Daegu. This is form 2-H, you must fill it now and state whether you want or not your omega to keep a cellphone. We can grant you one if you require.”
“Okay.” Yeonjun read the document as fast as he could, checked the options to give a phone for his mate-to-be and also granted a permission to have an e-mail account and social media. “Do I sign here?”
“Yes, please. This is for the omega, it’s a card with a number to report you if you hit him.”
“Oh. Shouldn’t you give it to him?”
“We all know omegas need a good beating once in a while. Just keep it moderate and it shouldn’t be a problem. That means no blood, got it? If I ever catch bruises in the face I’ll have to report it.”
A long, slow breath. Yeonjun gritted his teeth as he nodded. “Yes, Park-nim.”
“And, lastly,” the woman said, unaffected, taking something else from her purse. She extended what appeared to be a cough medicine bottle to the youngest. “Drink this, omega.”
Yes. Yeonjun knew what that was. “Vitamins,” supposedly, to make omegas healthier for mating. A few years back, though, there was a rebel report that claimed that what that liquid did was the exact opposite, making the omegas and female betas weaker, drowsy, perfect for taking the first day of accommodation with their mates. The Ministry of Family Affairs never acknowledged the accusations. Yeonjun watched with a hint of dread how the delicate fingers fumbled with the cap and brought the tinted bottle to his mouth, wishing he could prevent him from drinking it, until he caught a peep of his entire face.
Choi Beomgyu was beautiful.
“Wonderful. You got yourself an obedient one, congratulations,” the beta said as she watched the boy drinking, emptying the bottle. “Expect this to work within an hour. In the meantime, read this, omega. It is a guideline for good omegas on how to please their alpha. Also, this. This is a manual on good behavior. This is a cooking manual, although at your age I’d guess you know how to cook. And this is a moon calendar, to keep track of your heats and to know when it’s best to mate.”
“Thank you, Park-nim,” Yeonjun said on behalf of his partner, seeing that that horrible woman still didn’t say the omega could speak.
“I will take my leave, then,” she announced after she gathered all her things, standing. “I will be seeing you tomorrow to check on your first day living together, at eight sharp. Then we have another appointment in a week, and then a first pregnancy test in a month. If you breed your omega by then there’s a bonus for you, in cash, and it would grant you some points in that scholarship you want. Ah, I almost forgot, this is a manual on fertility; it points out the best positions and other instructions to get your omega pregnant.”
“Yes, thank you, Park-nim.”
“Those are the only scheduled appointments, apart from the monthly pregnancy tests. The rest are surprise visitations. Keep your home clean, omega, no one likes a slacker. Ah, and if by the third time there’s still no pup, we’ll intervene.”
“I understand, Park-nim.”
“Well then. I’ll see you tomorrow. Good evening.”
“Good evening, Park-nim, thank you for everything.”
Finally, he shut the door after that horrendous beta. The alpha sighed and for the first time he took in his new home. The big window, taking an entire wall, the furniture, the white walls, even the plants, as per his request when they asked him about his preferences for housing. He had expected something more somber and cold, coming from the government, but he was glad he had been wrong. It was a nice apartment.
And then there was Choi Beomgyu, looking at him anxiously from the living room.