Chapter Text
"Wooyoung."
The alpha's voice rang softly in the silent room. He was staring up at the ceiling, some moonlight poured in from the sides of the curtains. He knew the other was awake, could tell from their breathing. He also heard as the other shifted a bit.
"Yes?"
The voice of his companion came just as soft as his had.
"I think we should stop this foolishness."
The alpha says voice still soft but just barely above a whisper. He had been sitting on the thoughts of this moment. In his overthinking, he figured he'd say so much more than this. Yet that was all he could come up with. A simple statement that weighed on him. And from the silence that filled the room, it probably weighed on the other too.
"Okay."
That was the simple reply he received.
Choi San had a name for himself in his hometown. All of that is irrelevant nowadays. He has long since left his hometown, hell he even left his home country. San was now just but a café owner.
His life now was almost mundane. Which at times it gets to the alpha. But he lets it go and focuses on what he has. He didn't have a whole lot when he arrived in the city. Well, that is sort of a lie, San did have a lot. He had money.
Choi San had left his home with nothing but money. It was truly something done on impulse, no real plan. At that point in his life, he had grown so tired of his family, of his mother. He just went out one night and never went back home. Not like it was ever a home.
It took him a whole year to get all the legal things out of the way, and also learn the country's language. San was already an adult, his parents couldn't impede him from anything. He at least got a work visa and went on his way with that.
It was then that he opened his café, The Aurora Café. If there was one thing he loved it was coffee and pastries. The café itself was a nice two-story building. San had the whole place remodeled. He wanted it to have a more modern look. He also chose to make the upstairs space private booths.
As he waited for that San taught himself how to bake. He went to baking classes and found recipes he liked and altered some. The alpha found the process to be fun and exciting. Something he still smiles thinking about.
It's about a year into finally having the café open and gaining some attention that he meets a small interesting group of alphas. At the time San wasn't so aware of who they were. But the group caused his café to get popular amongst public figures.
One day San got approached by a beautiful man. The way he carried himself with confidence and playfulness in his eyes, San knew he was an alpha. The man had fox-like eyes and a sharp jaw. He winks at San and it makes him a bit flustered.
"Mister café owner," the man says to him. "Have you ever been to Nectar?"
San has never been but he knows of the place. It's a popular nightclub amongst young people. It was also popular because the owners were well-known. They were an alpha pair that were known for their respective jobs as fashion designer and music producer.
"I have not," San replies looking into the other's eyes.
"It's a fun place. Would like to go with me one day?" The other asks with a smile.
That's how San's mundane life shifts to something like past memories.
San learns the man's name is Choi Yeonjun and he's a model. San gets to learn a lot about him actually, the first thing being he's a talker. Yeonjun was a few months younger than him, his presentation was a surprise to his family, and he had been modeling since he was seventeen. Yeonjun was a popular model for genderless fashion brands. He was a social butterfly, he knew so many people. San also discovers he's fun to sleep with.
It's through Yeonjun that he meets Jung Wooyoung. And upon that first meeting, he understands why the two are friends. They were very much alike. They were both talkers, flirty, bold, and free-spirited.
However, there was a difference between them. Where Yeonjun talked about everything, including himself, Wooyoung liked to get others talking. To San it seemed like he had things to hid and San didn't pry, he was in the same boat after all.
Although, San still got know much about Wooyoung because of Yeonjun. Wooyoung was another fellow alpha. He had been a refugee from, the now since gone, Serene Republic. He got adopted by a rich family in the city. He's got an adoptive older brother and the two younger alphas met in secondary school.
San finds that he likes Wooyoung more than Yeonjun. Of course Yeonjun takes no offense as he had moved on from San by then. Which leads to the two spending more time together. And little by little things, feelings, beginning to bloom.
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Jung Wooyoung is a mess. The alpha has been a mess for a long time, if he's being honest. The reason behind bing a mess has changed throughout the years in his life. But currently he's a mess because he's stressed over his brother. Or maybe it's not even about his brother.
Wooyoung knows he shouldn't ignore what happened three days before he shoved his way into Seonghwa's business trip. Before he found his long lost brother, Hongjoong, and took him away from the place he escaped from years ago. He knows. But he does so anyway.
He wants to focus on Hongjoong, who has changed. It's not shocking, his brother being different that is. Wooyoung knows that he might never get to know what his brother has been through or has seen. But he wishes he could comfort his brother.
Hongjoong has always been strong willed and independent. That is something that is still the same. However, this makes Wooyoung feel so distant from him. It doesn't help that he sees Hongjoong be on guard at all times, even with him.
"Hongjoong," Wooyoung calls to the elder in a soft tone.
The older man turns to look at him. He doesn't smile at him but he nods to him. Wooyoung makes his way to stand next to him. Hongjoong looks tired. There are dark bags under his eyes.
"Morning, Wooyoung," Hongjoong replies once the alpha is close.
"Morning," Wooyoung says back. "Hongjoong would you like to go out for breakfast?"
The alpha yet again doesn't know what he's even doing. But he feels that maybe he should take his brother outside. The omega hasn't been outside of the house for the three months since he arrived. Most of that time has been spent inside the room he was given.
Hongjoong also stayed inside his room when Seonghwa was in the mansion. It was as if his brother really disliked the older alpha. Or maybe he just had distrust since he bought him. Although, that is wrong since Wooyoung was the one to put the bet in, he just used Seonghwa's name. Wooyoung hopes that at some point the two can get along as they were both very important to him.
"Go out?" Hongjoong's voice pulls Wooyoung back from his mind. The omega said the words as if the concept was foreign.
"We don't have to. I just wanted to put the offer out there," Wooyoung assures his brother.
Hongjoong makes a thinking expression. Once again Wooyoung wishes he could know what goes through his mind.
"I..." Hongjoong starts, "If we stay close to each other I wouldn't mind."
Wooyoung smiles at him and promises to stay close to him.
So maybe aside from being a mess, Wooyoung is an idiot. Why? He ends up driving them to an all too familiar café. A place he had swore to himself he'd no longer go too. Which was a shame since it was a nice café. But he didn't think he could manage seeing him again.
It dawns on the alpha then that this is the first time he really thinks about him. Him, being Choi San the owner of the café. The man Wooyoung felt so much for. But he was too much of a coward to ever let him know how he felt.
"Are you okay?" Hongjoong brings him back. The elder is looking at him curiously.
"Yes! This is a nice café. If we're lucky enough we might be able to sit in the private area," he replies with a smile, that's probably a bit forced. Hongjoong hums in reply.
Wooyoung guides them inside the café. It's not so busy at this time. At least in the sense of the café being crowded, in the mornings people mostly dropped by to get coffees to-go. Wooyoung looks towards the counters but he doesn't spot San, instead it's an employee. It's strange that San isn't at the counter but he does sometimes just leaves the café for a while. Wooyoung let's out a sigh but makes his way to the counter.
Wooyoung smiles at the girl at the counter as he takes one of the café menus to show Hongjoong. Hongjoong takes the menu and a small smile appears on his face. Wooyoung already knows what to order. So he looks around the café. It's then that he spots him.
San is sitting at a table with someone. Wooyoung notices they're holding hands. There is a gentle smile on his lips as he looks at his companion. And something burns with Wooyoung. Something acidic rushes through his veins that makes him want to walk towards them and make a scene.
"I haven't had coffee in a long time," Hongjoong's voice cuts through Wooyoung's spiraling mind.
"We also have coffee at the house. You could have asked of it," the alpha replies.
"I honestly forgot about coffee," Hongjoong replies looking back at the menu.