Archive of Our Own

There were many things Seungmin could tolerate before 10AM. He could stomach burnt instant coffee, the ungodly sound of someone in the dorm clearing their throat like they were trying to exorcise themselves and even the horrifying sight of a random shirtless, middle-aged guy doing stretches at his preferred gym like they paid rent in protein powder…

But a disgustingly hormonal display of affection on their communal couch? Absolutely not.

“...Do they really have to do that where people eat?” he deadpanned, motioning vaguely at the couch where Jiseok was currently perched like some dainty forest sprite on Jooyeon’s lap, giggling as the younger alpha nuzzled his neck with all the subtlety of someone trying to inhale an entire bouquet of flowers through their face.

Jooyeon, blissfully unaware (or maybe just ignoring him out of alpha privilege) only made a contented growl and tucked his nose behind Jiseok’s ear in response, not even looking over at the beta who was berating their public lovefest from a distance.

“Seriously, I can hear their pheromones buzzing from here,” Seungmin mumbled to no one in particular.

“Hey, lighten up already, Min! You look like someone just peed in your cereal,” Gunil’s voice cut through the moment from behind him, equal parts amused and smug.

The younger man turned, ready to deliver him a verbal slap, only to find Gunil lounging like a god-king on the bean bag, thighs spread comfortably with Jungsu nestled between them like a perfectly calm housecat. The alpha's hands were working methodically at his mate’s neck, thumbs kneading tight circles while Jungsu’s eyes fluttered shut in appreciation.

“Look who’s talking, you’re literally giving your beloved beau here a sensual massage as we speak!” Seungmin said flatly. “You don’t get to contest me.”

“Yeah, but we’re way past the honeymoon phase. We’ve BEEN mated, this is just clinical affection at this point,” Gunil shrugged, all dimples and zero shame.

“Five years mated, mind you!” Jungsu cracked an eye open just long enough to smirk. “I’m beyond getting the urge to lovingly gnaw along his jawline every 10 minutes, unlike some people.”

Just as he said this, all three of them witnessed Jooyeon across the room, now (of course) sniffing Jiseok’s black hair like it owed him money. The omega in his hold simply laughed even harder, sending hearty vibrations through their wooden floor.

“And to think he hasn’t even claimed Jiseokie yet…,” Jungsu added, with the prim air of someone making a very polite observation about someone else’s badly-trained pet.

“At least they're taking their time before making a permanent bond, that's how it should go,” Gunil pointed out, nodding at his own long-healed mating mark on the luna’s scent gland. “In fact, Jooyeon asked me if it was ‘too soon to bite Jiseok in public’ just last week.”

“Aigo, have they no decorum?!” Seungmin groaned, definitely not needing to know that.

“Trust me, that's not even the worst thing he's told me since they got together! You should hear what else he wants to do to Jiseok-”

“YEAH, OKAY, HYUNG! WE GET IT, THANKS,” the beta hissed at him, already making a mental note to bleach his ear canals later.

Their living room was flooded with romance. What was once a space of shared snacks, bickering over movie choices and impromptu nap zones morphed into a romantic battlefield, and Seungmin? He was the lone soldier caught in the crossfire.

He wasn’t bitter, at least that’s what he told himself. Jiseok deserved someone who looked at him the way Jooyeon did, like he hung the stars. Meanwhile, Gunil and Jungsu were a whole other level of soul-deep bond, but now with two couples in the same room, the absence of anyone next to him felt more pronounced, like a glaring blank space he couldn’t ignore. Their pack was small, but tight-knit. However, the beta felt a strange new weight settling in his chest. Not jealousy, but more like pressure, like a spotlight was shined on him from where he was hiding in the darkness all these years. He could only sigh and glance at the ceiling... Was he supposed to start looking?

That was just it though: he didn't want to, not when there was someone who was already running a marathon through his mind ever since the day they first met…

The youngest omega, only other unmated packmate and to this day, brightest damn light in Seungmin’s life.

He recalled every detail of that fateful day during their first semester of college, when the dorms were still foreign and the lecture halls felt too big for their skin. Seungmin was slouched in the back of their music elective, restlessly chewing on his pen cap when he walked in… soft eyes, sleepy smile and oversized hoodie hanging off one shoulder. The boy (whose hair was much shorter back then) then plopped down next to him like it was the most natural thing in the world before shyly introducing himself and Seungmin knew he was done for.

They became fast friends, chatting between classes and studying in the library together until one afternoon, Jiseok and Jooyeon approached them in the campus café. Jiseok’s sweet voice was the one to ask if they wanted to hang out while Jooyeon stood behind him with eyes just as bright. Somehow, they all fell into a rhythm, something that felt like home. Gunil and Jungsu brought the final pieces together, gathering them into a fully-formed pack by the time the rest of them were graduating. Seungmin didn't question it when the bond settled into place, just like he didn't do with much else back then.

Cut to the present day and he still never made a move.

He was the sole beta, the in-between... Not alpha enough to be considered protective or desirable in the traditional sense, but not omega enough to be nurtured or treasured. Seungmin was just there, constant and reliable. It secretly frustrated him to no end, wishing he could've been born on one end of that spectrum rather than right in the middle. Still, if there was one thing he hated more than his unspoken feelings, it was risking the fragile balance of their pack. The kind of closeness they all shared was rare and precious, and a relationship gone wrong due to “unscripted” pack dynamics could fracture it.

Thus, Seungmin buried the feelings deep within him. He told himself it was better this way instead of taking that risk. Yet, with Jooyeon and Jiseok tangled on the couch and Gunil and Jungsu practically glowing in their nearly-marital bliss, that distance didn’t feel safe anymore. It felt lonely and more than anything, it reminded Seungmin that if the boy he loved ever found someone else, he'd only have himself to blame for standing still for too long.

He reached for the TV remote, hoping a nature documentary could drown out the purring, kneading and occasional playful biting happening around him.

That was when the heavens parted… By heavens, he meant their hallway and by parting, he meant the door to Hyeongjun’s room creaked open.

The sleepy omega stumbled out, hair (which he recently cut and dyed emerald green after his previous cherry red dye faded) in soft disarray, looking like a walking Pinterest board for “soft morning aesthetic.” He yawned, blinked blearily at the living room and then made eye contact with Seungmin.

“Oh, wow,” he whispered, rubbing his eyes as he came to stand next to him. “Is this a pack meeting or a cuddle convention?”

“Neither. It’s apparently National Bring Your Soulmate to the Couch Day,” Seungmin snorted into his coffee. “I wasn't informed.”

“How inconsiderate,” Hyeongjun chuckled, their shoulders brushing lightly. “You poor thing, outnumbered and doomed to watch as others flirt while you slowly lose brain cells.”

“I’m this close to throwing a big sheet over all of them and pretending it’s a nest infestation,” Seungmin muttered, but his smile betrayed him.

“Well, do you wanna escape this infested nest and grab some breakfast with me?” Hyeongjun grinned. “I'm thinking gilgeori-toast and dalgona.”

“Yes, please!” Seungmin beamed, his sharp eyes (and appetite) instantly growing double in size. “You must be a mind reader to know I've been craving that all week, Junnie.”

“Shhh, don't tell anyone!” Hyeongjun joked, bumping their shoulders again before he walked toward the foyer to retrieve his jacket.

The beta was pretty sure his heart did a triple axel. Of course, that peace lasted all of 10 seconds before someone else butt in with their commentary.

“You’ve got that face on again, Minnie,” Jungsu said in a sing-song voice, smirking with mischief.

“What face?” Seungmin asked, already regretting speaking.

“One that screams ‘I’m pretending not to be madly in love with you-know-who again, but I’m actually writing out our wedding vows in my head,’” Gunil added matter-of-factly.

“He’s right, y’know,” the luna grinned. “You were blushing so hard as soon as he got up close to you! It was adorable.”

“...Betas don’t blush,” Seungmin lied, already feeling his face heat up again.

“Betas also don’t get heart palpitations from being asked out to our local food truck, but here we are,” Gunil snorted into his coffee mug.

“He didn’t ask me out,” the beta hissed. “He said we’re getting toast and asked if I wanted to come. It’s logistical, efficient. A practical grouping of two people pursuing a shared nutritional goal.”

“Right, a ‘practical grouping,’” Jungsu blinked at him slowly, like Seungmin just described a rom-com as a PowerPoint presentation. “Is that why Hyeongjunnie was bouncing out of the room after you told him yes?”

“We’re talking full hop, both feet. I almost felt secondhand butterflies,” Gunil leaned into his mate, mock-whispering.

“He’s the baby omega of our pack!” Seungmin buried his face in his hands. “He still puts marshmallows in his hot chocolate! I’m not- he doesn’t- …This isn’t a thing.”

“You make it sound like he’s 11 and we’re not all in our twenties…,” the eldest mumbled, knitting his brows in discomfort.

“And even so, that’s not the point! The point is you want it to be,” Jungsu said gently, tapping the side of his mug with one long finger. “And we all think he does, too, so you should go for it.”

“Nope,” Seungmin dismissed him far too quickly. “No going, no for-ing. We’re fine the way we are.”

“You’re sweating,” Gunil raised an eyebrow.

“...Yes, and? It’s almost spring.”

At that moment, Hyeongjun’s voice floated back into the room. Immediately, they turned in his direction, all three of them zipping their lips like they weren't dissecting Seungmin’s love life just seconds prior.

“Got my jacket! Ready when you are,” the omega announced, finally gaining the attention of their other packmates who practically had their eyes glued together this entire time.

The warmth in his voice hit Seungmin like a blast of sunlight through a magnifying glass. He barely began mustering the courage to follow him out the door when a dramatic gasp sliced through the air.

“Wait, where're you going?” Jiseok asked, blinking owlishly from where he was entangled with Jooyeon for the last 20 minutes.

“Just out for breakfast, Seungminnie’s coming with me,” Hyeongjun turned to face them with an easy smile.

Before Seungmin could drag them out the front door, Jooyeon stretched and yawned like a lazy lion, then stood up with a grin.

“Oh, hell yeah!” he said, slinging an arm around Jiseok’s shoulders. “All this omega cuddling almost made me forget what food tastes like. We’re coming, too!”

Seungmin blinked, the words “the hell you are” dangerously close to escaping his lips. However, much to his chagrin, Hyeongjun complied with their self-invitation.

“Sure, the more the merrier.”

Gunil’s mug hit the coffee table in front of him with a soft clink as he tried (and failed) to smother a snort. In contrast, Jungsu didn’t even bother trying, letting out a soft, delighted cackle, leaning into his mate’s side as if he just witnessed the world’s gentlest car crash. All the while, Seungmin shot them both a look that could’ve curdled milk.

“Sweet!” Jiseok said, already rummaging for his own shoes. “Let’s hit the road, breakfast squad!”

“Hyungs, are you coming with?” the youngest alpha called out to Gunil and Jungsu, who were coming down from their hysteria.

“Nah, we’re good, thanks,” their leader declined, wiping a stray tear of joy from the corner of his eye. “We ate earlier, you kids enjoy your quality time together.”

“Yeah, we’ll let the younger generation crash and burn on their own. Builds character,” Jungsu nodded solemnly, still grinning.

“You’re only a year older than us, Jungsu-hyung! Relax,” Seungmin barked.

“Translation: it’s actually that they don’t wanna be there to witness Jiseokie and I stuffing our faces with freshly-baked soboro-ppang,” Jooyeon snorted. “I don’t blame them!”

“Alright, let’s go then, everyone,” Hyeongjun instructed, practically herding them out the door as Jiseok cheerfully hummed beside him.

As the front door clicked shut behind them, Seungmin trudged down the steps, flanked by a glowing Hyeongjun and the human embodiment of chaos that was Jooyeon and Jiseok holding hands like this was a double date, which apparently it now was (even if Hyeongjun didn’t know it). With that, he resigned himself to a morning of third-wheeling what was supposed to be his own almost-date.

_____________________________

"Okay, you're NOT wearing that tiger-print button-down, Joo," Seungmin grunted, yanking the offending shirt from the alpha's hands and tossing it with finality into the growing pile of "no" on his bed. "Jiseok has good taste, let's not make him question his life choices!"

The date was March 14th, otherwise known as White Day. A month after Valentine’s Day, it was supposedly the day for reciprocating romantic gestures in their region of the world, usually celebrated by trading sweets, little gifts and overly-filtered selfies captioned with nauseating puns. For most, it was cute, but for Seungmin, it was an endurance test.

He did his time in the dating trenches during college, having a slew of brief flings with other betas and one ill-advised alpha situationship. It was all fine, fun even, but none of it ever stuck. He wasn't bitter, just detached.

Last month’s Valentine’s Day only reinforced that. Seungmin spent his evening at home, half-watching a zombie flick and sipping on a bottle of Cass while his packmates got ready for their fancy dinner out. He said he didn’t mind and maybe he didn't, not exactly, but there was something particularly soul-chilling about listening to them exchange giggly goodbyes in the hallway while your only companionship was a sock with a hole in it and your third beer. So no, Seungmin wasn’t exactly eager for another front-row seat to Young Love: The Sequel.

"But it brings out my primal energy!" Jooyeon groaned and flopped onto Seungmin's bed like a dying fish.

"It brings out your inner high school furry phase," the elder retorted, already unrolling the sleeves of a crisp, cream-colored dress shirt. "Now sit up, we have to once again deal with the tragic mess that's your hair."

Jooyeon complied, sitting cross-legged while Seungmin worked his fingers through the alpha’s curls with all the care of someone handling a radioactive hedgehog.

"That reminds me, I was meaning to ask," the alpha said casually, peeking at Seungmin through the mirror. "What're you doing for White Day?"

"Oh, y’know, the usual. Doom-scrolling on my phone, drowning in lukewarm ramyeon, contemplating my mortality..."

"That’s... dark."

"I’m single, it's a rite of passage."

"But White Day isn’t just for couples, you could hang out with friends or something!" Jooyeon frowned.

"Right, because my options are one: my co-workers, who I know just well enough to suspect at least two of them are in an MLM, and two: Hyeongjun, who presumably has plans with his own friends already," Seungmin said quickly, now pretending to focus very intensely on hair volume. "Anyway, let’s not delve back into my sad little crush spiral, thanks."

"Y’know, for a beta, you’re dramatically repressed,” Jooyeon laughed sympathetically, teeth flashing like the annoying little alpha menace he was. “It’s like a Sundance film in there."

"Alright, Yeonie, your hair: fixed. Outfit: saved. Attitude: still trash,” Seungmin stepped back, arms crossed. “You’re welcome!”

“Aw, you did amazing, hyung! Jiseok’s gonna combust when he sees me!” Jooyeon jumped up, spinning in front of the mirror.

"Yeah, yeah, just try not to trip over your own shoes on the way out, okay?”

As the younger man pranced out of the room yelling something about bringing “feral seduction energy,” Seungmin flopped face-first onto his bed, groaning.

He thought that'd be the end of his required services for the evening, but alas, the clamor started up again innocently enough.

A quick thump of socked feet against the floor and a muffled “No, no, NO! Where is it?” followed by the unmistakable scraping of dresser drawers being yanked open like the room was under siege could be heard beyond his closed door. Then came Jungsu's voice in full panic mode, echoing down the hall like a banshee.

“Gunilie! Jagi, I swear it was right here! Did you move it? You didn’t move it, did you?”

Seungmin couldn’t help but bury his face deeper into his pillow, shoulders shaking with silent laughter. He could picture it perfectly: his hyung running amok, his carefully-planned outfit half-on and half-missing, while their leader, calm as ever, tried to keep up with the chaos of his mate’s meltdown.

Sure enough, the soft rumble of Gunil’s voice followed a beat later, measured and patient in a way that only made the whole thing funnier.

“Aegiya, breathe. It’s probably in our bathroom, or maybe the plant pot again?”

“Why would I put it in the plant again?! That was once and it was an accident!”

The beta let out a muffled wheeze. Pushing himself up, he smoothed his rumpled T-shirt and tiptoed to the door, cracking it open just in time to see Jungsu sprint past, still barefoot with a velvet jewelry box clutched in one hand and his phone flashlight in the other like he was investigating a crime scene.

“I need that necklace, Gunilie, the one with the little stars on the chain? It goes with my shirt and also you gave it to me, which means if I don’t wear it, I look like an ungrateful wench!” he wailed.

“Aegi, it’s okay. I mean, would you still go to dinner with me if I forgot a necklace you gave me?” his mate asked, poking his head into the hallway from their shared room.

“I’d probably cry and then passive-aggressively bring it up for the next six weeks, obviously.”

“Man, I love watching you two crash out,” Seungmin finally stepped into the hallway, grinning ear to ear. “It’s like dinner theater, but with higher stakes.”

“Seungminnie, you’re really laughing at me right now on White Day?!” Jungsu whirled, his cheeks flushing bright pink.

“I’m laughing with you, technically.”

Even as he said it, his gaze flicked toward the kitchen where something small and silver glinted on the island, right next to an empty mug and a jar of honey. He blinked, leaned forward and squinted at it in disbelief. Sighing with theatrical exaggeration, jerking a thumb toward the obvious culprit.

“Either way, clearly the universe decided I have to be the emotionally-stable one today… Hyung, peep over at our kitchen,” he instructed.

“What?” Jungsu froze mid-rant, flashlight still shining into a mostly-empty bookshelf.

“The island, you left your little starry necklace next to your tea stuff.”

There was a pause, brief and stunned, like the calm right before a cartoon character realizes they’ve been running in mid-air. Then, Jungsu bolted toward the item with such speed that he nearly tripped on a rug.

“OH MY GOD, SEUNGMIN, THANK YOU! I COULD KISS YOU RIGHT NOW-!”

“Please don’t,” Seungmin called after him dryly, arms still crossed.

The luna skidded to a stop in front of the island, scooping up the necklace like it was the last rose on a dating show. He held it up triumphantly with both hands as if he just discovered buried treasure.

“I can’t believe it was here the whole time! I knew I wasn’t losing my mind!”

“Nope, but you were certainly auditioning for the part,” Seungmin replied.

“See, Susu? Told you we’d find it,” Gunil reached Jungsu just as he was fastening the clasp, hands still trembling from the adrenaline of the panic spiral.

He then leaned into his mate and pressed a gentle kiss to his cheek, releasing protective pheromones into the air between them. Jungsu deflated immediately, shoulders relaxing as he leaned into the elder’s side with a sheepish laugh.

“Sorry. I was being slightly ridiculous, huh?”

“A little, but it was kinda cute,” Gunil replied fondly.

“Your bar for cute is dangerously low,” Seungmin snorted.

“Well, anyway, you saved me,” Jungsu turned to him with puppy eyes now that he was calm and accessorized. “I’m gonna look perfect now!”

“You always do,” Gunil said, lacing their fingers together effortlessly.

“Okay, great! You’ve found your jewelry, kissed and had your moment. Now GO already, before the restaurant gives your table away to micro-influencers or something,” Seungmin rolled his eyes, but there was warmth behind it now.

“Thank you, Min. We owe you one,” Gunil chuckled, gently guiding his mate toward the front door, where Jiseok and Jooyeon were also preparing to leave.

“Add it to the tab. Have fun being nauseating in public, everyone!” Seungmin waved a hand at them all lazily.

As the door shut behind the two couples, he was left in a blessed hush, only the faint jingle of the front door keys lingering in the air. He stood alone in the living room, still smiling faintly at the fading echo of the chaos. The silence now felt less oppressive than usual.

Seungmin plopped onto the living room couch, utterly done with social effort for the week. He grabbed the TV remote, absently thumbing through the app tiles until he landed on some mid-tier documentary about obscure historical shipwrecks, the perfect background noise for dissociating. He pulled the throw blanket over his lap and let himself sink into the cushions, body relaxing as old maps and sonar scans flickered across the screen.

It wasn’t long before 20 full minutes passed, his attention half-lost in talk of oceanic trade routes and deep-sea excavation. However, the faint creak of a door hinge soon snapped his focus.

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted someone moving down the hallway. He turned his head fully just as the familiar, slight figure of Hyeongjun padded into view, hoodie loose around his frame, fluffy slippers on his feet and a massive pair of headphones clamped over his ears.

“H-hey, what’re you-?!” Seungmin blinked, straightening up slightly.

He stopped himself when he received no visible or verbal response, then realizing that the younger male probably couldn’t hear him due to noise-cancelling. He watched as Hyeongjun bopped softly to whatever beat was playing in his ears, completely oblivious as he made his way to the fridge. The omega opened it, bent down to inspect the bottom shelf and hummed a little tune to himself. Seungmin bit back a coo of adoration before he got up from the sofa, walking over and reaching out to gently tap the younger man’s shoulder.

“Hey, Junnie, I-”

“AHHHHH!”

“JESUS, SORRY!”

The two of them practically levitated in opposite directions. Hyeongjun spun on his heel with a squeak, sloshing the carton of banana milk he just grabbed, while Seungmin staggered back, clutching his chest like he just had an out-of-body experience.

“Hyung, you scared me!” Hyeongjun blinked wide-eyed at him, the headphones clattering around his neck.

“Well, what was I supposed to do? You screamed in my face!”

“Yeah, but you touched me out of nowhere!”

“I didn’t realize you were in stealth mode!”

They stared at each other for a beat, then both started laughing, breathless and rattled in the kind of way that made Seungmin’s chest feel light and tight all at once.

“Again, my bad,” the beta finally said, rubbing the back of his neck. “I was just trying to ask what you were doing out here, I didn’t even know you were home. I thought you had plans with your friends tonight.”

“Me?” Hyeongjun tilted his head, frowning slightly as he closed the fridge. “No, I’ve just been working on tracking guitar all day for a commission piece. I… I thought you had a date.”

“Wait, what?”

“I dunno, it’s White Day,” the younger omega shrugged, puncturing the box and taking a sip, not meeting his eyes. “...Figured you might’ve had something going on with someone.”

There was a flicker across Hyeongjun’s face, barely there, but enough for the beta to notice it. His mouth pulled ever so slightly to the side as he said “someone,” like the word tasted off. Then, it vanished behind a neutral smile and a distracted sip. Seungmin’s heart gave one very inconvenient thump, but ignored it.

“N-nah,” he said, keeping his tone light. “Just me, a blanket and a documentary about 18th-century shipwrecks. Real hot stuff.”

“Wow, can’t believe I didn’t clear my schedule for that,” Hyeongjun huffed a small laugh.

“Your loss, I guess,” Seungmin smiled, soft and crooked.

The awkward silence stretched for a beat. Seungmin debated saying something about the look he caught on Hyeongjun’s face, but instead, he just nodded toward the couch.

“...Wanna join me? I promise it’s a very thrilling documentary.”

Hyeongjun hesitated, then grinned and nodded, padding over with his drink in hand.

“Only if you rewind it,” he complied. “I want the full shipwreck experience!”

“You want it, you got it.”

An hour or so later, the documentary’s orchestral crescendo signaled the final descent of the doomed merchant vessel into the icy Pacific Ocean, the narrator’s voice dipping into that dramatic, whispery tone reserved for slow-motion tragedies. Time seemed to fly by as both men sat on opposite ends of the couch, careful not to kick each other from their lounged positions. Towards the film’s conclusion, Seungmin yawned behind his fist, one leg tucked up beneath him as he blinked at the credits scrolling by.

“Well, I now feel very informed and emotionally invested in the HMS Providence!” he said, voice low and a little dry.

“Right?” Hyeongjun murmured, eyes still fixed on the screen. “I didn’t expect to get so attached to Commander Broughton.”

The blanket Seungmin was using earlier was now spread across both their laps. The quiet hum of the TV filled the space between them. It was always easy to fall into this kind of rhythm with Hyeongjun, something he savored.

Just as he was about to suggest watching something stupid and light to balance out all the grieving sailors, the omega shifted and pressed a palm to his stomach, brows drawing together in a soft grimace, which Seungmin noticed immediately.

“Hey, you okay?” he said, voice softening with concern.

“Yeah, just getting hungry,” Hyeongjun looked over, lips quirked in a sheepish smile. “Didn’t eat dinner yet.”

“Oh, me either.”

“Wasn’t really in the mood earlier when I was recording,” the younger explained, shrugging. “But now my stomach’s demanding justice.”

“Well, we can’t have that,” Seungmin sat up straighter. “You want something? I can order in, I’m in the mood to make bad financial decisions.”

“Seriously? I thought you were being frugal this month.”

“I was, until someone skipped dinner on an annual holiday,” the beta said, already grabbing his phone. “You want chicken? Tteokbokki? Burgers?”

“Fried chicken, please,” Hyeongjun leaned in conspiratorially. “Add in those honey garlic wings you like.”

“How'd you know those are my favorite?”

“You’re very loud when you eat them.”

“Good one, Junnie,” Seungmin teased him with a smile before punching their order into the DoorDash app.

Half an hour (and a string of texts to the delivery driver) later, the beta returned from the front door with two steamy take-out bags in hand. He was about to set them down on the island when he caught sight of Hyeongjun in the kitchen, reaching into the cabinet above the sink. Two short glasses clinked against the counter and a bottle of soju sat beside them.

“...What exactly do you think you’re doing?” Seungmin raised a brow.

“What? Like you said, it’s White Day,” Hyeongjun looked back with an exaggerated look of innocence. “You can’t eat without drinking on a holiday. That’s just disrespectful.”

“Disrespectful to who?”

“Society!” he chirped, pouring a neat shot into each glass.

“Fine, fine,” Seungmin huffed out a laugh, surrendering without a fight as he carried the to-go containers over to the living room. “Who am I to argue with societal norms?”

They settled back into the couch, closer this time now that the food was spread across the coffee table between them. Wings, fries, pickled radish and a small tub of spicy rice cakes steamed invitingly, and Seungmin’s stomach gave an audible growl.

Shortly after, Hyeongjun grinned and held out a glass of the distilled beverage to him.

“To White Day.”

“To societal pressure,” the elder clinked his against it with a wry smile.

And so, they both drank.

…

…..

……….

……………

………

…..

…

By the time the third bottle of soju was drained to the last drop, Seungmin wasn't entirely sure when their floor became the preferred seating arrangement, but there they were.

Both of them were now slumped against the front side of the coffee table, legs sprawled haphazardly with the blanket stretched between them like a shared battle flag. The TV played on above them, displaying something surreal and vaguely unsettling involving puppets and cooking. At any rate, neither of them were really paying attention to it anymore. Seungmin had long since lost the thread of his own thoughts, his head swimming in a pleasant fog. His cheeks were warm, his limbs loose and every time Hyeongjun giggled at his own rambling nonsense, he felt like gravity shifted slightly toward him.

“...’N then I told‘m, like, ‘YOU try gettin’ through a heatwave with three lay’rs on just ‘cause fash’n!’ ‘N he said, ‘Aesth’tic knows no season,’” the omega slurred with a cackle, his head tilting back behind him.

His dark green hair stuck up at odd angles and his bunny-like smile took up half his face. Seungmin wheezed, not as sloshed, but still tipsy, leaning dangerously sideways before catching himself with one hand on the floor.

“Aesthetic knows no season?” he repeated, eyes squinted and nose scrunched. “Who says that, is he okay? Does he need therapy?”

“He is ther’py,” Hyeongjun replied, solemnly nodding and then immediately bursting into laughter again. “He makes y’feel better by makin’ y’feel like ‘n und’rdressed peasant!”

The beta laughed harder than he meant to, the kind of open, unguarded laugh that made his ribs ache and his face hurt. He looked at his crush again, despite the haze behind his eyes. The omega's cheeks were flushed a soft rose color, eyes glassy with glee and lips parted as he caught his breath.

He was beautiful.

…And drunk. So drunk.

“Hey,” Hyeongjun said suddenly, looking right at Seungmin (or at least attempting to) as he leaned further into his personal space. “D’you ever think ‘bout, like... not bein’ lonely?”

“Lonely?” Seungmin blinked, taken aback by the abrupt shift in mood. “Um…”

He wanted to tread carefully and really think about how he should respond, but the colorless spirit that was now pumping through his veins wasn’t allowing him to. Thus, he answered honestly.

“...All the time,” he admitted, then blinked again like he didn’t mean to say it out loud, which he didn’t.

“Y’don’t seem lonely, hyung,” Hyeongjun acknowledged as he got even closer, slow and swaying.

“That’s ‘cause I’m good at hiding stuff,” Seungmin giggled as he reached for his cup and remembered too late that it was empty, letting it fall back to the carpet with a soft thud. “Like a raccoon.”

“...Okay, y’did not jus’ say that!” Hyeongjun snorted so hard he doubled over into Seungmin’s lap, making the other boy flinch.

“I did,” the beta said proudly, despite his nerves rising over the fact that they were now touching. “Put it on my tombstone.”

They were quiet for a moment and then Hyeongjun managed to lift himself up slightly to slowly lean his inebriated head against Seungmin’s shoulder, like he didn’t want to scare him off. The elder’s breath caught, every cell in his body lighting up like it was waiting just for this moment.

“...Yer not that lonely righ’ now though... right?” Hyeongjun mumbled, his voice becoming quieter.

Seungmin’s mouth opened, then closed. He looked down at the top of Hyeongjun’s fluffy head of hair and the curve of his flushed cheek.

“No,” he said, just as softly. “Not right now.”

It was the truth; he didn’t feel alone, not even a little. However, Seungmin should've known better. He should’ve remembered the cardinal rule of late-night drinking on emotionally-loaded holidays: don’t ask questions you’re not ready to hear the answer to. Yet, the words slipped out before he could stop them, fingers warm from the alcohol.

“Hyeongjunnie… what’s making you ask all this?” he inquired quietly, eyes flicking downward before lifting his hand and gently touching the omega’s jaw, guiding his face up until their eyes met. “...About being lonely?”

“I… I’ve been feelin’ that way fr’awhile,” he said, voice soft and trembling at the edges. “Lonely. I didn’t... I didn’ know how t’say it before now.”

The honesty in those few words hit Seungmin like a sucker punch. His chest clenched, every nurturing beta instinct he had kicking in like muscle memory.

“Hey…,” he murmured, thumb brushing instinctively along the hinge of Hyeongjun’s jaw. “Come here.”

He shifted backwards with a grunt and opened his arms, spreading his legs slightly and patting his lap in invitation.

“C’mon, it’s therapeutic. Trust me.”

Hyeongjun blinked, not expecting the offer, but then, with a small, tipsy nod, he awkwardly clambered over, one hand gripping Seungmin’s shoulder for balance. He nearly fell sideways in the process, muttering a curse as his knee caught the edge of the coffee table.

“You good?” Seungmin laughed under his breath, helping to guide him gently until the omega finally settled, curled into his lap.

The beta’s arms instinctively wrapped around him, cocooning him in warmth. As Seungmin’s fingers started tracing slow, rhythmic lines along Hyeongjun’s back, he felt the tension begin to ebb from his body, replaced with a vulnerable kind of quiet.

“I jus’…” the younger man started, muffled slightly by the blanket still attached to them. “I don’ know wh’s wrong with me.”

“What do you mean?” Seungmin stilled.

“I’m th’ only omega‘n our pack who hasn’ found a mate yet,” Hyeongjun said, voice breaking just slightly. “And m’startin’ t’think maybe i’s b’cause no one wants me, ‘least not like that. M’always too shy r’too feminine or... I dunno. I feel like I’m defective.”

A hard lump formed in Seungmin’s throat. He wanted, almost needed, to tell him he was wrong, to say “I want you, I’ve always wanted you,” but the words jammed in his chest like a clogged drain. Instead, he tightened his arms a little and exhaled shakily through his nose.

“Junnie-yah,” he murmured, fingertips resuming their gentle trail up and down his spine. “That’s not true, not even a little.”

Hyeongjun didn’t respond right away, just sank further into him, pulling the blanket tighter around their joined bodies.

“You’re warm, you’re funny, you’re stupidly talented… You’re thoughtful, even when you’re in a bad mood. You care so much it spills out of you all over the place… sometimes literally.”

“That w’s one time with th’stew-,” a weak snort sounded from Hyeongjun’s chest.

“And the tteokbokki.”

“...And th’grape juice.”

“My favorite shirt still has that stain, you little menace,” Seungmin grinned at him.

Hyeongjun laughed quietly, nuzzling further into his chest.

“Anyway,” the elder added, resting his chin gently on top of the omega’s head. “If no one else has figured out how amazing you are yet, that just means they’re morons. Blind morons.”

“...Blind mor’ns,” Hyeongjun echoed, drowsy and soft as sleep was just beginning to consume him.

His weight grew heavier in the elder’s lap. His head rested against Seungmin’s collarbone, breath slow and even. The beta was caught in the quiet intimacy of the moment, too aware of the soft rise and fall of Hyeongjun’s chest, of how well he fit in his embrace like he was made to be there. His own heart beat fast and loud beneath the calm of it all, like it didn't get the memo that this was supposed to be just a comforting, platonic thing.

He could feel it building in his throat, thinking it was time they should get themselves to bed. Seungmin started to shift, just slightly, preparing to ease them both out of whatever blurry middle place they landed in.

Before he could speak, Hyeongjun stirred and lifted his head. Suddenly, his face was right there in front of his own, too close for comfort. Seungmin blinked down at him, confused and half-breathless as the omega looked up at him with determined eyes.

“Um, Hyeong-?”

Before he could even react to it, he was being kissed.

Not even kissed, but full-on surged forward into, lips colliding in a drunken, heated crash of motion that took his breath away.

It wasn’t slow or tentative; it was messy and real, all mouth, impulse, and the kind of recklessness that only came from too much alcohol and too many buried feelings. Hyeongjun kissed him with a ferocity the other man didn’t know he had before and Seungmin’s body locked. All it took was five seconds of him sitting there frozen, eyes wide, breath caught and mind racing, before the tension broke and he finally kissed back.

Seungmin didn’t even think about what he was doing. He couldn’t. His hand slid back up Hyeongjun’s back instinctively, his other arm tightening to pull him impossibly closer. Their lips moved together, awkward at first from the angle, but smoothing quickly into something deeper and realer, like they both stepped off the edge of something they couldn’t come back from. The beta’s heart nearly exploded out of his chest when the omega’s soft, warm lips opened up against his own, allowing him to slip his tongue inside. As their kiss became more heated, his mind became hazy with a different kind of drunkenness. Hyeongjun's lips were like honey, so sweet and addictive, and Seungmin couldn't resist reciprocating. It felt like they were making out in the middle of a burning room, every part of him being set ablaze with each lick into his mouth.

Kissing the love of his life wasn’t some fleeting indulgence. It was a pressure that was building beneath his skin for years. There was no hesitation left in him now, only aching, open want, especially as he turned Hyeongjun to lower him onto the blanketed floor. Then, suddenly, the room changed; it was subtle at first, a shift in the air, thickening like steam, but within seconds, their pheromones flared like fireworks, impossible to ignore.

Seungmin was the first to notice as his sandalwood and vanilla orchid scent, warm and grounding, poured from his skin in waves, carried by every hitch of breath and heartbeat that thundered in his chest. Then came Hyeongjun’s, like clean, familiar cotton sheets just pulled from the line blended with the unmistakable bite of earl grey tea, cool and fragrant. It wrapped around the beta, filling his lungs and memory. The mix of them, spice with softness and earth with air, was overwhelming. It was thick now, as if their bodies were answering a question neither of them dared ask. Their pheromones were saying everything for them.

Seungmin didn’t want to stop to break the spell, but buried in the back of his mind, one trembling thought surfaced through the heat and haze: “He’s drunk.” No matter how good and right this felt, that fact wouldn’t change.

He peeled himself away, not coldly, but gently, pressing a last, lingering kiss to Hyeongjun’s mouth before pulling back just enough to breathe. Their faces stayed close, foreheads pressed together, as Seungmin’s eyes remained closed and he exhaled shakily. His fingers were still curled softly against the omega’s sides, like his body didn’t get the message that the moment was over. For a hopeful second, he let himself think that when he opened his eyes, Hyeongjun would be looking back at him with the same amount of love in his gaze or at the very least that smile Seungmin secretly memorized over the years, so he opened his eyes.

Upon doing so, he immediately realized something was off… Hyeongjun was lying completely still.

“Jun-ah?” the beta whispered, leaning back slightly to get a better look at him.

The younger man’s head lolled to the side against the floor, mouth parted slightly and eyes completely shut. Just then, a soft, very undignified snore escaped his lips.

“...Hyeongjun,” he whispered again, more urgently now, nudging his shoulder to no avail. “Are you- …No, are you seriously-?!”

Another snore escaped from the omega’s nasal passage, louder this time. Just like that, all the warmth that pooled in Seungmin’s chest turned into cold disbelief.

“AISH, you passed out?” he said aloud, voice cracking somewhere between a whisper and a laugh. “Right now, are you serious?!”

He stared down at the unconscious omega in his hold, lips parted in pure astonishment as if sheer willpower might bring Hyeongjun back to life.

No such luck was to be had. Seungmin let out a tiny, strangled noise, a hand dragging down his own face as he leaned away from him, gently sliding Hyeongjun’s upper body against his chest so he was no longer resting on the hard floor. The younger man gave a soft grunt and immediately curled back into a fetal position in his lap, completely unaware of the emotional chaos he just left the elder in.

“Okay,” Seungmin (now having sobered up in record time) muttered, rising to his feet on slightly wobbly legs as he lifted Hyeongjun into his arms bridal-style. “Okay, cool. Great. You kiss me like I’ve wanted us to do since we met and then you immediately fall asleep. That’s... SO on brand for you, it actually hurts.”

He prepared them to exit the living room, glancing at the wall clock. If their packmates’ dates went according to plan, they’d all be back soon. Seungmin looked down at the unconscious omega in his arms again, drooling slightly and blissfully unaware of the nuclear-grade emotional disaster he just detonated. Hyeongjun was heavier than he looked, but he wouldn’t have put him down even if he was carrying a literal sandbag full of bricks.

The walk to the omega’s bedroom was slow and careful. The dorm was dark and quiet, the scent of their lingering pheromones still faint in the air, making Seungmin’s chest ache. He nudged the door open with his foot and carefully stepped inside, gently lowering Hyeongjun onto the mattress and adjusting his limbs so he lay on his side, not his back. His hands worked automatically, pulling the blanket up to his shoulders, tucking it under his chin and brushing a few errant curls off his forehead.

For a moment, Seungmin just watched him, so small and peaceful in the bed. After a final check to make sure Hyeongjun wouldn’t roll over in his sleep, he padded out to the bathroom. He filled a glass with cold water and dug around in the cabinet for painkillers, returning to place them neatly on the nightstand with a quiet clink. Then, he lingered at the door, hand gripping the frame.

“...Sleep well, Jun-ah,” he muttered and gently closed the door behind him so as to not wake the omega.

Defeated, Seungmin made it halfway back to their living room before the front door nearly slammed open.

“JAGI, I’M HOMEEEE-!”

“JOOYEON-AH, SHUT UP!” the beta shout-whispered, whirling around and flailing his arms like a cartoon villain.

The alpha stood in the entryway, clearly very intoxicated (as was the apparent theme for that evening), one arm slung dramatically around his long-suffering boyfriend whose expression read “I knew this would happen.”

“Seungm’n-hyung!” Jooyeon beamed, voice echoing through the apartment. “Guess wh’made out n’a photobooth and g’t banned from th’café?!”

“Awesome, don’t care,” Seungmin snapped, pushing a finger against the alpha’s mouth. “Hyeongjun’s asleep, so keep your voice down.”

“Ohhhhhh, got it... Sorry, Minnie-hyungie!”

“And that means I’m taking you to your room before you break something,” Jiseok gently steered Jooyeon down the hall, waving at Seungmin with his free hand. “G’night, hyung!”

“Night…,” the beta sighed.

The door to Jooyeon’s room clicked shut a moment later, leaving Seungmin standing alone in the living room, surrounded by the remains of their night: empty soju bottles, takeout containers, a discarded blanket and the ghost of something that felt dangerously close to love. He took a deep breath, then used the last of his energy for the day to clean.

Because tomorrow? Tomorrow was coming fast, whether he was ready or not.

_____________________________

The next day, the morning sunlight slithered through their kitchen blinds like it had a personal vendetta against Seungmin’s retinas.

He winced and blinked blearily down at the mug of coffee in his hands, its steam rising with the subtle menace of a pending existential crisis. His head throbbed a little, not quite a full-blown hangover, but definitely enough to feel some regret. Across from him, Gunil and Jungsu were basking in the rosy afterglow of a successful White Day date, annoyingly chipper at this hour.

"And then, get this!" the luna was saying, eyes shining as he nudged his mate’s shoulder with enough force to make Seungmin’s soul flinch. "He actually rented out a whole section of the rooftop garden for us! There were lanterns and petals everywhere, I thought I was in a K-drama."

“Well, you are dramatic, as we saw before we left here last night,” Gunil said smoothly, sipping his tea and earning a smack on the arm from his beaming mate.

Seungmin made the tactical error of looking up, which proved to be a bad idea. There was too much light, too much affection and somehow not enough oxygen in his lungs. He kept replaying the moment when Hyeongjun kissed him right on the mouth before passing out on him, like a sloth that got what it wanted and decided to retire from consciousness. It was supposed to be the most romantic moment of his life, but ended up being the most stressful. He wasn’t sure whether to scream or do cartwheels at that moment. Now, he wondered how one was supposed to act normal around someone who kissed you and then used you as a body pillow with absolutely no follow-up.

“Dude, Min-ah,” Jiseok said suddenly, squinting at him from the next seat over. “You look like a ghost saw you last night, what’s up?”

“Huh? Oh. Nah, just tired,” Seungmin forced a grin and shoveled a spoonful of rice into his mouth.

“Really? You stayed in, didn’t you?” Jungsu asked, frowning. “What were you doing all night, folding boxers?”

“You know me, hyung. Party animal.”

“Well, whatever you were doing, it clearly involved losing a fight with your own thoughts,” Jiseok snorted. “Jooyeon looks better than you and he’s still horizontal.”

“He might be dead, honestly,” Gunil added cheerfully.

“RIP to our baby alpha,” Jungsu intoned solemnly. “Like a drunken Icarus, he flew too close to the bokbunja.”

They all chuckled, momentarily distracting the beta from thinking about the pressure of his crush’s lips against his and whether or not Hyeongjun recalled anything. He was mid-spoonful again when the sound of a door creaking open echoed faintly from down the hall. Just like that, Seungmin forgot how to swallow.

Hyeongjun emerged from the hallway wrapped in a gray hoodie with the hood up, sleeves swallowed past his hands, dark sweatpants barely clinging to his hips and one sock hanging off at the heel. He looked, in a word, wrecked. Notably, he was also carrying his electric guitar in its soft case on his back…

At eight in the morning.

“Hey, Jun-ah!” Jungsu called warmly, ever the welcoming luna. “Good morning! What’s goin’ on, you look like us after karaoke night that one-”

“I’m heading out for a bit,” the omega said flatly, speed walking toward their front door.

The room fell silent at his clipped tone as their eyebrows rose.

“Oh! Um, out?” Gunil echoed. “Where to? Everything okay?”

“I’m fine,” Hyeongjun said quickly, avoiding everyone’s eyes as he kept his head down. “I’ll be back later.”

Before anyone could offer another question, he adjusted the strap on his shoulder and slipped out the front door, the harsh click of it closing behind him sounding like a gunshot. The room stayed frozen for a long, confused beat until Jiseok was the first to speak.

“...Okay, so was it just me or did he look like he was about to go fight someone with the power of music?”

“I don’t think I’ve ever heard him speak that coldly to anyone…,” Jungsu blinked, baffled. “He’s usually a human puff pastry.”

“Maybe he’s feeling sick?” Gunil offered weakly, though even he sounded unconvinced.

“So he’d rather be outside busking than in the comfort of his own bed? I doubt it,” Jiseok reasoned, frowning.

Seungmin said nothing. His spoon paused mid-stir in his bowl, and he was now staring at the front door like it might open again and Hyeongjun would walk back in laughing, but it didn’t. He swallowed hard. They received no eye contact, no good morning… and no mention of their kiss. The thought of Hyeongjun potentially avoiding him flared through him like a fever. He tried to chase it away, but no matter how he spun it, a sick feeling gnawed at his stomach. The beta just gritted his teeth and smiled weakly when Jiseok elbowed him playfully.

“Don’t take it personally, that guitar’s basically his emotional support instrument!”

Seungmin gave a hollow chuckle and stared down into his meal. He wasn’t sure which was worse, the possibility that Hyeongjun didn’t remember what happened between them...

...or that he did.

The silence after the omega’s exit was still hanging thick in the air when a downright pitiful groan echoed from the hallway. It was long, loud and theatrical, the kind of sound you’d expect from someone who was just told their favorite snack was to be discontinued forever.

Rather unexpectedly at that hour, Jooyeon appeared… well, more like shuffled into view. His usually wavy, bleached-blonde hair looked like it was styled by a tornado. He was cradling his head like it was an injured bird, eyes squinting at the overhead light fixtures as if he wanted to attack them. He paused in the doorway, turned his face into his hands and whimpered.

“...JISEOKIEEEEE,” he cried out. “I think my soul left my body and went to live in the freezer... I need electrolytes, cuddles and possibly divine intervention!”

“Oh, Jooyeonie, my poor aegiya!” his boyfriend gasped, already halfway out of his chair.

He jogged across the room, wrapping the alpha in a firm hug while cooing at him, gently patting his back and smoothing his mane like a mother hen who just found her favorite chick collapsed in the driveway. Jooyeon then leaned into him with a groan like a dying Victorian noble.

“Aigo, how's it that he looks adorable even when he’s near death?” Gunil let out a laugh.

“Alright, come on, Gunilie. Let’s clean up our breakfast, then we’ll get him some water and something with sugar,” his mate advised him, covering his mouth as he giggled. “And maybe a small exorcism.”

The whole scene was just ridiculous enough to break the lingering heaviness that settled in the room. The tension melted, replaced by amused chuckles and affectionate teasing… All except Seungmin, who stayed seated with his spoon still resting in his now-cold bowl of rice. He watched Jooyeon melt into Jiseok’s arms, safe, seen and loved, and tried not to let the ache in his chest bloom too wide. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t want something like that, someone who held him when he was a mess and made him feel like that was okay.

His eyes flicked briefly to the front door.

Seungmin then sighed, picked up his coffee again and took a sip, letting its bitterness push the thoughts down. Right now, Jooyeon was the main event and frankly, the kid looked like he might actually perish. Thus, he quietly joined in the laughter as the alpha whined something about being “too pretty to suffer like this,” setting his heartache aside for the time being.

_____________________________

Day number six, not that a certain beta was counting (he was absolutely counting).

It'd been six full days since White Day, which was six days since soju and chaos turned his world upside down and Hyeongjun decided that avoiding him like the plague was the best solution to whatever this was. That being said, Seungmin slowly, but surely, was losing his damn mind.

He didn’t even blame the omega. Maybe he was embarrassed or woke up the morning after, remembered their kiss and thought “Oh no, I’ve made a terrible mistake- QUICK, bury it under seven layers of avoidance and pretend Seungmin-hyung doesn’t exist!”

It was a perfectly valid response, but it still sucked. For example, just 15 minutes ago, Seungmin walked into their living room only for Hyeongjun to mutter something about needing to charge his laptop and essentially evaporate down the hall. That was only the third time this week…

Before that, on Tuesday morning, he came into the kitchen and Hyeongjun suddenly and passionately remembered that he had to leave the dorm early to “grab something important from the pharmacy before work,” leaving his half-buttered roll behind. Then, on Thursday evening, Hyeongjun entered their living room, saw Seungmin sitting on his laptop from the couch, made eye contact for approximately half a second and then executed a flawless 180° turn with the agility of a frightened ostrich.

Now, on Friday night, Seungmin leaned his forehead against the cool wall of his bedroom, eyes shut as he tried to slow his mental spiral. He went over every possible explanation like a conspiracy theorist with red string, eventually narrowing it down to four items: a drunken lapse of judgment, an emotional accident, internalized omega panic or a case of early-onset amnesia. There were too many possibilities and not a single one came with a convenient “Hey, Seungmin, don’t overthink this!” note attached.

He groaned and rubbed at his temples; this was TORTURE. For crying out loud, he carried him to bed like a literal romance novel protagonist and now he couldn’t even get a “hello” without Hyeongjun sprinting off like he was being chased by a bear made of feelings.

Then, down the hall, a familiar door creaked, making him tense. He heard footsteps… quick, light ones that could only belong to Hyeongjun. The beta saw him through the crack of his own door, carrying his tote bag, hood pulled up despite being indoors and phone held to his ear like he was deep in conversation.

“...Yeah, I’m on my way now!” Hyeongjun said quickly, not looking up.

Seungmin opened his mouth, starting to utter a “hey” at him before he was unable to get it all the way out. By this point, Hyeongjun already turned sharply at the corner and vanished without so much as a glance.

He stood in the middle of his bedroom like he was unplugged, arms limp at his sides and chest full of something heavy and wordless. His heart thudded a little too loudly in the silence and then, without really thinking, he turned and wandered down the hall. One foot in front of the other, he found himself shuffling into the living room where the rest of their pack was clustered, the energy entirely different from the storm cloud Seungmin carried in his chest. Jungsu was sprawled out on one end of the couch with a bowl of popcorn in his lap with Gunil settling in next to him, a fuzzy blanket already draped over his shoulders like a middle-aged dad about to take a nap 10 minutes into the movie. Jiseok sat cross-legged on the floor in front of them, scrolling through the streaming apps while Jooyeon leaned dramatically on the armrest behind him, already complaining about how long it was taking.

“Can we please not watch something depressing again? I barely recovered from that last film where the dog died.”

“It was a metaphor,” Jungsu said.

“It was treachery!” Jooyeon countered.

Seungmin lingered near the doorway, a pale presence in the dimmed light. His voice came out fainter than he meant it to, barely rising above the opening credits of the streaming platform’s default screen.

“Do you-… do you guys know where Hyeongjun went?”

Everyone paused, finally noticing him standing there like a specter. Gunil looked over his shoulder at him, brows slightly raised.

“He said something about meeting up with an old classmate from college for drinks, why?”

Processing his words, Seungmin felt his stomach drop so fast it nearly took his knees out with it. The world didn’t tilt or blur; it just hollowed out.

“...Oh,” he mumbled, all other vocabulary escaping him.

“I bet it’s that guy who always wore crop tops to class,” Jiseok said casually, pointing the remote like it was a weapon of truth. “You remember him, right, Yeonie? The one he said had ‘good shoulders and no sense of personal space’?”

“No way, he hated that guy!” Jooyeon said. “It’s probably that quiet one with the nose ring from history class, the one who made those matcha muffins.”

“Hell yes! I’d date that guy,” Gunil added jokingly.

“Okay, can we not cast his college reunion like a dating show?” Jungsu groaned. “We haven’t even picked a movie yet!”

Their voices bled into each other, but Seungmin barely registered any of it. He just kept staring at the door, where Hyeongjun left again without so much as looking at him. It made him feel as if maybe he really was a ghost, fated to be alone for all eternity. His throat felt dry; he couldn’t tell if he was angry, tired or scared.... probably all of it. Maybe he was overthinking and it wasn’t a date, but maybe it was. It could've been why the omega kissed him and then vanished… for someone else, someone not him. He was suddenly very aware of how still he was while everyone else moved, laughed and argued about movies around him like nothing shifted.

He blinked and forced a breath out through his nose as he closed his eyelids, trying to suppress his tears.

“...Seungmin?” Jungsu suddenly asked gently, twisting to glance at him. “You okay?”

The question hit the beta like a rock to the back of the head. He blinked rapidly, coming back to himself and realizing just how long he was standing there in the room, half-zoned out and staring at nothing. Yet, he felt kilometers away from his friends.

“I’m fine,” he said too quickly. “Just tired, long week.”

“You sure?” Gunil double-checked, turning the TV volume down slightly. “It’s just… you seem unlike yourself lately. I’ve noticed Hyeongjun’s been... off, too.”

“Yeah. That kid’s usually the first to yell at me for stealing his spot on the couch, but lately? He’s been ghosting everyone,” Jiseok raised a brow, shifting his attention. “You’d think we called his eomma ugly or something.”

“He didn’t even eat with us last night,” Jooyeon added, uncharacteristically serious. “Said he already ate dinner at 3:30 PM. I mean, that’s criminal!”

“I just assumed he was going through a moody omega phase like Jungsu-hyung and I do sometimes,” his boyfriend said lightly, then looked up at Seungmin. “But now that I think about it, he mostly really starts acting weird when you’re around, Minnie.”

“...It’s nothing. I’m sure-... He’s just busy,” Seungmin froze, the smile he was faking starting to twitch.

“Busy enough to leave the room every time you enter it?” Gunil’s gaze sharpened slightly.

“Yeah, did something happen between you two?” Jooyeon tilted his head.

“No,” the beta answered immediately, too sharp.

“Min, you know we’re not trying to push. We just care,” Jungsu frowned. “You two are close. It’s been weird watching him pretend you’re invisible and you pretending that it doesn’t bother you.”

“...It doesn’t,” Seungmin muttered.

“It clearly does,” Jiseok said. “Come on, you’ve looked like a kicked puppy all week.”

“I said it’s fine.”

“He's been really distant with all of us,” Jungsu added, more gently. “But especially with you, Seungminnie. We just wanna know why. We’re concerned, y’know?”

“I-I dunno! Maybe he’s just overwhelmed,” Seungmin forced a shrug, trying to keep his expression neutral. “Or, like… going through a thing. You know how he gets.”

“But you’re always the one he goes to when he does go through a thing,” Jooyeon pointed out. “That’s the weird part.”

The words hit a little too close. Seungmin swallowed hard, feeling the weight of their eyes on him.

“Guys,” he said, managing a tight laugh. “C’mon, it’s not a big deal. He’s just… It’s temporary. I’m not worried.”

“That’s a lie,” Jiseok said bluntly. “You’ve been walking around like a rejected second lead.”

“Jiseok,” Jungsu hissed at him sternly.

“What? He has.”

“Seungmin,” Gunil cut in, voice low, but calm. “Whatever’s going on between you two… You don’t have to tell us everything, but you can talk to us. If something happened, we’d rather know than sit here guessing.”

“I said nothing happened,” Seungmin said again, sharper this time. “Seriously, can we not do this right now?”

He let out a long breath, the pressure in his chest climbing fast now. He was standing in the middle of a room full of well-meaning people and still somehow felt completely alone. His packmates weren’t backing off and he knew deep down it wasn’t to tease him, but because they genuinely cared. Still, that just made it worse and harder to hold his walls up like they were closing in.

“Min, please. We know you’ve been losing sleep over this,” Jungsu prodded. “You’re not you, you haven’t smiled like yourself in days-”

“I SAID DROP IT!”

The shout came out of Seungmin like a whip crack, cutting the air in two.

Silence fell over the room and even he looked stunned at the force of it. His chest was heaving now, jaw trembling. The tears were already building, hot, stupid and impossible to hold back.

“...I… I-I’m sorry,” he choked, voice breaking. “I didn’t mean to- Just... I don’t…”

He turned, backing out of the room blindly before any of them could reach for him. He had to leave before someone tried to hug him and he completely fell apart on the floor. His feet carried him fast, almost without direction, until they took him to the rear of their dorm. He couldn’t go back to his bedroom, which was too full of things that reminded him of Hyeongjun. Instead, Seungmin pushed open the glass door to their balcony overlooking the backyard and stepped into the cold night air. It wrapped around him instantly, brisk and grounding. He gripped the railing, knuckles white, and bowed his head as the tears finally fell.

He wept there for what felt like forever, humiliated beyond comparison. His usual crisp scent soured into one of ash and wilted petals, matching his distressed state. After a while of crying to himself, the balcony became quiet, save for the hum of the city beyond their backyard and the occasional rustle of wind against the railing. At some point during his breakdown, Seungmin sank to the floor, his back pressed against the rough brick wall of the dorm building. His sweater sleeves were damp from the tears he buried his face in and the cool spring air bit at his skin where his clothes clung to him.

He felt wrung out and hollowed, like something split open inside him and there wasn’t enough left to stitch it shut. How could things fall apart so fast? Last weekend, they were laughing. Hyeongjun looked at him like he meant something, but now he couldn’t even stay in the same room as him. Seungmin dragged a sleeve across his face, then rested his arms on his knees, chin buried in the crook of his elbow.

He hated how much it hurt. He hated how much hope he let himself have for once and how stupid it felt now, watching Hyeongjun walk out the door to maybe meet up with someone who wouldn’t freeze up every time they talked about emotions. The thought that hurt the most, though, was if this changed their pack going forward. They were close like family and always had been. The last thing he wanted was to mess that up, especially over his own unreturned feelings. Seungmin thought about just letting it go, forgetting it ever happened for everyone’s sake. He let out a long, unsteady breath and closed his eyes, trying to will himself numb.

However, the balcony door opening made him flinch. He didn’t look up, not right away. Seungmin figured it was Jungsu who came to apologize for making him yell. The figure sat down next to him, not too close, but just enough to share space. Finally, he glanced over, his heart giving a confused, clumsy thump before he released a shuddering laugh.

“...Not gonna lie, I’m a bit surprised they sent the least qualified alpha this side of the Han River to come check on me,” he chortled. “Did they draw straws?”

“Well, Gunil-hyung obviously suggested Jungsu-hyung and Jiseokie did volunteer himself, but in the end, I guess no one else wanted to find their shoes for balcony sitting,” Jooyeon laughed with him.

“So what you’re saying is this is a pity mission then.”

“More of a field trip, really.”

Despite himself, Seungmin let out a shaky, breathy noise, which unintentionally came out like a half-sob.

“God, I’m pathetic…,” he moaned almost inaudibly.

“Nah,” Jooyeon disagreed, stretching his legs out across the concrete. “Look at it this way, you’re not even in the top three most pathetic balcony meltdowns this year! I won last year when I ugly-cried to a Spotify playlist I titled ‘Jiseok, Please Love Me Back or I’ll Join the Navy.’”

“Wait, that was YOU that I overheard whimpering out here the week before Christmas?”

“Yep, Bluetooth speaker and all. Someone walking on the street below even clapped when I played their favorite song.”

Seungmin laughed again, less broken this time. They sat there like that for a bit, the cool night air cutting through the silence, but not in a bad way. It was bearable, which was still an improvement. He was sort of relieved it was Jooyeon next to him right then. After a few minutes, the younger male nudged him with his knee.

“Hey, remember last weekend when you helped me get ready for my White Day date with Jiseok?”

“Duh, why?”

“Well, it reminded me of the time before that when you gave me a makeover to impress him back in January and… I remember you telling me you were proud of me. That you were excited for me and you’d help me plan whatever stupid thing I needed, even if it involved a ukulele or a flash mob, because when someone finally gets brave enough to go after the person they love, they deserve backup.’”

“...I said that?”

“You did,” Jooyeon’s voice softened. “You were the first person I went to when I finally felt ready to do something about Jiseok because I knew you’d help. No judgment, just support. Everyone needs someone like that in their life… especially Hyeongjun.”

The words hit Seungmin square in the chest.

“I know we all give you crap sometimes, but it’s not because we don’t see you,” Jooyeon gulped as he looked down at his own hands. “You’re always there for everyone without asking for anything in return… You don’t have to tell me what happened between you and him, I won’t push it if you're not ready. I just figured you might need some of that backup now.”

The lump in Seungmin’s throat grew too big to swallow. He turned his face away, but nodded once, slowly and gratefully.

“Thanks, Jooyeonie,” he coughed, trying not to get too emotional again.

“But… I think you should talk to him.”

This made Seungmin nearly snap his neck to look at him wide-eyed, as if the alpha just spontaneously grew another head.

“I obviously don't mean right this second, but soon,” he continued. “...You may wanna clean yourself up a bit first before hashing things out with him though. Y’know, as a courtesy.”

“What, you don't dig the tear-stained basket case look?”

“I was mostly talking about your soaked sleeves, which probably smell a lot like saline and misery right about now. Wouldn't want that to rub off on him once you two inevitably make up.”

They laughed as the wind tugged at their clothing and the occasional distant bark of a dog carried over from a neighboring yard. Seungmin’s breathing evened out, but his chest still felt like it was packed with cement. Eventually, he broke the quiet.

“...I’m scared, Joo.”

“Scared of what?”

“I don’t know what I’m supposed to say to him, let alone if he even wants to hear anything from me.”

“Do you think he’s mad at you?”

“...I can’t tell,” the elder blonde said honestly. “I keep trying to figure it out, but I can’t help but feel like he realized he… he doesn’t want me around anymore.”

Jooyeon’s expression didn’t change much, but the shift in his eyes was clear. That kind of fear was familiar; he wore it himself before, not long ago. Seungmin let his head fall back against the brick wall, eyes closing.

“I miss him so much, Jooyeon.”

“I get it,” the younger man replied. “You miss your packmate, that’s what it’s supposed to feel like when something’s off. I think you’re way braver than you give yourself credit for and Hyeongjun, whatever he’s going through… trust us when we say he needs you more than he knows how to say, too.”

Seungmin didn’t answer right away. The fear was still there and his uncertainty didn’t magically disappear. However, Jooyeon’s words tucked into a small corner of his chest and stayed there, like a loose thread tugging gently at something he locked down. Then, the alpha stood with a grunt, brushing off the seat of his sweats.

“Come on, brooding beta. If we stay out here any longer, Jungsu-hyung’s gonna think we froze to death and go full rescue agent on us!”

Seungmin hesitated for a second, then took the offered hand. Jooyeon pulled him up with ease, steadying him as they stepped back toward the sliding door. The beta certainly wasn’t fixed, but he found an ounce of confidence over the fact that he wasn’t alone in this.

_____________________________

The following morning, the beta stood stiffly in front of the kitchen counter, sleep-rumpled and vaguely horrified, surrounded by the clinking and clattering of bowls and pans as his packmates busied themselves around him.

It was Jungsu’s idea, of course.

"A full-pack breakfast!” the luna announced, hands on hips like a sitcom mom issuing a decree. “Mandatory attendance. Emotional bonding via eggs and passive-aggressive butter-sharing, be there or I'll find you.”

Seungmin, who just barely survived a breakdown and a therapeutic balcony intervention, squeaked out an “okay” before dragging himself to bed the night before, only after profusely apologizing to everyone no fewer than three times each. Now, he stood frozen by the fridge, nervously watching the doorway like a stray cat waiting for thunder.

He hadn’t seen Hyeongjun yet and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to.

“Alright,” Jungsu said brightly, flipping through their well-worn breakfast cookbook like they didn’t all have it memorized. “We’re doing kimchi fried rice, everyone cool with that?”

Various grunts and nods echoed back.

“Wait… Where’s the sesame oil?” he frowned, scanning the countertop.

“Oh!” Jiseok perked up, checking the cupboard. “I think we used the last of it when Gunil-hyung made his experimental ‘alpha-approved healing soup’ earlier this week.”

“It healed you, didn’t it?” Gunil, sipping coffee with the energy of a retired war general, grunted in agreement.

“I almost had food poisoning and a vivid dream involving my elementary school gym teacher, but sure, whatever you say.”

Before anyone could ask follow-ups, Hyeongjun (quietly perched at the edge of the room with his hoodie up and guitar nowhere in sight for once) piped up.

“I’ll go get some. The convenience store is open now, right? Need the walk anyway.”

“Great!” Jungsu chirped, back now turned to all of them as he began locating the rest of the ingredients as he dropped his next verbal bomb. “...Seungmin-ah, please go with him.”

The room froze. Hyeongjun, who was already halfway to the door, stopped dead in his tracks like he just heard his full name announced during a final exam.

“Oh, I- Hyung, I-I don’t think that’s-!” Seungmin stammered, eyes bulging comically large.

“What, is there a problem?” Jungsu said, smiling too serenely and not caring to read the room. “Besides, you two haven’t been out together in a while!”

Seungmin and Hyeongjun were both about to protest again when a low, booming voice cut them off.

“Seungmin,” their leader set his mug down slowly, his tone firm and final like a steel trap wrapped in velvet.

“Y-Yes, hyung?” the beta mumbled.

“And Hyeongjun,” Gunil added, eyes on them like a hawk. “Let your pack walk with you. That’s an order.”

For a moment, Hyeongjun didn’t move. Seungmin’s heart dropped into his stomach. His mouth opened to object again or at least plead for someone to intervene, but no words came out. Instead, he scanned the room in silent desperation, looking for any escape route or distraction. Then, his eyes landed on Jooyeon. The blonde alpha paused mid-sip of his juice, half leaning against the wall. When he noticed the beta looking at him, his expression softened and he provided a quiet, encouraging nod, the kind that said “Now’s your chance! Go for it, we’ve got your back.” Seungmin swallowed hard; his panic didn’t disappear, but the sheer weight of it ebbed at the sight of Jooyeon’s subtle reassurance.

Finally, after what felt like hours of tense silence, Hyeongjun shifted his stance.

“…Okay, hyung.”

Soon after, Seungmin was already grabbing his coat like a man walking to his own televised execution. Neither of them said a word as they stepped out the front door, the rest of their packmates’ eyes on them the whole time.

The spring morning was quiet and so were they, signaling the beginning of the world’s most uncomfortable walk to buy cooking oil. The walk to the convenience store lasted five minutes, but felt like 50. Neither of them spoke, the only sounds being the distant hum of traffic, chirping of morning birds and Seungmin’s internal monologue steadily spiraling into a new realm of petty, brotherly vengeance.

“Oh, I see how it is,” he thought bitterly. “Mandatory breakfast, my ass! This was an ambush! A carefully planned, weaponized omelet operation! Jungsu and Gunil better lock their bedroom door tonight…”

He stole a glance at Hyeongjun, walking stiffly beside him with his hands stuffed in his front pocket, eyes glued to the sidewalk. Seungmin wondered for the hundredth time what he was thinking. They eventually reached the convenience store without incident, and the automatic door parted as they stepped into the fluorescent chill of packaged snacks and instant noodles. The beta lingered awkwardly near the refrigerated drinks while his packmate made a beeline for the small cooking section. He plucked the sesame oil off the shelf without hesitation like he’d done it a dozen times before, which, knowing him, he probably had.

The omega’s expression was unreadable, shoulders tense and eyes tired. Seungmin hovered beside him as they approached the counter, feeling like he was going to throw up. The store clerk barely glanced up as Hyeongjun set the bottle down and fished out his wallet with mechanical efficiency. As the scanner beeped, the elder’s mind wandered right back to Jooyeon’s words the night before.

“Trust us when we say he needs you more than he knows how to say, too.”

That stuck with him, lodged itself deep in the part of his heart that didn't quite manage to stop aching this past week. He glanced over again and saw that Hyeongjun’s jaw was clenched tight. His posture screamed discomfort, but not the kind that came from being around someone you hated. It was the kind of discomfort Seungmin knew intimately: fear, shame and confusion.

The receipt printed and the clerk handed over the bottle in a small plastic bag. Hyeongjun mumbled a polite thanks and turned on his heel toward the door. They stepped out into the sunlight again and that was it; Hyeongjun was already walking back in the direction of their dorm…

Like Seungmin never existed.

Like…

“WAIT!”

Seungmin’s voice cracked mid-word, but it did the trick. Hyeongjun stopped on the sidewalk. He didn’t turn around, just stood there, the bag swinging slightly at his side and his back tense like a wire about to snap. The elder’s heart was pounding, but the words came out like a waterfall anyway.

“Look, I don’t know what I’m doing, okay?!” he exclaimed, stepping forward until they were just a yard apart. “I don’t! I’m scared out of my mind, you haven’t looked at me in a week and I’m trying not to lose it! I-… I don’t know what I did wrong or if I even did anything, and I’m not asking for you to explain it all right now, but, Jun-ah... please, just talk to me…”

His voice broke, but this time, he didn’t try to hide it.

“...I can’t keep pretending like this doesn’t hurt.”

The morning air seemed to freeze around them. Seungmin stood there, open, hurting and terrified, but decidedly not running anymore. The air between them was fragile. His words hung there, barely settled, while the silence stretched on too long and heavy. Hyeongjun remained frozen with his back turned, when after a beat…

There was a sound.

It was small, choked and sounded like it was cracking at the edges. At first, Seungmin thought he imagined it, but then the omega’s shoulders began to shake. The plastic bag crinkled in his hand as his fingers clenched around it like a lifeline. His head dropped forward and another ragged breath left him, this time unmistakably wet with tears.

“...Junnie?” Seungmin said, his voice dropping into something hoarse and worried.

Still, Hyeongjun didn’t turn, but he cried openly in the middle of the sidewalk on a quiet neighborhood street. He cried like it finally caught up to him, like something broke free that was locked up tight for far too long. Seungmin just stood there stunned; this wasn’t what he expected. He was waiting for some form of anger, coldness or rejection in response, but this was grief, raw and shaking.

“I… I’m SORRY!” Hyeongjun managed, voice wrecked. “I’m so-! I-I didn’t mean to-!”

“Jun-”

“I d-didn’t think,” the younger male choked. “I didn’t think at all! I was so drunk, I just- I just did it, and I-I didn’t think about you or how it might make you feel or if it w-would hurt you and I-!”

“Hey, no, w-wait-”

“I kissed you without e-even asking and I-! I forced it, I forced myself on you and-!”

“Hyeongjun, stop,” Seungmin’s voice cracked as he cut him off, pained as he charged toward him and grabbed his friend’s shoulders, spinning him around. “Please- Jun, don’t-”

“I ruined everything!” Hyeongjun kept spiraling, wiping his eyes with trembling, painted fingers. “I’m sorry! I-I didn’t mean to make you hate me-”

Seungmin didn’t let him finish. He crossed the final space between them and wrapped his arms tightly around Hyeongjun’s center, pulling him in and burying his face against his shoulder. The omega flinched in surprise, but he didn’t pull away. The blonde male was holding him like he wanted to be there, like it didn't ruin anything at all.

“I don’t hate you, Hyeongjun,” Seungmin whispered fiercely, chest pressed to his own. “I couldn’t ever hate you, so don’t say that.”

The younger man shook in his arms, breath hitching again before finally letting go of the bag (which thankfully contained a plastic bottle, not glass) and turning in the embrace, gripping the front of the beta’s jacket like he might fall apart otherwise. Seungmin just held him even tighter. People might’ve been watching as they were standing in the middle of a public sidewalk, barely two blocks from home, but he didn’t care. Certainly not about the oil, the breakfast or how Jungsu was definitely going to claim credit for this later… All he cared about was the boy crying in his arms and the fact that, for the first time in a week, he wasn’t running away anymore.

They stayed like that for a while, clinging to each other, quiet save for the lingering hiccups of Hyeongjun’s sobs. He could feel the tremors slowly easing in the omega’s frame, his breath still shaky, but less panicked. Seungmin loosened his hold just enough to lean back and look at him. The green-haired man’s eyes were glassy, cheeks flushed, hair tousled and clinging to his forehead from tears, yet he was still the most important person in the beta’s world.

“Hyeongjun-ah, I really don’t know what I’d do if we stopped being okay,” Seungmin’s voice wavered.

Hyeongjun blinked up at him, his lashes damp.

“Our friendship… It means everything to me,” the beta went on, soft, but fierce. “You’re- God, Jun, you’re my best friend and I’ve been so miserable this past week. I don’t wanna go back to that, I never wanna drift apart like this.”

The omega’s lower lip quivered again, but he nodded.

“I don’t ever wanna lose you,” Seungmin finished, the words tumbling out like they were stored away for too long. “Whatever happens, however weird this all gets, I always want you in my life...”

Hyeongjun let out a tiny, broken laugh, like it surprised him that Seungmin could still say something so warm after everything.

“Me, too,” the younger male whispered. “I was so scared you wouldn’t wanna talk to me again after what I did.”

“If you really think I wouldn’t talk to you just because of that, then clearly I’ve done a terrible job of showing you how much I care about you,” Seungmin shook his head quickly, eyes still searching his friend’s face.

Then, Seungmin said the one thing he wasn’t sure if he could say.

“But…,” he began, swallowing down his disappointment. “It’s okay if that kiss was something you regret. We can move past it if you didn’t mean it or it was just a mistake, really.”

For a second, Hyeongjun said nothing and Seungmin braced himself for the worst. He looked away, feeling the crack in his chest widen. Even saying the words left a sting, like he just handed the omega a pair of scissors and turned around, knowing the string between them might be cut at any second. His hands were cold and his stomach churned, trying to steel himself. The beta couldn’t let it show how much it would shatter him, figuring he had to make it easier for Hyeongjun to walk away if that was what he needed, but then…

“It… It wasn’t a mistake.”

“...What?” Seungmin whispered, whipping his face forward to look at him again.

Hyeongjun’s face flushed darker and he dropped his eyes to the ground, like he couldn’t believe he was admitting it.

“I was drunk, yeah, but… I still meant it,” he fidgeted with his sleeves, voice small. “I… I kinda wanted to do that for a while.”

“...You…”

“I didn’t plan it! I just… can’t stop thinking about you,” Hyeongjun finally dared a glance up at him through wet lashes. “And you were so close and warm and you. I got scared the next morning because I realized I might’ve ruined everything.”

Seungmin opened his mouth, closed it and then opened it again.

“You’ve… wanted to kiss me?”

Hyeongjun nodded miserably, like it was a confession to a crime. Seungmin gawked at him for a moment longer, but then let out a disbelieving wheeze. Before he could say anything else, however, the omega beat him to the punch with another rant.

“Yes, I’ve liked you for a really long time.”

The words dropped like a stone in the silence between them and then just kept coming.

“I wasn’t gonna say anything, ever. I thought I could just live with it, like, keep being your friend and just ignore the part of me that’s completely in love with you,” his voice wobbled, but he pressed on like the floodgates finally broke. “But then I kissed you and everything got so complicated. I thought if I just avoided you for a while, it’d all go back to normal, but it didn’t and I couldn’t stop thinking about it. And then you were still you, so patient and kind, not yelling at me for being the worst friend ever and you even carried me to my bed and… that just made it harder.”

Hyeongjun looked like he might shake apart at the seams.

“But you really don’t get it, do you?” he said, looking right up at him now. “You’re Seungmin, everyone loves you. You’re smart and calm and funny without trying, and when you talk, people listen. You’re the person people go to when they’re overwhelmed. You always know what to say. You… You take care of people even when you’re the one falling apart.”

Seungmin felt something painful twist behind his ribs.

“And then there’s me,” Hyeongjun continued, bitterly. “I’m the youngest omega, the delicate one who gets babied even when I don’t wanna be. I’m shy and awkward and I never know what to say around people. I clam up when I’m nervous. I ramble like I’m doing right now, and I trip over my words and I’m… average-looking at best. I know how to cook, sure, but I also get so in my head I forget how to exist. You could be with someone confident, someone who doesn’t fall apart after one stupid kiss. You deserve someone like that, not someone like me…”

Just like that, it was all there, every fear, insecurity and aching belief that he was somehow not enough. He was looking at the ground now, but in return, Seungmin never looked at him more closely than he did now. Therefore, he did the only thing his body knew how to do: he stepped even closer and grabbed Hyeongjun by the waist, pulling him in and grounding both of them. Hyeongjun startled, eyes going wide, but the beta held him firm, not forceful, just steady.

“Stop it,” Seungmin said, voice shaking. “Stop saying those things like they’re facts when they’re not. You think I don’t see how amazing you are? Jun, I’ve been in love with you since college, when you spilled that entire iced coffee on my laptop and apologized by bringing me a bento box with your number written inside it.”

Seungmin’s hands tightened slightly around his waist, like he was afraid he’d disappear.

“You say you ramble too much? That’s one of the first things I loved about you! You don’t just speak, you care. You feel everything so deeply and yeah, you’re quiet sometimes, but it’s never because you don’t have something to say. It’s because you’re thinking! Because you actually listen, you notice things no one else does.”

“Seungmin…,” Hyeongjun’s eyes glistened again.

“You think I wouldn’t want you because you’re not ‘confident’?” Seungmin scoffed, shaking his head in disbelief. “Junnie, you get up every day and love the people around you with everything you have, even when you’re scared. That’s confidence and strength, not pretending you’re fine all the time. And don’t even get me started on how beautiful you are! You walk into a room and it changes... Everyone feels it. You don’t even realize it and maybe that’s what kills me most.”

Then, Seungmin’s expression dimmed, more cautious now. He looked down for a second before his next words came out, feeling more vulnerable.

“But…” he continued. “I never let myself hope, not really.”

“Why not?” Hyeongjun frowned faintly, confused.

“Because I’m a beta. I figured you’d wanna be with someone like Gunil-hyung or Jooyeon,” the blonde admitted, tone small now. “Someone strong. Someone who can mark you the way an alpha can… Someone who can give you the kind of bond people expect you to have.”

He exhaled, trying to stay composed even as it twisted in his chest.

“You’re an omega and omegas are supposed to end up with alphas. That’s what everyone thinks, right? It’s more natural and secure. There are things I could never give you, not the way an alpha could. I thought loving you meant knowing I could never have you… not really, at least.”

For a second, Hyeongjun just stared at him before his face shifted, like sunlight breaking through storm clouds. His expression lit up so fast and bright that it knocked the breath out of Seungmin’s lungs.

“...You love me?” the omega asked, stunned and breathless like the words were too big to believe.

“I just said I’ve been in love with you since your ‘accidental’ bento box bribery, I thought that was obvious,” Seungmin gave a short, unsteady laugh, brushing his thumbs gently against Hyeongjun’s sides.

The omega laughed wetly, eyes shining and lips trembling with a grin that looked half disbelieving, half euphoric. He pressed his hands over Seungmin’s, anchoring them at his waist.

“You’re such an idiot,” he whispered, beaming. “You really thought I cared what subspecies you are?”

“Didn’t you?”

“No!” Hyeongjun said immediately, eyes burning into his. “I never cared! I never once thought about who I was supposed to be with, I only ever thought about you.”

The beta’s breath caught in his throat.

“I don’t necessarily want a textbook alpha-omega bond,” Hyeongjun said, more firmly now, chest rising and falling with conviction. “I just want someone who loves me completely, who knows who I am and stays anyway, so… I want you.”

Seungmin’s mouth opened, but the words never made it out because suddenly, he couldn’t see anymore. Tears flooded his eyes, hot and fast, and he let out a broken laugh-sob as one slipped down his cheek. He couldn’t believe it; after all the heartbreak and second-guessing, not to mention all the silent nights spent watching Hyeongjun from across the dorm room like he was untouchable, he was here and he wanted him.

“Junnie, I’ve wanted you for so long,” Seungmin whispered.

It wasn’t clear who leaned in first. It didn’t matter. One second, they were looking at each other through glassy eyes and trembling smiles. The next, their lips collided in a kiss that was trembling hope and pure, unfiltered relief. It was exactly what it needed to be, hands sliding up into hair and down around waists, foreheads brushing and noses bumping slightly in their eagerness. It felt like a moment they were both reaching for in the dark for years, only to finally stumble into it and realize they were heading toward each other the whole time. For once, the world gave them space, and they used every second of it to finally let go of the fear and fall.

The kiss deepened, slow and searching, like they were relearning each other with every brush of their lips. Their pheromones unfurled again, familiar and electric. It was the same blend that nearly knocked them both sideways (and Hyeongjun literally out cold) that night on their living room floor, but this time, it wasn’t fueled by alcohol or adrenaline. It was everything.

“I love you,” Seungmin breathed against Hyeongjun’s lips.

“Love you, too, Min-ah,” the omega whispered back, fingers curling at the nape of the beta’s neck.

They said it again and again between kisses and shaky breaths, like they were trying to catch up for all the time they spent hiding it. They finally had permission to say the things they both carried for far too long, which was great until they were interrupted by something very loud coming in their direction.

HOOOOONK.

They broke apart with a startled yelp just as a random old woman on a bright red motorized scooter came careening down the sidewalk.

“Move it, lovebirds!” she shouted, sunglasses glinting, before zipping right between them and the convenience store exit like she was late for Fast & Furious: Senior Drift.

Seungmin gasped, grabbing Hyeongjun and stumbling to the side. The younger man nearly dropped to the pavement in surprise, clutching his chest as the scooter roared off down the block. There was a long, stunned silence before both of them turned to each other, faces frozen in wide-eyed disbelief… and burst out laughing.

The elder doubled over while Hyeongjun wheezed so hard that he had to prop himself up on Seungmin’s shoulder. It wasn’t even that funny, but it was ridiculous after the week they just had. At last, it felt like the world cracked open and let all the tension out. When the omega finally stopped gasping, he wiped his eyes and immediately perked up.

“Oh my God, wait!” he alerted, then ran back a few steps and retrieved the small plastic bag lying on the ground.

“Aigo, I almost forgot about that dumb sesame oil!” Seungmin said, watching as his lover triumphantly held it up.

“How romantic,” Hyeongjun said dryly, still chuckling.

“You mean iconic,” Seungmin corrected, taking the bag from Hyeongjun and stepping back into his space.

They stood there for a second, unsure of what to say until Seungmin reached out and gently took Hyeongjun’s free hand.

“…Be my boyfriend?” he asked, cheeks a little pink now. “Officially?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

They stayed there, hand in hand, grinning like idiots for another second before the elder glanced toward the road.

“We should probably get back,” he murmured. “Jungsu-hyung might declare us missing and send Jooyeon to sniff us out.”

“You say that like it hasn’t happened before,” Hyeongjun snorted.

“Exactly my point.”

Still laughing softly, they began the walk home, fingers intertwined and swinging gently between them as they wandered back down the block. Their hearts were full, the sesame oil secured and for the first time in a long time, everything felt exactly as it should be.

Once back at their dorm building, the pair stepped through the front door, hands still linked and buzzing from everything that just unfolded. Their shared confession still echoed in the space between them, warm and dizzying. Neither stopped smiling, but they barely made it three steps into the dorm before their noses were hit with a wave of spices and other aromas.

“Is that… garlic?” Hyeongjun blinked.

“No way, they couldn’t have…,” Seungmin sniffed, paused and narrowed his eyes like he was trying to solve a murder mystery. “...Are they already cooking?!”

They rounded the corner into the kitchen just as Gunil expertly flipped an egg in a skillet. Jungsu was busy arranging cut fruit like it was a hotel buffet while Jiseok was furiously stirring something in a wok with the determination of a man trying to fix his entire life through seasoning. Lastly, Jooyeon was leaning lazily against the counter, eating from a rice bowl and thus avoiding burning anything down. The whole kitchen was a bustling display of competence.

“Okay, what the HELL?” the beta blurted. “We have the oil, so what’d we just walk into?!”

“Oh, hey, guys! Took you long enough,” Jiseok turned around, blinking. “Did you get lost in the condiment aisle or something?”

“We were getting what you asked for!” he snapped. “So how do you look almost done already?!”

“Found a bottle of sunflower oil shoved behind the rice cooker. Still usable,” Gunil answered him like he didn’t just orchestrate a culinary coup.

“...You people are actual menaces,” Seungmin hissed, scandalized. “You sent us out there like we were on a diplomatic mission for nothing!”

Next to him, Hyeongjun snorted, failing miserably to hide a laugh behind his free hand. Jungsu turned at the sound and opened his mouth to join in before freezing. His gaze dropped to where the two’s hands were still joined, fingers comfortably interlaced, before his jaw fell open.

“OH MY GOD!”

All at once, the room went dead silent as three other sets of eyes whipped toward their hands. Then came the explosion.

“NO WAY?!” Jiseok gasped, nearly dropping his spatula.

“Are you serious, that worked?!” Jooyeon yelped, stepping forward like he needed to confirm it with his own eyes.

“You’re kidding me!” Jungsu squealed. “You’re together, aren’t you?! Don’t try to hide it!”

“Aish, can we not?” Seungmin groaned, trying to hide his bright-red ears behind the bag of oil. “No need for the play-by-play…”

“You’re holding hands like it’s a season finale, Min-hyung,” Jooyeon deadpanned. “We’re absolutely giving you the play-by-play!”

“You do look exceptionally and suspiciously glowy,” Gunil, still flipping eggs like the world’s calmest chaos facilitator, added.

Hyeongjun laughed, cheeks flushed and leaned subtly into Seungmin’s side, still holding his hand like he wasn’t letting go anytime soon.

“...Okay, yeah, we just got together,” he confirmed with a sheepish grin as the room promptly erupted again.

“FINALLY!” Jungsu shouted, throwing his arms in the air.

“Aigo, I’m gonna cry,” Jiseok said, fanning himself with the dish towel.

“Do we have champagne?” Jooyeon asked, already looking through the fridge. “Or- y’know what? Okay, bad idea. We’ll stick to toasting with orange juice!”

“You’re insane,” Seungmin muttered. “All of you.”

“Maybe,” Gunil mused, “But we’ve been waiting for this since the second Hyeongjun peeled all those hallabongs for you during that one flu season and arranged them in a smiley face.”

“He was sick!” Hyeongjun whined. “I was just being nice!”

“I ate one while crying in the shower afterwards,” Seungmin informed them, not caring how lame it sounded out loud.

That earned him a round of fake sympathetic “awwws” from everyone in the room.

“Okay, enough!” he continued to bark over the noise. “Can we please sit down and eat before someone starts planning our first island getaway together?”

“I already picked out matching visors…,” Jungsu said under his breath.

“I hate it here,” the beta groaned into his hands, but when Hyeongjun squeezed his hand again, still beaming beside him, he looked over and couldn’t help smiling, too.

Eventually, the pack settled around the table, the dishes piled high, laughter still echoing as everyone found their seat. For the first time in months, they ate together with no unspoken tension in the room, just warm food, easy chatter and soft glances between all of the couples.

Three pairs. One pack. Zero steps left to check off.