Chapter Text
“But if you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like nothing changed at all?
And if you close your eyes
Does it almost feel like you've been here before?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?
How am I gonna be an optimist about this?”
Pompeii by Bastille
Ever since I woke up, it feels like I am always running around trying to catch the people that I care about from falling.
It had been years since Sieun last slept in his bedroom in the corner of his mother’s apartment, yet against all odds, here he was once again. Sieun recognized the plain walls and grey comforter as soon as he woke up. Looking to his side across the dimly lit room, illuminated by the early pale rays of dawn, he could see his high school Eujang uniform. There it was on his desk, laid out and ready to be worn for his first day of school.
Waking up like this in his teenage bedroom defied all logic, but as Sieun began to sit up and take in his own appearance, he could not deny the facts.
This was his teenage bedroom. This was his teenage body. This was really happening.
Picking up his old phone to check the date, the letters and numbers on the screen only confirmed the impossible.
Somehow…some way…Sieun had gone back in time.
He took in a shaky breath, still trying to get used to his teenage body.
The last memory he had before all this was of his 25th birthday.
That night sitting alone in his tiny rundown one-room home, Sieun had made a wish. For a chance to do things over.
It wasn’t as though his life was unbearable, afterall Suho had woken up- But things had fallen apart in the last few years between him and his friends. Sieun had been primarily focused on Suho’s recovery and did not notice his other friends slipping away until it was too late. The Union never really disappeared, it just changed face and name. Baekjin had mysteriously died, and with his fall came the knowledge that the organization had been far more vast and dangerous than any high schooler could have anticipated.
One by one, beginning with Baku, his friends had been targeted and worn down. Sieun mainly tried to keep Suho far away from the volatile situations, eventually finding a better rehabilitation center in a city farther away. He had chosen to move away with his newly awakened friend, working two, sometimes three jobs to help pay the center’s bills. He put in all his time and energy into trying to support himself and Suho. In the relentless cycle his life had morphed into, Sieun had neglected the three boys that had once kept him from falling into the abyss.
Sieun had never forgiven himself for that. And now, he had the impossible chance at fixing his past mistakes. He didn’t care what caused this supernatural phenomenon. Sieun was going to protect his friends this time around.
Juntae, Gotak, Baku, and Suho.
He was going to protect them all this time. But for this to work he needed to strategize.
There were still two hours before the start of school. Hunched over his desk, Sieun pulled out a notebook and immediately began to write down all the important dates he could remember. Any important social and economic event that he could recall that might serve to his advantage.
This time around Sieun needed to start generating income sooner. Making money would be a key factor in being able to aid his friends. He would take as much money as he could from what his father had given him over the years and start investing into stocks he knew would turn a profit in time. Until then, Sieun could work as a tutor, he would not attend cram school anymore and just study independently to keep his grades high.
Suho would wake up within two years, so Sieun felt comforted that his waiting would not be in vain. Just this assurance was enough to give him peace of mind for the time being. Although this time, Sieun would make an effort to reach out more to Suho’s grandmother to help her during this weary waiting period.
With Suho’s awakening being guaranteed, that meant Sieun could focus on his friends from Eujang. His first order of business was establishing a relationship with each of them. Hopefully, starting off earlier with them would mean Sieun could look deeper into the Union and work with them on obtaining evidence to expose them. This couldn’t be just on a local level- the organization had their claws in the local police force- No, this needed to be done with enough evidence that would force the government into action.
The Union needed to be wiped out. And the adults taking advantage of the teens needed to be put behind bars.
Sieun carefully looked over all the notes he had written about his time travel. He examined it over and over till he had the contents memorized. And though he had tried to write everything vague enough that it would be rather meaningless to anyone else who saw it, Sieun carefully folded the papers and slipped them between the crisp pages of one of the textbooks he had on his lower bookshelf.
His mother never bothered looking through his things before but he decided to err on the side of caution.
His mother…it had been years since Siuen had last seen her. She had never once checked in on him after he left to live with Suho. Maybe she had even breathed a sigh of relief to no longer have to pretend to care about him.
Sieun shook his head. Nevermind that now. There were more important things to think about.
Dressed in his carefully ironed uniform, Sieun was just slipping on his shoes at the entrance of the apartment when his mother suddenly came into the narrow hallway. It was a bit jarring to see her face after all these years, but what confused Sieun was the pinched expression on her face.
“Are you really going to go out like that?” His mother asked, voice flat and cold.
Sieun blinked once at her and once more down at the outfit he was wearing. What else was he supposed to wear to school?
His mother sighed in exasperation, then pulled a white small fabric-like square from her pocket. Stepping suddenly within arms reach of a stunned Sieun, she peeled the back of the square off before firmly placing it on the side of his neck. Sieun flinched back from the cold feeling, nearly reaching up to take off the object that felt sort of like a bandaid before his mother spoke again.
“Wear this when you go out. I will not be responsible if you get bitten.”
With that final bizarre statement, she turned to go back to her room leaving Sieun in confusion at the entryway.
Bitten? By what? Mosquitos? He lightly traced the square and figured since it did not disturb him much, he would leave it on. If only to avoid unnecessary confrontation with his mother. He needed to work on getting emancipated soon as well.
It was not till Sieun had left the apartment and began to make his way to the bus stop that he realized he had no memory of that interaction occurring in his past. He frowned as the bus pulled up to the stop. Maybe the interaction had been so diminutive that it had not even stood out to him. He had tried not to dwell on the perfunctory gestures of maternal obligation his mother did when he was younger.
Boarding the full bus, Sieun carefully made his way to the middle, reaching up to hold onto the one of the yellow straps that hung on the bars for safety. Before he could slip his airpods in for the ride, a young man, probably in his early twenties, got up from his seat close to Sieun and spoke to him.
“Here,” He said with a smile, “you can have my seat.”
Sieun was a bit taken off guard. While it was common courtesy to offer one’s seat to an elderly person or pregnant woman, it was surprising for somebody to offer someone like him a seat. Before he could politely refuse, another voice spoke up from a few rows behind.
“No, here take my seat, it's better.” A teen wearing a different school’s uniform offered.
“Excuse me, I asked him first. Back off, pup.” The young man snapped at the now standing high schooler.
Sensing the rising tension and wanting to extract himself from the situation he had absolutely no desire to be in the middle of, Sieun spoke firmly.
“No thank you, I am perfectly fine standing.”
When both of strangers made motion to continue the issue, Sieun pointedly looked away before stating, “I am not taking anyone's seat, please leave me alone.”
He slipped the airpods on and proceeded to have the most awkward bus ride of his life trying to ignore the stares boring into the side of his head.
He wondered what had encouraged those two to offer their seats, but soon was distracted by his thoughts. This time around, he needed to become friends with the Eujang boys sooner. He knew he would be placed into Juntae’s classroom so he would be Sieun’s first target. Then Gotak, since Baku was probably suspended right now.
He grimaced as he realized he would have to reach out to the other boys first. Sieun had never been good at making friends. And just because he knew the other teens were good-hearted individuals did not mean they would assume the same of him. He definitely had his work cut out for him.
Walking up towards the school felt so surreal. It was like he was in a dream, with his memories coming back to life. The noises and sights gave him a major feeling of deja vu, but there were also things he did not remember. Like how most of the students also making their way to school were staring at him. Students huddled in groups, staring and whispering. Sieun decided to ignore it. Maybe he had been so deep in his depression over Suho’s coma that he had not bothered to notice his surroundings the first time around. But now everything would be different, he was going to do things right this time.
The student body of Eujang was abuzz with commotion and gossip that fall morning. It had been two years since the high school had an omega student, and everyone was talking about it.
In the classrooms, in the hallways, in the club rooms, even in the school’s courtyard.
Are we really getting an omega here?
I bet you they spend one week here and they will be begging to transfer out.
One week? They won’t even last a day.
How bad does an omega have to screw up to end up here?
Maybe it's an ugly omega.
Ugly or not, an omega is an omega.
Maybe I’ll ask the omega to join my pack.
What omega would want you? Omegas only go after alphas with lots of money.
The chatter and musings over the omega continued as the students filed into their classrooms. No matter what the students believed about the mystery omega, everyone was sure of one thing, that the omega wouldn’t survive there unclaimed for long.
When Juntae had presented as a beta in middle school, at first he had been happy. He would be an essential part of a pack one day, someone who would help and mediate between pack members. But when his classmates began to take advantage of his status he found his joy dimming.
The bullying he had suffered over the years chipped away at his pride for his orientation. Alphas stepped all over him, and he could do nothing to fight back. If he tried to disagree or disobey, he was branded a lazy troublesome beta. Someone people would never want as a part of their pack. So eventually he gave in to the peer pressure. Being a gopher for the strongest and an occasional punching bag. His hope of finding a good pack dwindled day by day.
And now here he was, finally sitting down at his desk after having to be a morning bread shuttle for his alpha classmates. Listening to Choi Hyoman and his lackeys make a ruckus over the news of Eujang’s newest student.
“I’m the strongest alpha here, watch, I’ll have that omega wrapped around my finger in no time.” Hyoman bragged.
Juntae shook his head at the postering and frankly disgusting comments the alphas in the back were making about the new omega student. Juntae had no idea why an omega would choose to come to such a third-rate school, but he could only hope the poor omega wouldn’t suffer horrible mistreatment here.
Hopefully the teachers would look out for the omega student. Afterall omegas had to be protected. It was bad luck that the omega’s first day was when Baku was still out of school. Juntae prayed the omega would be lucky enough to not be placed in his class with Hyoman. He didn’t want to witness the harassment that was sure to come.
The homeroom teacher suddenly entered the classroom and made his way to the desk in front.
“Alright, settle down you hooligans. Take your damn seats.”
For the first time, the students quickly went to their desks and awaited to hear the rest of the teacher’s announcement. The teacher sighed and looked like he would rather be anywhere else at the moment.
“Class, today we are getting a new student. I know you all probably heard about it, be sure to not cause any… mischief.” He said, wincing. Then he faced the door and made a beckoning motion with his hand. “Alright, introduce yourself.”
A hush fell over the class as the highly anticipated teenager walked in. As the omega came into view, Juntae, along with most of the classmates, felt his breath catch in his throat. All expectations that had formed in the midst of the rumors crumbled as everyone got a good look at the omega.
He was beautiful. His skin was pale and smooth like porcelain. His hair dark and shiny, the contrast only highlighted by the school uniform. Before today, Juntae thought the uniform was plain but this omega could wear a burlap sack and still look stunning.
His eyes were definitely his most striking feature. They shined like obsidian jewels dipped in water.
Most omegas were pretty as a picture, cute and bubbly. But this omega, the aura around him, it was like those masterpieces protected behind glass cases. He walked in and faced the class without any change in his composed expression. Unmoved and unbothered by his surroundings.
The omega let his eyes wander across the room. When his eyes landed on Juntae and stayed fixed on him, he couldn’t help but sit up straighter. For some reason, Juntae didn’t want to disappoint this person. The omega continued to look right at him as he introduced himself, only breaking eye contact to give a small respectful bow.
“Hello, my name is Yeon Sieun.” His voice was low and airy. What a pretty name and voice.
Low murmurs and whispers began to spring up around the classroom. One of the stupider, bolder alphas called from the back,
“Hey Sieun, are you mated yet?”
Juntae winced as laughs and jeers followed the rude question. Another alpha, feeling emboldened, dared to ask, “Yeah, when’s your next heat?”
The mocking continued, while Juntae could only bite his lip and clench his fists. He was so wrong in thinking things would be different. The teachers were not going to do anything to help this unlucky omega, they had essentially thrown him to the wolves. A bunch of hormonal air-headed alphas that wouldn’t accept that someone like Yeon Sieun was way out of their league. They would try to tear him apart for sure. Juntae wished there was something he could do to help him.
After so many years, being able to see a young Juntae again was an out of body experience. Memories of everything they had been through together flashed before Sieun’s mind. His kind-hearted friend had saved him more times than he could count, both from physical danger and emotional turmoil.
He never should have let their bond deteriorate the way it had in the past. This time, Sieun would be a better friend to him, and help stop the bullying he was enduring sooner too.
Speaking of which, Sieun had no idea what half of the comments his classmates were throwing at him meant. But he was sure they were meant to degrade him. Maybe because he had actually done a greeting this time around they thought he was an easy target.
It was only the first day of school but it seemed Sieun would have to establish himself sooner rather than later. That was fine with him though. There were only three people Sieun was focused on getting close to here anyways.
As his classmates continued to make fun of him, Sieun decided that he would put these bullies in their place without wasting time. He was not going to allow any of them to keep tormenting Juntae either. And if it came to blows, then Sieun had years of experience behind him.
He leveled his hardened gaze at the loudest of the mockers. Letting his displeasure show freely with concentrated focus. Back then, people had always accused him of having “psycho eyes”. Now, Sieun did not bother to try to hide his anger, letting them see how much he despised their actions.
The jeers and comments came to a halt, like a car noticing a bright red stop sign last minute. The omega’s glare was cold. Colder than any of them had ever expected from someone of his presentation. It was like the room had dropped a couple of degrees.
Once his glaring eyes had swept across the classroom once more and the only sound left was the low humming of the school’s airconditioning, the omega turned slightly towards the stunned teacher.
“I will take my seat now.” Then the omega proceeded to take the empty desk by Juntae. Settling in as if he not just quieted a rowdy classroom without even having to raise his voice. The teacher tried to shake off his shock and begin the lesson while Sieun pulled out his notebook and pens.
After a few minutes the omega student turned to him, which caused Juntae to jolt out of his stupor.
“Hi, what is your name?” The omega- no, Yeon Sieun’s eyes were locked onto his once again and this time Juntae couldn’t help the blush that arose. How could someone have such deep eyes?
“Hello, my name is Juntae. I’m a beta.” He responded back in a small voice, certain that the boy’s attention would wane after finding out his orientation. But surprisingly, the omega’s eyes only shined brighter.
“Nice to meet you, Juntae.”
Sieun had no idea what that beta comment meant, maybe it had something to do with those manga and anime Juntae liked to watch so much, but he was relieved to finally be able to speak to his friend after so long.
Although, after a few seconds, Sieun realized that he had no idea what to do next.
How the heck did he form a bond with these boys last time? All he remembers is that they would not leave him alone, even after the fact that most of their first meetings consisted of violent encounters. He had swung a chair at Suho and fought with Gotak for goodness sake. Just how was he supposed to become friends with these boys again when he really did not understand how it happened the first time?
Thankfully, Juntae broke the silence with a worried whisper.
“I know this is kind of sudden,” He said fidgeting nervously, “but you should be careful of Hyoman, he can be a real bully when he doesn’t get his way.”
Hearing his deskmate’s concern actually caused the tension Sieun had been feeling to release. He felt hopeful that they would be able to become close again in this lifetime afterall, because Juntae was Juntae. He was the same kind soul Sieun had met before. And this time Sieun would pay back his kindness.
“Don’t worry, I know how to handle myself.” Sieun assured him before asking gently, “Actually I sat here because I want us to become close. I think we would get along well. Would that be alright with you?”
Juntae’s eyes widened behind his glasses almost comically. His voice was barely low enough to still be considered a whisper. “Wait, you want to form a bond with me?”
There was no way this beautiful omega had just asked to form a pack bond with him. Omegas never went after betas, they almost always pack-bonded with alphas first and then allowed them to choose their betas. And anyways it was always omegas that were being proposed to first, not the other way around.
But Juntae was moved by the sincerity in Sieun’s eyes. He didn’t look like he was trying to tease him or lie. Maybe, Sieun hadn’t yet realized the reality of Juntae’s situation. It would be wrong for him to take advantage of the omega’s naivety about the situation, especially when it came to something so serious as a pack bond.
Juntae swallowed heavily before warning Sieun, “You should know that I’m not connected with anyone yet. And-d I’m basically like…. at the bottom of the school hierarchy.” Juntae now felt the blush rise more out of embarrassment this time around. He had let his eyes drop to his lap when explaining his shameful predicament to the omega, but now he forced himself to meet his eyes again to hear his response.
Sieun’s soulful gaze remained fixed on Juntae, speaking with ardent care, “That does not matter, it does not define the type of person you are. You are a kind and thoughtful person. You should value yourself more.”
The unexpected words were like a balm on the wound Juntae didn’t even know he had been carrying all these years. A wound left by constantly trying to measure himself by the standards others set, by always being treated like he didn’t matter. Here was someone that, despite only just meeting him, believed that Juntae did matter. Sieun had chosen him out of everyone else here. He would be a fool to pass this bond up.
“Then… okay, I’ll form a bond with you.” Juntae couldn't help the heartfelt smile that broke across his face. “May the bond last a lifetime.” Remembering to say the customary benediction despite his excitement. When he woke up this morning, Juntae never thought he would begin forming his pack today.
One down, two to go.
Sieun, now comforted with Juntae’s cooperation, focused his attention on the lecture and was pleasantly surprised to find that after a brief overview he remembered most of the material. For years Sieun had excelled in school because he did not just memorize the material but worked to understand it. Understanding and applying information was the hallmark of learning. This meant he could divide his time more efficiently between his friends and studies, maybe even tutor them more this time.
Before he knew it, it was lunchtime and the teacher exited the classroom rather quickly. Sieun normally did not eat much, a habit that had stayed even into his adulthood. But he knew that Juntae needed to eat, and that lunchtime would be a good time to speak more with him anyways. Just as he was about to call out to Juntae, a hand slammed onto his desk.
Slowly lifting up his gaze, Sieun found himself looking at Hyoman’s annoying face. Oh yeah, something like this had happened last time too.
The boisterous idiot didn't waste any time getting on his nerves this time around either.
“Hey Yeon Sieun, what a girly name you have. You know, you kind of look like one too.” He cast a sneering look at Juntae who was staring up at him fearfully. “Don’t waste your time on a useless beta.” He jabbed his thumb towards his own chest. “I’m the strongest here, let me show you a good time, yeah?”
Juntae sat frozen, scared of what would come next. If no one challenged Hyoman for Sieun, then their small pack would be forced under him. Or worse still, the arrogant bully might just take Sieun and kick Juntae out of the pack. Juntae didn’t want to leave Sieun and he knew he deserved more than the likes of Hyoman, but the poor boy didn’t know what he could possibly do.
The bespeckled teen peeked at Sieun only for his eyes to nearly bug out of his head at the sight.
Sieun hadn’t moved from his seat but his glare was scorching. And in his hand he held a pen. It was only a common writing tool, but the way he was gripping it, and slowly clicking it over and over made a shiver run down Juntae’s spine.
His eyes, his voice, his tone were so cold it burned.
“You aren’t top dog here, so stop making a ruckus. If I catch you messing with Juntae again, you will regret it.” Sieun stood up, his glower never faltering. “That goes for the rest of you too. Juntae has me now, he is off limits.”
Once again, the class was in absolute silence.
Never before had they witnessed such determination and forcefulness from an omega. Everyone knew omegas were soft and sweet. Nobody knew how to react to the interaction before them.
The boy was nearly a whole head smaller than Hyoman, but his stance and speech only expressed firm confidence. In the face of such intensity, even the pig-headed bully was left stumbling.
Juntae looked at Sieun in awe. Sieun may have been unlucky in getting placed in Eujang, but Juntae felt like the most fortunate person in the world for having been able to meet this boy.
It took no time at all for the gossip to begin flying down halls of the high school again. Students everywhere were trading information over the splash the new omega had already made.
I heard he kicked Hyoman to the curb.
Rejected him so bad that the guy actually went home early out of embarrassment.
That omega is too good looking for him anyway.
I heard he already has a beta in his pack.
He said he was aiming for the top dog of the school.
Baku? Man that lucky bastard!
Guess people better shoot their shot before his suspension ends, huh?
Across the cafeteria, the unknowing subject of Eujang’s chatter walked in. All eyes turned to him, a few restless alphas deciding whether they should make their approach now or wait. Everyone was eager to get a piece of the drama that was unfolding at their school.
Juntae had been talking nonstop since they left the classroom.
“You were so brave, Sieun!” He complimented, eyes gleaming. “I can’t believe it! Omega or not, I’ve never seen anyone stand up to Hyoman like that!”
Giving his friend a small pat on the shoulder, Sieun wanted to reassure him. “If any of them trouble you again just let me know, it will probably be best that we stick together. Hyoman seems like the kind to hold a grudge.”
Juntae nodded his happy consent. Eagerly, he began to ask Sieun about himself. “Do you have any allergies? What are your favorite kinds of food? Are there any particular dishes you dislike?”
The whole way to the cafeteria it went like this, Juntae inquiring about Sieun’s likes and distastes. Maybe the way Sieun had reached out first made Juntae feel more comfortable this time with him, so he indulged his chatty friend’s endless probing even as they began to line up for their lunch.
Surprisingly, many of the students let Sieun and Juntae pass before them, or just got out of the line to get back in behind them. It was weird, but Juntae didn’t even blink an eye at their actions.
Maybe it’s because news of my standoff with Hyoman spread around?
But that was strange because this time the two of them had not even exchanged any blows. Well, as long as they were not picking on Juntae anymore, Sieun supposed it did not really matter what they did.
He had just about reached the cashier when a lanky teenager stepped in between and tried to pay for his lunch.
“It’s on me, okay sweetheart? My name’s Minju.”
Sieun stared wide-eyed at the boy before turning his head to give Juntae a bewildered glance. What the heck?
As a beta, it was one of Juntae’s duties to assist Sieun with courting. This traditionally included advising and chaperoning once alphas began the process. But because he was only barely getting to know Sieun, Juntae didn’t want to overstep.
Juntae was pleasantly surprised that the omega checked with him before accepting the courtship. It was rather ironic that Juntae’s time as a bread shuttle had actually made him very knowledgeable about the alphas in school. Minju was an arrogant and sometimes violent alpha. Definitely not a good choice for a pack alpha.
Juntae gave Sieun a small head shake to convey his opinion on the alpha. He hoped the other teen would take the rejection well, but alphas here were not known for their patience.
Sieun knew he was not always the best at social cues but even this seemed out of the normal. The name the teen gave did not even spark any recognition, Sieun had no memory of this boy.
He looked at Juntae for a hint on how to proceed and when he saw the negative signal, Sieun firmly refused the strange offer.
“That’s not necessary.”
The other teen frowned and took a step closer to him, causing Sieun to lean slightly backwards towards Juntae.
“Hey, I said I’ll pay so that’s what I’m going to do.”
Sieun scoffed. This had to be some kind of elaborate prank or form of bullying to get under his skin. Either way, he wanted no part in it. Sieun side-stepped around the unmoving boy before addressing the staff member at the cashier.
“I would like to pay for my meal now.” Sieun was trying to get away from the interaction as quickly as possible.
Minju let out a low growl before lashing out to grab onto Sieun’s forearm.
Okay, so we’re doing this. Sieun gripped the side of his metal lunch tray, ready to slam it into the persistent fool if he didn’t let go of him in the next ten seconds-
“Hey!”
Everyone, including the spectators that had been watching the deteriorating scene, turned to see who had spoken up.
“Are you deaf? He said he didn’t want you to pay for it, so stand down if you know what’s good for you.”
Sieun, even in such an odd situation, felt his heart swell with relief and nostalgia when he saw the interloper and his familiar blue colored hoodie.
“Gotak.”
END OF CHAPTER
TXT freebies
Omake #1
Sieun (after that entire first day): Audacity must be on sale this year.
Omake #2
About Sieun not realizing his reality has changed: You are oblivious but somehow super smart.
Omake#3
Sieun: Why are you nervous?
Juntae, Gotak, and all the other Eujang students: BRO LOOK AT YOU
Omake #4
Sieun: very proud that I have three friends.
Omake #5
Sieun (about Hyoman): Maybe in another life i punched that jerk
Omake #6
Some random alpha: Will you be my valentine?
Sieun: Finallyyyyyy someone asked.
No.
Omake #7
Juntae: Still uses pinky promises as a legitimate foundation of trust*
Also Juntae: “you’re so sweet!” thank you i have abandonment issues
Omake #8 *Sieun trying make friends edition*
- Sieun: I can’t hold a conversation but I can hold your hand.
Also:
- Sieun: Yeah that’s what drew me in, your natural awkward anxiety ridden charm.
Omake #9
Go Hyeontak: i love when ppl are rude cause omg no way my turn :)
Omake #10
Sieun: *rage and tenderness existing simultaneously in the same body*