Chapter Text
When Chan woke up the next day, it took him a while to realize he was in the master's bedroom he was too familiar with. Thankfully, when he woke up, no one was there aside from him. He didn't dwell too much about what exactly happened last night. Instead, he decided to wash up.
He was about to go out when he noticed something—the interior design of the room didn't change entirely, but his vanity mirror, including his remaining clothes on the closet wasn't there anymore. He smiled bitterly before going out. He didn't ask anyone where his things were, instead, he walked towards the guest room across Minho’s room, and just as he expected, all of his things were there, neatly arranged.
When he padded downstairs, Seungcheol and Jeonghan were already in the dining area, eating with Minho. He entered without acknowledging any of his husbands.
“Good Morning, Daddy!” Minho greeted him.
Chan smiled. He's gonna lie if he would say that he didn't miss that enthusiasm from his son.
“Good Morning, sweetheart.” He greeted him back. He noticed in his peripheral vision how Jeonghan’s gaze lingered on him longer, but he ignored it. Seungcheol, on the other hand, was eating silently. Chan sat beside Minho, across Jeonghan.
They were eating peacefully when Seungcheol’s phone rang, Chan accidentally saw the caller ID.
Love ❤️
Chan's grip on his glass tightened, he thought he no longer cared, but indeed, years of love couldn't be just erased so easily.
The nickname made his stomach churned, so he looked away immediately while still trying to remain his face looked calm. He knew Jeonghan was observing him.
Seungcheol noticed the gradual tension but answered the call without hesitation, his voice gentle.
“Hey, goodmorning.”
Minho also noticed that it was Jihoon, because Seungcheol always spoke this gently to the omega. Forgetting Chan was there, he asked excitedly,
"Appa, is that uncle Hoonie?!”
Seungcheol calmly nodded at him as he continued talking with Jihoon on the other line.
Minho almost asked to join the call but then remembered Chan disliked Jihoon. He never saw them talking even once, so he thought they hated each other. Jeonghan and Chan noticed the child's good mood visibly soured. He really wished his daddy and his uncle Hoonie could get along someday.
“Eat your food, sweetie.” Jeonghan said to him, he obediently nodded. Chan didn't say anything.
Jihoon said something from the other line, making Seungcheol frowned. The beta noticed it, he looked at Jeonghan, and just like that, they both kissed Minho on the forehead, and left without finishing their breakfast. Chan ignored the hesitant glances from them and continued eating.
“Daddy, I'm full, let's go.” Minho suddenly said.
Chan understood that he wanted to know what happened to Jihoon, but he said nothing regarding that.
"You haven't eaten much, Minho-ya. Take some for the rides.”
“No, I'm full, dad”
Chan didn't insist. In the car, Minho immediately called Jihoon using his nanny’s phone. Chan used to reprimand him for using too much phone, but when he saw him using it now, he didn't say anything. Even the nanny was surprised but she stayed silent. Jihoon seemed to reply that he had a cold but was fine. With how quiet the car was, Chan could hear Jihoon’s voice from the phone. His voice was hoarse; Minho looked like he was still worried and said that he would visit him after practice.
Chan glanced at him, Minho looked guilty, probably because he had planned to have dinner with Chan later. The child secretly glanced at him when he finally hung up the call.
“Daddy, can I visit uncle Hoonie later?” He asked reluctantly.
“Hmm” He said in an instant, meanwhile Minho was clearly surprised.
“Really?! You're going to bring me to him?” He asked him bewilderedly, but his voice was now laced with excitement.
“No, I can't pick you up, Minho-ya. Your Appa will bring you there, I have work today.” He explained calmly. Nonetheless, Minho’s happiness was still palpable.
At the training center, Minho hugged Chan.
“Bye, daddy!”
Chan nodded, then Minho skipped inside, oblivious to his father's coldness.
Back at the hospital, Chan learned from Changbin that Seungcheol had an emergency and the morning meeting was postponed to the afternoon.
“Stop updating me about them, Seo Changbin.” He said softly, but his friend noticed the coldness beneath his voice.
Chanbin stammered, “Hey, I'm sorry, did something happen?” He asked carefully.
Chan then sighed deeply, then shook his head.
“No, just… stop wasting your time spying on them.” He said.
“I'm sorry, I was just— hey, don't get mad… ” Chanbin replied, visibly guilty. Chan chuckled.
“It doesn't matter, we're divorcing.”
Changbin’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What?! You're what?!”
The door was slightly ajar, so the commotion drew the attention of everyone outside, Chan rolled his eyes as he walked towards the door and locked it. Changbin was still looking at him in disbelief.
“Wait! Since when?!”
Chan grimaced.
“Last week, but we are still waiting for the 30-day waiting period, Can you stop yelling?” Chan hissed at him.
“Oh my god! I have been so preoccupied with my own life, why didn't you tell me?!” He put his hand on his mouth when Chan glared at him. He calmed himself down.
“Okay… okay, how? Who filed it?” He asked again, more calmly and seriously now.
“I did, I was actually preparing for it since like six months ago.” He said calmly.
“How about the custody of Minho—”
“I gave it up to them.” He said, his voice cracked a little. But he was still smiling as he looked at his friend.
Changbin froze. He didn't say anything at first, he just stared at him. He was utterly speechless. Changbin thought Minho was everything to Chan. He really thought he would die just to be with his son all the time, but...
“Babe, are you okay?” He asked genuinely, his voice quite now, Chan almost melted at the concern, but he smiled at him reassuringly.
“For countless nights, I had clung to the hope that Minho would eventually engage with me again...you know that. I had silently whispered my prayers to the moon goddess, and yearning for the moment when my husbands might look my way, truly see me. I was so devastated when I realized that even Minho was starting to avoid me. I was hoping to fix everything. But those dreams had been dashed now, Binnie-ya, their eyes were always being clouded by an overwhelming affection for Jihoon-hyung, blinding them to everything else, including me. And you know what? That's okay. They clearly love each other, and we don't have the right to take that away from them. It would be unfair to Jihoon-hyung.”
Silence fell for a moment. Then suddenly, Changbin hugged him. He chuckled slightly at his reaction, but when he felt him shake, his polo shirt felt wet, he froze. He tried to take a look at his friend, but the beta hugged him tightly.
“Hey, what the hell babe? Are you crying?!” He asked, ofcourse he knew his friend was crying, but he tried to break the tension by teasing him.
“I'm sorry you had to go through this… ” Changbin’s voice trembled, his voice was muffled now. Chan cleared his throat, he stayed composed as he tried to calm him down.
“It's okay, babe. We're okay.” He said again, reassuring.
Changbin abruptly pulled away, he locked eyes with him.
“Shut up, please. Can't you at least cry with me? Stop pretending to be strong, babe, not with me.” Changbin whispered and hissed at him weakly, which made him chuckle yet it broke his heart in the most gentle way.
Silence fell around them again, but when Changbin cupped his right cheek, they stared at each other, and then—a single tear traced a path down his cheek. He smiled genuinely as he leaned into his friend's palm, letting his tear falling silently, no sounds, he's not even sobbing, he just let another tears followed. Changbin didn't say anything again, he just stayed and let him process his emotions.
When they both finally calmed down, they remained like that for a few minutes, letting the silence sit comfortably between them, until Chan's hospital telephone rang—indicating a new admitted patient. Changbin looked at him hesitantly, visibly concerned, but he nodded reassuringly.
“Call me when you need anything please, okay? anything.” The beta said firmly then finally left when Chan really had to go to the operating room.
***
After his week off —which he only spent at home resting—for another two weeks, Chan drowned himself to work for days. Night was creeping into day, dragging its darkness into it, again and again. Chan couldn't say if the sun had already risen; heavy clouds were crowding the sky, drawing a charcoal curtain over the hospital glass. All he knew was that it had been raining for days now; he couldn't help but imagine himself and everything being soaked through, on the mountain, alone, his blankets, his shoes, his hair, and of course, the firewood and its crackling sound seeping through his empty and peaceful mind.
Before his last surgery, a cancer patient he has been monitoring for months now, passed away. As someone who worked for years in the medical field, the situation wasn't new, so it shouldn't be a big deal to him. But for some reason, his heart was heavy the whole day after while still fulfilling his other responsibilities.
The sky had greyed up when he finally finished his last surgery on Sunday. Weekend. It should've been his usual day off, but that was before.
When he was on his way out, his phone rang. It was Minho, he's been calling him a lot lately and he has been ignoring all of them too. But now that he wasn't busy anymore, he reluctantly answered it.
He heard a gasp from Minho on the other line.
“Daddy, are you free?”
Chan walked briskly when he noticed a rain started to fall again, when he entered his car, he asked his son, “Why, are you okay?”
“I want kimchi jjigae, daddy. Can you make it for me please?”
Chan paused. They weren't officially divorced, and Seungcheol and Jeonghan hadn't asked him to officially move out. He believed they wouldn't mind if he went home to cook. But he was so tired and he had plans tonight. Minho was still his responsibility, but he had been detaching himself from him, he thought it was a necessity.
“I'm busy today, maybe next time.”
In the past, Chan would never say no to his husbands and especially Minho, but now he had refused him constantly. Minho knew he was busy, but it seemed like he didn't care today. Chan could sense his son's stubbornness from the other line.
"Why are you always busy? I want kimchi jjigae, dad!”
"Minho-ya..." Chan felt a headache coming in.
“You don't love me anymore! I hate you, daddy!”
Minho hung up angrily without waiting for his response. Chan shut his eyes, when he opened them again, he stared blankly at the pouring rain in front of him. Then, all of a sudden, the tears he had fought to keep at bay now spilled over, despite his best efforts to remain composed. His shoulders trembled, his heart hurt so much, not from fear, but from the venom slowly spreading in his relationship with his son. Each call, each text, each conversation dripped with gradual hatred from Minho, sweet yet toxic like honey. It hit him then, he literally gave up Minho’s custody. And thinking about that, he sobbed harder.
“I'm sorry, baby...” He whispered, his voice trembling.
He cried in his car for a while before driving away. When he got back to his apartment, he had some noodles and opened his laptop, trying to review the cases for his next surgery.
After a few minutes, his phone rang. His brows furrowed when he saw Seungcheol’s name. Without energy, he declined the call. But then, it rang again. He reluctantly answered this time.
“Where are you?” Seungcheol’s cold voice rang.
“Home, why?” He responded calmly.
It's funny how he moved out from their house so smoothly, except for Minho who was so oblivious of the situation, neither Seungcheol nor Jeonghan bothered to mention about him moving out to a new apartment.
“Minho has a fever, he's been wanting to see you. Are you busy?”
Chan fell silent for a while, his heartbeat racing from the news. He looked outside his window, the rain was still pouring. He then sighed deeply.
“Okay, on my way.” He finally said.
“No, stay there, I'll pick you up.” Seungcheol said quickly before ending the call.
Chan, ever the stubborn, didn't listen and decided to go by himself after sending the alpha a quick message.
To Seungcheol-hyung:
You don't have to come, hyung. I'm driving right now, really.
And then, he drove away.
After a few minutes of driving, he noticed a commotion in the middle of the road. When he saw someone lying unconsciously in the center of the crowd, he immediately got out of his car, trying to fit himself to take a good look at the person.
“What happened?” He asked loudly, the rain was pouring too hard for them to hear each other.
Chan averted his eyes at the surroundings. Clearly, it wasn't an accident, no damaged vehicle was seen. When he learned it was an epileptic episode, he immediately did his best to help until the ambulance arrived. It took them longer to wait and stabilize the patient. After that, he continued driving to Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s house, completely soaked from the rain.
When Chan finally arrived, the rain and storm somehow calmed down too. But he was surprised to find a lot of people in the living room —Aside from Seungcheol and Jeonghan— Wonwoo, Joshua, Jun, Deokyeom, Seungkwan, Mingyu and Jihoon were also there. Chan noticed Jihoon’s concerned face first, but it disappeared instantly the moment the omega noticed him. He saw Seungcheol at the living room, standing, brows furrowed, he was on a phone call, but stopped the call abruptly when he noticed him.
“Where have you been?” Seungcheol asked calmly, but his voice was still laced with usual coldness.
Chan, oblivious to the situation, asked quietly as he looked at everyone back and forth. “Uh, what happened?”
The room was heavily silent. Chan's anxiety somehow spiked when he remembered Minho, he was about to ask about him when a sudden warm body hugged him. He gasped at the sudden impact, he tried to look at the person, but then the tangerine scent hit his nose. Seungkwan.
Chan was embarrassed at the sudden attention so he tried to separate himself from the hug, but it only made the older omega tighten the embrace further. Chan's left hand clutched at his shirt.
“Uh, hyung. Are you ok—”
Before he could finish his question, Seungkwan then cupped his cheeks the moment they separated from the hug. He looked at him, inspecting any harm.
“Where the hell were you Chan-ah? We couldn't contact you for hours, did something happen on your way here?” He asked genuinely.
Chan, ignoring everyone's eyes, nodded slightly as he spoke. “There was an emergency in the middle of the road in the south area, I had to do something to help.”
He could hear several sighs of relief around him, but he didn't look at any of them. But he couldn't help but be curious, he's genuinely concerned. When everyone was starting to converse with each other quietly, he innocently asked Seungkwan, he leaned slightly to his right ear, whispering.
“But hyung, did something happen? Why is everyone here?”
The omega stared at him after that, his eyes flickered with something Chan couldn't name.
“You're so oblivious, I can't believe you're actually one of the smartest surgeons in this country.” He teased gently.
Chan blinked, confused, so he ignored the words as he looked away from him, and then suddenly, he sneezed. “Shit, sorry.”
He noticed Jeonghan’s head turned towards him, but he didn't say anything.
“Where's Minho?” Chan asked Seungkwan.
Just then, Seungcheol suddenly grabbed his hands without warning, not too hard but not too gentle either, he pulled him towards the room upstairs. Chan was too stunned to react, he glanced back at the living room to understand the situation, but everyone was still busy talking to each other—unbothered. But he noticed Jihoon looking directly at them, then looked away as he was walking towards Jeonghan and Joshua.
Chan, oblivious to the tension from earlier, only then realized the alpha’s cold demeanor when they finally entered the room, Seungcheol made him sit down on the vanity chair, then quietly walked towards the closet room, then after a few seconds, he emerged from it with a black hoodie and a pair of pajamas, then handed it to him. Chan ignored it.
“Where's Minho, hyung?” He asked instead.
“Take a warm bath and change first, then I'll bring you to him.” He gestured his hand towards the bathroom. Chan reluctantly accepted the fabrics and obeyed.
He sneezed several times while taking a warm shower. His headache was now palpable. When he got out of the bathroom, Jeonghan and Seungcheol were talking quietly at the edge of the bed. They both looked at him when he sneezed again.
“Are you done?” Jeonghan asked softly, he nodded as he sneezed again, he sighed frustratingly.
Jeonghan stood up. “Minho’s fever was still high, you can go see him, but not too close. You're about to get sick too Chan-ah, you need to stay away from him for a while.”
Chan was too aware when it comes to health problems, so he didn't question anything, he understood it completely. He nodded and walked towards the door as he wiped his nose.
He had likely caught a chill, though less severely than Minho.
“Probably, I'll just go back when his fever completely cools down. Just inform me, hyung, I have to go.”
When he padded outside, the living room was now empty. He heard footsteps behind him, the lemon green tea scent filled his nose, it was Jeonghan. He asked him as he noticed the rain starting to pour heavy again.
“Did they leave already? Like all of them?”
He turned his head, Jeonghan was staring at him, his gaze unreadable. He was about to walk downstairs when another voice reached his ear behind them.
“Stay the night, Chan. The water on the road is getting high, it's not safe to go out around this time.” Seungcheol said calmly.
“Hmm.” Chan knew he was right, so he just nodded. He continued to walk downstairs though, then abruptly paused after a few steps.
“Can I borrow a laptop?” He asked as he turned his head towards them again.
Without saying anything, Seungcheol walked towards his office, then seconds later, he returned with a laptop and its charger. He walked past Chan towards downstairs and silently set everything up.
“Thank you…” Chan said when the alpha finished.
Seungcheol nodded once and walked upstairs quietly again as Jeonghan followed him behind. Chan sneezed again, he concluded then he really had a cold. Just then, Minho’s nanny emerged from the kitchen, bringing a ginger tea with her. Chan smiled at her when she handed him the tea.
“Thank you.” He said, she smiled back and bowed slightly before walking away.
Chan then started working, reading through a bunch of diagnosis and laboratory results. Scanning every possible mistake from almost every case he has handled. After an hour, he felt even worse. He leaned on the table and unconsciously fell asleep.
When he woke up again, rain was still pouring. He noticed Minho looking at him upstairs.
“Appa said I can't go near you daddy, or else you'll get sick.” Minho said innocently, pouting.
“How are you feeling? And why are you still up? Are you okay now?” He asked softly.
Minho shook his head, “I just want to make sure Appa wasn't lying when he said you're here daddy.”
Chan looked at him, the last call with him ran through his mind. He sighed and held back his tears. Then, he looked Minho in the eyes while gripping the laptop tightly with both of his hands, and giving his son a feeble yet genuine smile he could muster.
He physically felt a little better now. He knew Minho wanted him to play with him, but seeing him still fragile, he smiled at him reassuringly once again.
“Hm, you need to rest more, Minho-ya. I'd still be here when you wake up.”
Minho, despite the weakness corrupting his body, visibly lit, “Really?”
“Hmm, rest now.”
Minho nodded eagerly before walking towards his room.
Chan returned to work on the laptop silently, half an hour later, Minho woke up again and realized that Chan was so focused he didn't even register him going out again or what he was saying. Unbeknownst to Chan, his son got a little bummed out because of that.
Just then, Jeonghan emerged from the room. Minho hugged his leg and couldn't help but sigh, "Papa, Daddy is so busy.” He whispered with disappointment.
Jeonghan hummed in response, then carried Minho in his arms towards his room, minutes later, he returned and went downstairs alone. He sat down while Chan was sitting on the floor.
Chan hadn't even noticed him approaching. After a while, when the omega heard another movement, he startled. His eyes widened as he glanced over, when he saw it was the beta, he didn't say anything and just went back to his work.
Jeonghan didn't say anything either. He just watched him working. Chan was too busy to get bothered from the stare, so he ignored him. The beta actually had his own things to do, but he watched him with interest for a bit. When it was almost time, he gave one last, unreadable look before turning and leaving to his own office.
Chan had read tons of cases that night. The next day, even though he wanted to go to the hospital, it was still raining heavily, and he felt like he couldn't afford breaking his promise to Minho this time, so he waited for him to fully recover. He was still working late into the evening. Even during dinner, he was still having a phone call. He excused himself and went outside just near the dining area door.
“—Can you send me his health history? Yes— Really? What's his vital signs now? Check his GCS score, tell me when it's below thirteen—”
The calls kept going, then another phone call, then another, until Seungcheol seemed to finally lost his patience. He grabbed the omega’s hand gently yet firmly, he guided him towards the chair, Chan was startled at first but followed him anyway as he was still talking with someone on the phone. He managed to eat his dinner with Jeonghan and Seungcheol constantly refilling his plate, though he was the last one to finish.
After dinner, Chan headed to the living room to keep reading the laboratory results. Neither Seungcheol nor Jeonghan bothered him again, opting upstairs and finishing their own works.
Around nine at night, Minho finished his bath and was ready for bed. He saw Chan still working, the keyboard clacking a bit loud, and suddenly remembered something.
"Daddy, why don't you go back to your room and Appa and Papa’s room to work?" He asked innocently. He suddenly recalled that in the past, even when his daddy had work at home, he'd always done it in his and Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s room, never in the living room.
Chan's fingers paused on the keyboard. After a couple of seconds, he finally said, "Working here is fine too, sweetheart.”
Then he added, ”Sorry sweetheart, Is daddy being too loud? Can you hear me working from your room?”
"No, you're not bothering me, daddy." Minho yawned. "I'm gonna go to sleep now. You should get some rest soon too, daddy. Goodnight.”
Chan wanted to ask him for a goodnight kiss, like the usual, but he held himself back.
“Hm, goodnight, sweetheart.” He said instead as he watched Minho walking upstairs towards his room.
After a few minutes, Chan decided to go to Minho’s room. When he found him sleeping peacefully, he turned off the main light in his room, then walked downstairs, turned off the light in the living room as well. The only source of light now was from Seungcheol’s laptop.
It was past two in the morning when Chan decided to rest. Fall had definitely arrived. It had been raining the past couple of days, and the temperature had dropped quite a bit. Maybe he'd sat in front of the laptop too long and caught a chill from the draft. The moment he closed the laptop and got up to shower in the guest room, a sudden shiver ran through him, followed by a flurry of sneezes.
After his shower, he came out with a runny nose and a dry, burning sensation in his throat. He wanted to continue working, but he was too tired now. So he decided to take a nap, planning to wake up at five. But then he awoke with his head throbbing violently.
Realizing he might be catching a cold, and knowing it was too late for the house’s staff, Chan headed downstairs himself to make some honey ginger tea to ward off the chill. He also took medicine for possible fever.
Just as he finished his tea and got back upstairs, he heard Seungcheol’s voice. “You're awake already?”
Chan turned his head, the alpha was leaning on the doorway, and surprisingly, Jeonghan was also there, looking at him silently. Chan shook his head once.
"Almost in bed.” He said, the alpha nodded.
He was exhausted and didn't have the energy to talk much. With that, he turned to head back to the guest room and was out cold pretty fast.
He wasn't sure how long he'd slept, but through the daze, Chan thought he heard Minho’s voice.
“Daddy, your skin is super hot!”
Soon after, another footsteps filled the room. Chan tried to open his eyes, but his head felt so heavy and foggy he just drifted back to sleep. When he finally woke up again, all he felt was a worsening throbbing headache, weakness, and his throat was on fire.
He wanted to get up and grab some water, but as soon as he moved, someone was there in an instant, steadying him.
"Want some water first?” Someone said, Chan blinked, then finally opened his eyes.
Standing right there in front of him wasn't Seungcheol nor Jeonghan, but Jihoon. Chan was too stunned and too weak to talk, Jihoon had already turned to pour him some water. In no time, he was handing him a glass. Chan took it instinctively, about to thank him, when he realized his throat was so sore it hurt to even speak.
Chan watched him reading the medicine labels. He couldn't remember Jihoon interacting with him longer than ten minutes, let alone taking care of him this way. He was completely baffled. It would naturally make more sense to him if he woke up to the omega kissing Seungcheol and Jeonghan. But witnessing him taking care of him instead, his brain couldn't process it.
He barely had two sips of water when Jihoon turned and picked up his phone.
"Hyung, you can bring the porridge now.” He said calmly.
After the last two sips, his mind finally cleared a bit. Chan went to put the glass on the nightstand next to the bed, but then he froze again.
It hit him then: he wasn't in the guestroom right now. He was in the master's bedroom. He wanted to say something, but held himself back. He noticed the sky outside the window was no longer dark and gloomy.
Thinking about it, he suddenly remembered he had a scheduled operation for today.
"What time is it?" He couldn't help but ask.
“Almost ten.” Jihoon replied calmly.
Hearing that, without hesitation, he removed the IV that was hooked on him, slowly. He got up from the bed so suddenly that Jihoon couldn't help but hold him when his knees buckled from dizziness.
“Where do you think you're going?” Jihoon asked. Just then, Jeonghan entered with a porridge in his hand. Chan removed Jihoon’s hand on his elbow and forced himself to get up.
Jeonghan watched him also, “Where are you going?”
“I need to go, I have a scheduled surgery today.”
The beta sighed heavily but Jihoon didn't say anything.
“But you still have a fever, Chan.” Jeonghan said firmly.
Chan paused, since when did you care? He wanted to talk back, but since he didn’t want any unnecessary drama, he did not say anything else. Instead, he got out of bed, found some casual clothes in the closet, which he didn't care at the moment whose clothes it was, then changed. A moment later, he grabbed his phone on the nightstand, and was about to leave the room.
He then caught Minho taking a peek at the door, he looked concerned, "Daddy, you're still sick?”
“No, I have to go now, Minho-ya.”
He saw a medicine for fever on the bedside table, so without asking, he took it and walked past his son then went outside. He woke up last night feeling much better than today. Now all he felt was nausea but he still continued to walk through the hallway, he noticed Seungcheol’s office was open. A bedside lamp was on. He saw him reading on a laptop, but he looked away when the alpha glanced his way.
“Going somewhere?” Seungcheol asked as he stood up, Chan nodded. His throat was sore, and he didn't want to talk.
He put on a coat and just then, Jeonghan went out with Jihoon and Minho from the room.
“Chan, the flood is dangerous right now, you can't just leave by using a car.” Jeonghan offered.
“Really? How did Jihoon-hyung come here then?” He asked calmly, but Jeonghan paused at his question. Jihoon looked at him with his usual stoic face, not saying anything, Chan was starting to get annoyed how unbothered the omega was.
Chan didn't notice Seungcheol walking towards them. Then unexpectedly, the alpha touched his forehead, he instinctively moved away but Seungcheol held him on his waist to prevent him from moving. No one said anything, then he withdrew his hand, saying,
"The doctor is waiting downstairs. Go back inside, I'll ask him to check you first." He left without waiting for his response.
Chan was about to protest when he noticed the helicopter outside, just at the center of the wide pasture backyard.
Jeonghan, seeing Chan's confused look, said calmly, "Even though the rain has slowed and the floodwaters have receded, the roads aren't cleared yet, so cars can't get through. But you had such a high fever, your grandfather was so worried, so Jihoon brought Dr. Hwang with him to be brought over by helicopter to check on you.”
Worried? Your beloved’s old man would still be at his own office, drinking sensibly, even when someone kill me right in front of him. Chan thought.
“You said you have to go to the hospital to work, you can't go there by car, you know. Do you want to ride a helicopter instead?” The beta added coolly, obviously teasing now.
Chan glared at him. He knew that Jeonghan knew about his fear of heights.
Asshole.
He remembered years ago during his internship in a trauma unit in Iceland, he fainted inside the medical helicopter after saving a patient hiking in the middle of Nordic Island. He literally had a panic attack the moment he looked down from the helicopter. Now he didn't know how the beta knows that incident, but he was too egoistic to ask.
When he remained silent, he didn't notice Jeonghan smiling, the beta went back to the room then returned with a bowl, he asked him. “Are you hungry? This one's cold already. You need to eat something warm.”
Chan, as stubborn as he was, shook his head. But Jeonghan ignored him and went downstairs anyway. Chan looked at Jihoon, who was watching them silently.
“I'm sorry, hyung. You really didn't have to do all of this.” Chan said, he didn't know what was happening, and he didn't want to know to be honest. But he felt like he had to apologize for wasting the older omega’s time.
But as usual, Jihoon didn't say anything, he only stared at him. Chan realized the omega and Seungcheol shared the same personality, too stoic and silent. Chan felt a little uncomfortable from his gaze so he averted his eyes.
Fortunately, minutes later, the doctor walked along with Seungcheol. Without saying anything, they went back inside except Jihoon and Jeonghan. The doctor said he was much better but should continue taking medicine. He said that due to over fatigue, he became very susceptible to illness, and he recommended some vitamins before he left. Seungcheol went outside too. Chan assumed they were saying goodbye to Jihoon when they stayed outside for too long.
He opened his phone silently to inform someone in the hospital about his condition as he heard the roaring of the helicopter outside. He was surprised when Nurse Yeji said there's someone—a neurosurgeon from another country—who was covering for his surgery until tomorrow. He didn't ask her how but he knew Seungcheol or Jeonghan had something to do with it.
When the beta and alpha returned with the food, Chan remained silent, he looked at the porridge intensely, his appetite was completely gone. Seungcheol leaned back on the headboard of the bed, watching him.
"After all these years, you're still so stubborn huh?” He suddenly said, his voice wasn't mocking or mad, it even sounded too soft. And Chan felt frustrated just by hearing it.
He rolled his eyes sharply despite the gnawing pain on his head, then he looked away.
The alpha chuckled softly before he sighed.
“Okay, I won't talk anymore. Just eat.”
***
Chan spent another two nights there before he finally, stubbornly, went his own way the moment he found out that the road was finally out of danger even though his own body was still fighting for its life. In those two nights, they didn't ask anything much except about his condition. They only monitored him quietly and alternately while one of them needed to work in their own office.
When he was about to leave, Minho only just realized he was leaving and looked so disappointed.
"Daddy, you're going back to work already?”
Chan crouched down and ruffled his hair. "Hm-hm, Take good care of yourself, okay?” He said gently.
"Got it!" Minho hugged him, almost refusing to let go."School starts in a few days. Will you take me on the first day, Daddy?”
Chan paused then and when he noticed Minho’s smile falter at his silence, he looked at both Seungcheol and Jeonghan. They weren't officially divorced yet but he felt like he needed to start asking for permission.
Jeonghan, noticing it, crouched down next to them before cupping Minho’s cheeks.
“Daddy will go with you baby, don't worry. But first, can you go inside and wait there? we have something to talk about, just real quick.”
Minho glanced at Chan reluctantly, but when he nodded once while giving him a reassuring smile, Minho’s mood visibly changed and he giggled excitedly while nodding to Jeonghan to obey his instruction. When his door finally closed, they both stood up.
“You know you don't have to ask permission when it comes to him, right?” Jeonghan started.
“But the custody—”
“We didn't say we're going to restrict you from seeing him Chan, we wanted him to stay with us, but that's it. You can still spend time with him for as long as you want.” He said firmly.
Seungcheol remained silent beside him, watching them. Chan didn't say anything either. Because no, he couldn't tell them that after the finality of their divorce, he was planning to leave the city or country. Though he didn't know yet, he hasn't decided yet where to go, but he was sure he's going to leave everything here and start a new life somewhere. He nodded when he felt their gazes were still lingering on him. After saying goodbye to Minho once more, he finally left the house.
But when he got back to the parking lot of his apartment building, he was surprised to see Jihoon on the same spot he saw him here the first time. Chan paused. Jihoon was leaning calmly as he watched Chan start walking towards him.
“Hyung, what are you doing here?” Chan asked calmly even though he was still so curious how the omega knew his address. God he really have no privacy, did he?
“Are you really going to give up Minho’s custody?” Jihoon didn't even beat around the bush and just bluntly asked him.
Chan almost laughed. His sleep–deprived brain took a moment to catch up. Jihoon was never the type to meddle, even when he's the real mate of his husbands, he never once confronted him about his relationship with Seungcheol and Jeonghan.
But now that Minho was involved…he's suddenly bothered. And why now? Why didn't the omega ask him when they were at Seungcheol and Jeonghan’s house?
Suppressing his irritation, he kept his tone civil.
“Did you come here just to ask me that?”
“Minho is your child, Chan. So why?” Jihoon pressed.
Chan processed the sudden interrogation. Watching Jihoon’s earnest expression, he couldn’t help but find it ridiculous. What is happening to this man? No matter how humble his words sounded, there was still that hint of superiority in his voice.
Do you still really believe that I'm your biological brother, hyung? Do you still think that I'm nothing but an illegitimate child? And suddenly, you thought you could dictate my life now? He thought.
“I just thought he's better off with fathers” He said instead, his voice sounded so bored.
He didn’t wait for Jihoon to keep talking. He turned to leave. But he'd barely taken a step when the omega grabbed him by his arm to face him again.
“You are his father too, Lee Jung Chan.” Jihoon said firmly.
He pulled his arm free from Jihoon’s hand. His patience was finally gone so he hissed at him openly before he could even stop himself.
“Why are you so bothered about this? Shouldn't you be happy that I'm actually trying to leave without a fight? I'm sick of living this pathetic life, hyung. Can't you just take care of them instead? they're all yours in the first place anyway.”
Jihoon went silent. Their eyes locked once more, Jihoon just went through a heat cycle, so it's just natural that he looked worn and weathered, his cheeks hollowed slightly and his cheek covered in light pretty freckles. Yet, with his soft mesmerizing features, even this disheveled appearance made him stand out more, glowing still.
Obviously, it was that face that had drawn his husbands in, made them lose all sense of reason, and willingly stayed by his side despite him being unable to get pregnant, if Chan would be in their place, with that alluring demeanor, he surely would do the same.
He caught himself just in time and paused, realizing he was thinking ridiculous things, he looked away from Jihoon’s gaze and swallowed the rest of his sentence. Then without saying anything, he turned to leave and fortunately the omega didn't stop him this time.
When he got back to his apartment, he didn't spend time resting any longer, he went back to work immediately.
A whole week passed smoothly, he was getting better. Yeonjun visited him once to personally invite him to his engagement party. But when he found out that he was getting a divorce, he almost forgot his real reason for coming to Chan, and Chan was about to tease him by not showing up for too long if only he didn't know what was happening in his friend's life right now. He’s literally preparing for his wedding, and his fiance—Choi Soobin— happened to be Seungcheol, Wonwoo and Vernon’s cousin. If he wasn't Yeonjun’s best friend, there's no way he would go there. Their marriage was still a secret so they had to be careful. But of course, Yeonjun didn't care about that, and Chan will never miss his best friend’s special day either. So naturally, everyone will be there for sure, including him. Just like with Changbin, of-fucking-course, they spent another session of crying again. But fortunately, Chan wasn't as vulnerable as he was with Changbin. It hurts, sure, but he finally accepted the reality of their situation. He didn't even have the energy to hold any grudges to anyone.
It was around lunch time when he took a break after surgery and decided to go back to his office, but just as he was about to take a nap, his phone rang.
The caller ID made his breath hitch, Jihoon’s grandfather was the one calling him. He rarely call him, but every time he did, it's either he would request him to personally treat a friend or… he fucked something up again. But despite his gnawing anxiety, he answered the call.
“At the mansion, ten pm sharp.” The old man said with his commanding voice, then without waiting for his response, he hung up.
Chan opened his mouth then closed it again, his grip on his phone tightened until his knuckles almost turned white. From the tone of that voice, he didn't feel good, something was wrong.
He couldn't stop thinking about it the whole day, a patient almost died on the table during his surgery around three pm, after that, he really tried his best to focus. Everyone around him noticed it, because it was the first time seeing him distracted at work, but no one said anything. He knew his sour and anxious burning scent was leaking throughout the operating room. So before the next surgery, he took three pills of suppressants and applied several patches to block his scent.
At exactly 9:30 in the evening, he walked out of the hospital and decided to go to the mansion. When he arrived, Jihoon’s grandfather’s butler was already waiting. That's when he realized —he really fucked something up. This butler, he was the one who always served any punishment for two years now after temporarily replacing the old butler. He tried to stay composed when they walked to the study, but the moment they entered, Chan froze, he locked eyes with the old man in an instant, who's sitting on the center of the U sofa, his expression a mix of amusement and something darker.
Before Chan could even step closer, he felt fingers encircling his neck with a grip that was so nauseating and threatening. The old man glared down at him, irritation etched into every line of his face.
“You're such an ungrateful bastard, aren't you?” He hissed, his voice low and dangerous.
Instantly, his eyes brimmed with tears, he's so confused, he wanted to ask what happened but his throat constricted as the old man's hand tightened around his windpipe, the air being stolen from his lungs. And then, the pressure on his neck disappeared, he gasped violently as he was catching air.
He looked back at the old man bewilderedly, he was now back on the sofa, leaning calmly. From where Chan stood, his gaze was a storm of mocking and frustration. But his scent—he seemed totally pissed off. His alpha scent dominated the room. Though Chan has been practicing to get used to the alpha’s intimidating scent but biologically, it still did something cruel to his damn omega nature.
His gaze was a deep-rooted cruelty that seeped into Chan's bones, chilling him to the core.
“What–what did I do?” He rasped, the words barely escaping his lips, but the old man remained silent, his lack of response echoing Chan's fears. “But I don't think I did anything—”
Suddenly, he was forced to fall down to his knees. Then— he heard it. His eyes widened. A rope. A fucking rope. He froze once again, sweat clinging desperately on his forehead, he remembered when those people who received this kind of punishment from Jihoon’s grandfather—those were the ones who fucked up,—they were stripped naked and dragged back and forth across a hard-fibered rope, the friction of which would saw into their flesh, causing severe injury. He trembled, he didn't even have the time to beg for mercy when an extreme and agonizing pain registered in his brain.
He whimpered from the pain.
Lash after lash.
Whip after whip.
He felt like he was going to die— he couldn't even describe the pain it was giving to his body.
The whip lasted about twenty or more. Until he dropped his whole body to the ground. Then it finally stopped, he knew the repeated impact of the rope caused severe tearing and bruising on his skin. His brain barely registered the old man's words, the next thing he knew, he was being guided to sit up again, he was too weak, his vision dimmed, but he noticed the old man walking towards him, and then he crouched before gripping his jaw.
“First, you didn't tell me about your divorce. And then, you've been paying several people to help you move out of the city?” He said coldly, huffing, mocking.
With tears blurring his vision, he blinked furiously and, in a moment of desperation, he shook his head weakly to deny the accusation. But a hand just grasped his neck again, he gasped, a choked sound escaping him, and then it released him so abruptly that he stumbled backward, colliding painfully with the butler’s leg behind him, causing a painful friction on his back.
Chan wanted to scream that he doesn't have the right to dictate his life now but he knew he couldn't. Not just due to weakness, but that would end his life hundred percent sure. It's just basically a suicide. He couldn't even utter a single word even if he wanted to.
Their eyes locked.
“Fine, do whatever you want, I'll let you go. But don't you dare snitch on me and tell Jihoon everything you know. I won't hesitate to kill you, child.” He paused,
“... There's an engagement party at Choi’s residence tomorrow, his father asked me to take you there. Be presentable.” He said calmly.
“Drive him back to his new address.” Chan heard him say. The next moment, he was in his car while the butler was the one driving. Chan couldn't still fully dissect what just happened, he turned his body sideways to avoid any friction from the chair on his back. The butler didn't say anything, as usual. Chan knew they were paid to shut their mouth and to just follow a command like a well trained-dog they are, just like him.
He didn't know how the butler managed to open his apartment, but he didn't dwell on that. On the floor in his living room, he was lying on his stomach, he blinked, struggling to clear his foggy vision, but everything remained a blur. He was too weak, too drained from blood loss, and his heart ached—not just from the physical pain, but from the betrayal he was doing to himself. From the hurt. From the pain. From everything.
He passed out with that position.
The next day, mornings at his apartment were usually calm except the turmoil inside him. But without thinking much, he tried his best to treat the wound by himself, he couldn't risk anyone finding out about what happened, and then he carried on with his usual morning routine.
Just as he was about to go out of his room, his eyes caught the colorful hanging calender near his vanity mirror, he then realized that his heat cycle was just around the corner. Without hesitation, he opened the drawer next to his skincare container, he pulled a three cm syringe and the small vial suppressant. It was his monthly suppressant.
After giving birth to Minho, he never went through heat cycles again, not because there's something wrong with him. But because he purposely stopped going through it, initially he's only been using pills, but then after two years, it wasn't as effective as before, he would only use that at work for emergency. So he proceeded to use the injection version, it was more expensive, but more potent and effective. It actually blocked almost everything— his scent, his wolf instinct, his ability to shift and most importantly his heat cycle. The doctor warned him to used with caution and only twice a year though, but a week off from work didn't sit right with him so he used it monthly instead.
When he arrived at the hospital, he didn't even have the time to get a morning coffee. A bunch of patients suddenly arrived from a rear-end collision accident. It was an emergency, he and all medical staff were busy accommodating all the patients, so the encounter from last night evaded his mind completely.
Time passed quickly, and when around three pm, which was the time he was planning to log off, another patient was involved in a motor vehicle accident that required emergency imaging, and he was the first surgeon to finish the surgery, everyone was still in the OR, so naturally, he had to take care of it, another surgical intervention for broken skull, and subsequent ICU care before moving another patient into a scheduled rehabilitation.
At around six pm, he didn't hesitate and finally left the hospital after making sure everything was already stable. He took a bath immediately without thinking much, his mind was only thinking about the time, he needed to go there on time, but just as the water touched his skin on the back, he flinched. A gasp left his mouth and his eyes stung from tears falling involuntary, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves.
“It's okay, you just need to go through this day. Just a little bit more, it's okay…” He whispered to himself, then proceeded to do the things accordingly.
He wore a black retro-style blazer coat, and paired with black slacks, it was the most loose coat that he owned, he needed to avoid any friction to prevent further damage on his wound. After getting ready for a couple of hours, he picked up Changbin before going there. They arrived at the venue, dressed to the nines and right on time.
Both families were a tycoon, they'd invited tons of guests for this big engagement party. They'd only been there a little while when guests started showing up. When Chan entered the venue, his eyes immediately caught his husbands and their friends, they were already looking at them, and just the usual, they would only nod to acknowledge each other’s presence. But of course, as usual, when in a crowded place like this, Seungcheol and Jeonghan would act like they don't know him at all.
He averted his eyes when someone from the crowd approached him and Changbin, from one to another. It wasn't a surprise, Changbin’s a known engineer, he owned a company that develops electronics and does a bunch of cloud computings. On the other hand, Chan knew he was in demand in their field, his specialty wasn't common, he's aware of that. But he was never convinced when his friends told him that he was the most famous surgeon in the medical world in the country, they would always tell him that he's a known neurosurgeon not just in the city, but in the whole country.
"A lot of people were so intrigued about your mysterious life just because you don't have any social fucking media." Yeunjun said to him once over dinner.
When they finished greeting several people, they chose a more discreet space. Chan and Changbin were planning to keep a low profile tonight, they just have to make sure Yeonjun will see them, and then they'll go home, he can just use his work to escape the party. But just as he was about to pick a table, a voice erupted around the room.
“Binnie!! Channie!!” Yeonjun, with Soobin beside him, walked towards them.
“Oh I should've put an electric tape on his mouth.” Changbin murmured.
Both of them weren't introverts, but they both hate being the center of attention. And now, with everyone looking in their direction, all they could do was to smile widely at the approaching couple instead of cursing their best friend casually.
Soobin laughed softly when he noticed their demeanor, fortunately, Soobin knew their weird circle already because he became close to them years before his engagement with Yeonjun. They both hugged them.
“I'm so glad you're here, he's been talking about you guys for hours.” Soobin said with too much fondness in his voice.
“I'm so sorry you have to marry him, just so you know, he's so annoying!” Changbin teased.
“Yah! Keep your mouth shut or I'll kill you while you are sleeping tonight.” He hissed at him.
The four of them laughed for a while, talked and continued to tease each other until some elders arrived, so the couples had no choice but to go back and leave them. He and Changbin stayed on the table in the left corner, away from the spotlight, across from his husbands’ table on the other side. Seungkwan and Dokyeom weren't present, so no one from his husbands nor their friends bothered to talk to him, it wasn't the first time. That was their set up since day one anyway.
He was taking a sip of wine when Changbin suddenly rubbed his back, he choked on his drink. He instinctively leaned forward, away from the beta’s hand. Changbin stopped abruptly.
“Hey, what–are you okay?” Changbin asked him as he leaned forward, studying his face, his voice laced with concern and panic.
Chan had to take a minute to steady his breath before he nodded at the beta. He looked away then.
“Hm, I just saw something ridiculous.” He said, trying to stifle a laugh, though he failed, he didn't talk again.
“Are you sure?” Changbin asked again, Chan looked at him this time straight to the eyes, then plastered a genuine smile.
Changbin’s gaze lingered a little longer before letting it go, he knew the beta smelled something wrong but he was still thankful that he didn't push further, he's also aware how Chan gets mad when he's being pushed to his limits, so he remained silent.
Chan averted his eyes to avoid inviting more suspicions but just then, he locked eyes with Seungcheol...then his eyes flickered to the figure meter away behind the alpha, Jihoon's gaze was intense, his eyes narrowed as if he was reading him desperately—then he noticed the omega's gaze glanced on his shoulder (or his back). He straightened his posture and looked away immediately and focused on his bestfriend and fiancé in front, but he couldn't help but to realize that Jihoon was actually getting bold on his personal business lately. He ignored the thoughts.
After an hour in the middle of the event, Changbin saw his engineer mentor, he knew the beta wanted to greet that person so badly, he was just reluctant to leave Chan alone but the omega pushed him to do it.
“It's okay, I'll just go to the balcony at the back to take in some fresh air.” He reassured him. And true to his words, the moment Changbin left his side, he removed himself from the crowd. His eyes caught Wonwoo staring at his direction, he chose to ignore it and continue walking away.
When he stepped through the door towards the balcony, a night breeze of air slapped his skin softly yet harshly. The view outside was immaculate, no people, just the wide pasture — a land covered with grass and other low plants that was more suitable for grazing animals, especially cattle or sheep. It has a soft light being set up and lined up on it just enough to support the moonlight to reveal the beauty of the entire place at night.
When he averted his eyes to the sky above, a slight smile plastered his face from how beautiful it was. But for some reason, he wondered what kind of emotion his eyes were currently displaying, he wished he could ask the sky while he locked his eyes with it without any uneasiness in his chest. He exhaled slowly, the weight of peace and loneliness settling over him at the same time.
Waves of dizziness came and went, forcing him to pause and rub his temples. At this point he didn't know anymore when it was from long hours of work or from the harshness of that single rope whipped at him last night. Either way, he refused to look away from the sky. He imagined himself driving for hours to escape the pollution, the noise, the light, and the life he's living right now, him speeding past the strip malls, industrial buildings, and finally turning onto a narrow road with edges bound together by the stitching of telephone poles and punctuated by infrequent gas stations and the odd trailer.
“Just a little more, Chan.” He murmured to himself, a weary smile tugging at his lips once again. It wasn't a false accusation when Jihoon’s grandfather mentioned him paying several people. It was true—over the past few weeks, he had been quietly preparing himself, deciding what to keep and what to leave behind. He ran several errands alone in between his breaks at the hospital. He already paid someone owning a certain real estate to sell his apartment discreetly and quietly after he moved out. He paid someone in the government to hide his identity in case someone will come and forcefully ask about him. He even made an arrangement with the CEO of a certain travel agency to erase his footprints while he roamed around the world trying to find somewhere to settle down. It wasn't easy just by using money, but surprisingly, his profession and the name he built for himself was a big impact to go through all those arrangements smoothly.
Since the old man knows now about it, it was actually a big help despite receiving that life-death punishment. It was worth it after all. He didn't care if he was going to be an ungrateful bastard in Jihoon’s friends and family’s eyes, he shamelessly clinged to things that had never truly belonged to him. It was more unbearable than any of their opinions.
“How's the divorce?”
A voice behind him startled him, snapping him out of his thoughts. He froze then, he knew that voice too well. He swallowed hard, his nerves tightening as if a knot had formed in his stomach but he remained composed to make his face appear calm, like he was unbothered about what he did to him last night. He turned his head to take a quick glance at Jihoon’s grandfather.
Chan focused on his question, and thinking about it now, he realized something.
Their divorce agreement stipulated he wanted nothing—no asset division, no custody battle. He expected the divorce certificate to arrive swiftly.
However, forty three days had passed since he signed the agreement, and there was still no news from Wonwoo or Jimin, not even from Seungcheol or Jeonghan. He has to ask them tomorrow then. He looked away from the old man.
“We've been waiting for the 30-days waiting period, but it should be done by this time. I'm planning to ask my lawyer tomorrow.” He explained calmly.
The old man didn't say anything. Silence fell around them, it wasn't heavy as he expected, Chan was so numb at this point. He glanced at the old man once again.
“...Can I ask you a favor?” He asked quietly.
He swallowed hard when the older huffed, it seemed like a mocking sound but he took it as a permission to speak again.
“...Can you deliver the news about my death after I leave the city?” He asked.
Jihoon’s grandfather looked at him, tilted his head in confusion. Chan understood the reaction so he spoke again to clear something.
“Fake death, I need you to fake my death. Everyone was aware that I'm your grandson, so if I vanish completely, the people will come at you. But if the news about my death will come from you, no one will dare to question anything.”
Chan thought he heard a rustling sound and footsteps inside, in the hallway, so he turned his head to take a look at the source of the sound through the glass door slide, but he couldn't find anyone there. He flickered his gaze to the old man to check if he heard the same thing, but the older seemed unbothered by his surroundings. Chan let it go when he concluded it was just the butler or the old man's other minions.
The old man chuckled after a moment of silence.
“You're too obedient and too smart to die anyways, so I'll let you have your way for the last time.” He said.
Chan nodded as he felt relief spread through his chest. Then, his eyes squeezed shut tightly as a sudden wave of dizziness washed over him again. The pounding pressure behind his eyes came on for a while now, relentless and unforgiving. He shook his head slowly, trying to clear the fog clouding his mind.
When he glanced back behind him, the old man wasn't there anymore. A deep sigh escaped his lips as he glanced toward his phone. It was almost nine. Ignoring the missed calls from Seungkwan, Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Minho, he decided to return as he typed a message to his group chat with Changbin and Yeonjun.
“Binnie, I'll go ahead first, emergency surgery. Take care, babe, update here when you get home.”
Then he added,
“Congratulations, @Yeonjun babe! Enjoy the party.”
His hand froze when he noticed Jimin's name among the names lining up on the notification. The message was about an hour ago. He opened it.
“Everything’s settled, Mr. Lee. Come with me to the court tomorrow morning, then I'll congratulate you after that.”
Chan chuckled at the message. Jimin may be ahead of him for years, but he was a good senior to Chan during high school. Chan learned from him to never be afraid to stand up for himself, he also learned to be more independent because of him. Years ago, Jimin also went through a divorce, it was worse actually, because he was literally excluded from his own pack. At least, Chan won't have to go through physical pain just because of the breaking bond. He and Jimin are both omega, and apparently they also hate people who love to disregard a male omega like them, so they somewhat share something similar.
He didn't check his friend’s responses, he forced himself to walk discreetly. Contrasting to the main hall outside, the hallway was empty and shrouded in silence, bathed in the soft, muted glow of night lights casting gentle shadows on the walls.
He moved quickly, the place was familiar to him a little, Yeunjun used to bring him and Changbin here during college days, he walked towards the safe and small elevator, which brought him directly to the parking lot in the corner area. And then, he drove away from the place without sparing another glance.