Chapter Text
Chan leaves during the first day of the funeral.
“I need some air,” he tells his eomma when she sees him trying to step out. The words taste like ash on his tongue. “It’s too stuffy in here.”
She searches his face briefly for some hint of a lie, but doesn’t linger too long. There’s no time to worry about him when his cousin is just across the room, wailing over the casket where her omega lays.
“Fine,” she says, already letting him go. “Don’t take too long, and don’t go far.”
He thanks her a touch too formally, and tries not to rush out of the room. A few wreathes try to freshen the scent in the air, but they’re drowned out by the regret, grief, and pain that permeates everything. Most of it is his cousin’s.
It should make him want to stay. His instincts should tell him to stick with his family, comfort them through this time of mourning. A good omega would, and Chan does everything that he can to be good.
Not this time.
His hands are shaking by the time he gets on the omegas-only section of the train. People stare at him in his black hanbok, his jittery scent clogging his own nose. He sniffles and pretends it’s the riot of scents around him and not the fear of what will happen next, what his family will do when they realize that he’s running away.
Harabeonim will be angry. Being the alpha of their family pack, he’s strict on how he expects them to act, and stepping outside of that has consequences. Chan has omega relatives who’ve run away before, but they always returned.
Everyone falls into line eventually.
But Chan doesn’t think he’ll ever go back. It’s been only a few days since Junseo passed away, but he’d been sick for a while before that. Through it all, Chan’s family has only really cared about his cousin Subin, giving her advice on what it will be like to be a widowed alpha and making sure she was taken care of. They let Junseo lay there, feverish and weak, overlooked for months as if he were already gone.
Chan knows that alphas are more important, that Subin will some day make something of herself in a way that he never can.
But Junseo was nice to him. He let Chan eat before him, and never told anyone about catching Chan reading a trashy heat romance novel one time. When Harabeonim found a packet of suppressants that Chan had snuck in, Junseo took the blame. He had Subin to protect him, while Chan only had Junseo.
Now he’s gone. And no one in Chan’s family cares.
Chan feels sick all the way to Seoul.
He gets off on a random stop, disoriented and having no idea where to go. It’s only then that the real gravity of what he’s done drops down on his shoulders, a weight that feels suffocating.
For a little while, he wanders around, taking in all the ways Seoul is different from the town he grew up in, so much larger and livelier. The buildings stretch up like giants, making him feel small and unable to breathe. Storefronts line the streets, and people walk around in tight groups, scents coming from every direction.
More people stare at him. Is it because of the funeral clothes, he wonders, or the fact that he’s an omega walking around alone? Back home, he always had to have one of his parents or his brother with him, even though he’s older. He’s never gone anywhere without someone around to keep an eye on him.
It’s overwhelming.
He ends up in front of a restaurant, clutching his arms around his stomach as he tries to tell himself he can’t go back now. It doesn’t matter how scared he is—Harabeonim will punish him if he does. His family will say he’s ruined the funeral, taking the attention away from poor Subin because of his childish antics.
He can’t go back home, he can’t, and yet what is he supposed to do now, with only the clothes on his back and barely any money in his pocket?
Appa has always said that Chan doesn’t think things through enough, his omega brain getting the best of him. Chan knew he was right, but this is so much worse than trying to fight with his alpha cousins in front of Halmeonim or stealing the pillows from the couch for his bed when he was sick.
Bad omegas get punished. And that’s what Chan is, now, a bad omega.
If he goes home now, he won’t get a slap on the wrist. They won’t suddenly mourn Junseo. They’ll just be angry with him. And it will be deserved, more than any other punishment he’s ever gotten.
So maybe he’s hyperventilating, a little, by the time someone finally takes pity on him.
Distantly, he hears the bell ring above the restaurant door. He doesn’t notice the man that steps out until he’s right in front of Chan, hovering a foot away.
Chan sees a shadow first, the lights from across the street dimming until they're gone entirely. His eyes flick up, hackles raising, and that's when he notices the man all at once. He gasps and jerks back, hitting the rough stone behind him.
“I’m sorry, I’ll leave,” he says in a rush, immediately assuming this man—this alpha, he can tell by the metallic, musky scent alone—has come out here to scold him. And why not, when Chan is standing like a specter outside and probably driving business away as he spirals?
“Do you wanna come in instead?” The man smiles at him, a crooked, kind thing that sets Chan on edge at once.
His family has told him a thousand times to stay away from strange alphas. Eomma says they’re always up to no good. That alphas and omegas can’t be friends. That they’ll try to take Chan away from his family, and his family needs Chan, and Chan can’t possibly protect himself anyway, so he must stay with them.
The thought makes the guilt and fear rise inside of him again, because he did leave, and now he’s practically cornered against this storefront by a big city alpha. He’s only been here an hour, and already, his family has been proven correct.
Maybe the man realizes how it sounds, because he laughs nervously and corrects, “Just—you look like you’re having a really bad day, and I thought maybe some comfort food would help. My friend works here and he makes the best pizza on this side of the city.”
Chan swallows around the lump in his throat.
“I—I can’t pay,” he says awkwardly, sure that the guy be upset to have an omega talking back to him. But what else can he do? If he’s sweet enough, maybe the man will forgive him. Leave him alone.
Bowing a small bow, he continues, “I’m sorry, alpha, I appreciate your kindness but—“
“Hey,” the guy interrupts, but it’s gentle. He ducks his head a little to meet Chan’s eyes, and the look in them is nothing like Chan’s Harabeonim or samchon—he doesn’t look angry at all. “My name is Lee Seokmin, but you can call me hyung, okay? You are younger than me, aren’t you? And what’s your name?”
Chan can tell he’s being lightly teased, even if it’s only happened rarely before. The theatrical tilt to the alpha's words are enough of a tip off.
“It’s Lee Chan and I’m… I’m twenty-three,” he answers, glancing away. It’s only after the words are out that he realizes maybe he shouldn’t have revealed so much, but it’s too late now. That’s probably why his parents never wanted him to go outside alone.
“Ah-ha! Yep, I’m twenty-five. I’m your hyung.” Seokmin smiles at him again, friendly, open.
Chan thinks he may be the one staring now, having never met such a cheerful alpha. In his experience, alphas are cold and uninterested at best; Seokmin is nothing like that at all.
It doesn’t help that deep down, a voice he rarely indulges whispers, I haven’t met such a beautiful alpha before either.
Thankfully, the thought is interrupted before it can go anywhere beyond just that—a fleeting, stupid omegan instinct. He curls a fist to try and stave it off, well-used to forcing these things down.
“So, what do you say? Come eat with us?” Seokmin tilts his head towards the door, and Chan glances back, looking through the glass. The restaurant isn’t busy, with two girls standing behind the counter chatting, and only one table having anyone at it. There are a few guys there, and when Chan looks their way, they all pretend to be looking somewhere else.
It doesn’t help Chan feel any better. Shifting on his feet, he says, “I’ve never had pizza before.”
“Really?” Seokmin’s eyes light up. Bouncing, he doesn’t try to grab Chan even though it seems like he might want to drag Chan inside. “Ohh, this is so exciting. Trust me, you’ll love it.”
Seokmin takes the few steps back to the door, and pulls it open with another chime of the bell. Chan looks past him into the darkening night and considers running away again. He’s already disobeyed today, what’s another rule broken going to do? Is he really going to go sit down with a strange alpha in a strange city and just trust that they’ll be kind to him?
But Seokmin is the only person who’s reached out to him in so long. Since Junseo got sick and stopped leaving Subin’s den. He's an alpha, but he's looking at Chan like he actually cares, actually wants him to come with him.
Chan is starving. He has been for a long time.
Swallowing again, he says, “Okay, hyung,” and follows Seokmin inside.
The guys Seokmin is with don’t pretend not to stare when Seokmin guides him to their table. There are three of them, dressed in comfortable clothes and radiating a sense of relaxation that Chan can’t imagine feeling himself. Their scents are muted under the fragrant taste of sauces, cheese, and meat on the air.
Seokmin doesn’t touch Chan as he gestures across the table. “This is Jeonghan-hyung, Seungkwan-ah, and Hansol. Guys, this is Lee Chan. He’s twenty-three.”
“Sup,” says Hansol, the one sitting on one end of the booth.
“Hi Lee Chan,” Seungkwan says next, scanning Chan’s outfit without saying anything. The up-down look makes him uncomfortable, and so does Seungkwan meeting his eyes head on, even if he has a friendly vibe. “You can call me and Bonon-ah hyung.”
“He means Hansol,” Seokmin explains quickly. “That’s his American name, Vernon.”
“Ahem,” Jeonghan says placidly, and Seokmin goes quiet, whole body turning to the last man.
Oh, Chan thinks, this must be the eldest alpha. He can’t tell what Jeonghan’s scent is like from across the table, but he’s sure that this is the one in charge. It makes him nervous and his eyes drop to Jeonghan’s chin. Not even the pimple patch there is enough to soothe Chan’s suddenly racing heart. What if this man is upset that Seokmin has brought him over here? Do city alphas punish omegas that aren’t even theirs? Can they?
Of course they can, he thinks. If Junseo were here, he would say that’s not true—but Junseo is gone and Chan can do nothing but fall back on what he knows. He waits with his head bowed for the rejection.
But Jeonghan doesn’t tell him to leave or make him apologize for wasting their time.
“I’m Jeonghan, and I’m the eldest of this bunch. You can call me hyung too.” He waves a hand towards the empty side of the booth and says, “Aigoo, come sit down, Lee Chan-ssi. Seokmin-ah, you sit down first. Don’t make me sit by myself.”
Seokmin flops down into the circular booth, scooting in until he’s next to Jeonghan and leaving the aisle seat for Chan. It's a relief knowing he'll have a way to escape if he needs to.
“Am I nothing to you, hyung?” Seungkwan complains, leaning into Jeonghan’s other side. It’s a move Chan has seen omegas do on TV to appease their alphas, and it eases something in Chan to see it now. It’s proof that Jeonghan is definitely in charge, like his own Harabeonim is. It tells him his instinct is right. “Do you not see me sitting next to you? I fought for this spot, you know, and this is how you treat me?”
Jeonghan pets his hair with his free hand, the other holding a bitten-into slice of pizza, but doesn’t bother to respond. Instead he meets Chan’s eyes, and says again, “Sit down. Seokmin won’t bite.”
“I won’t! I’m very friendly,” Seokmin says, patting the seat beside him with a beaming grin.
“That’s the creepiest thing you could’ve said, hyung,” Hansol tells him, laughing. It's a cute, squeaky thing that makes Chan want to join in, his lips curling up slightly before he forces his face back to neutrality.
“Hey,” Seokmin complains. He looks to Jeonghan as if wanting him to mediate, but Jeonghan doesn’t. He only takes a bite of his pizza and lets Seungkwan lounge on his shoulder.
Confusion fills Chan as he slowly, cautiously sits down, leaving space between himself and Seokmin. He’s sure the alpha won’t want to sit too close to some strange omega. Jeonghan watches him the whole time, only seeming satisfied when Seokmin has laid a slice of pizza down in front of Chan.
“This is really good, Chan-ssi. Try some.”
Chan doesn’t realize he’s hungry until he picks up the piece, still warm and covered in gooey cheese. His parents always said American food was too expensive and too unhealthy, but he’s always secretly wanted to try it.
His parents aren’t here to stop him. He’s already bad.
He takes a bite. That’s all he needs to know that he likes it, chewing slowly to savor the taste, a combination of warm dough, spicy sauce, and melty cheese that he immediately wants more of.
Quickly, Seokmin asks, “It’s so good, right?”
“Let him finish, hyung,” Seungkwan tsks.
Seokmin makes a whiney noise. “But I’m excited for him! I want him to like it!”
“I do,” Chan chokes out, his throat feeling like it’s closed up. He doesn’t realize they’re the first words he’s said since they came inside, or that they’re the perfect ones to make the other three men like him a little more—he’s only worried about reassuring Seokmin. Turning towards the alpha, he ducks his head in a bow. “It’s very good, alpha hyung. Thank you for letting me have a piece. I’ll—“
“You’ll have another one,” Seokmin cheerfully says, interrupting him before he can say anything about paying him back. But there are no more slices on the tray, so Seokmin climbs up to his feet in the booth and goes over to the other side. He almost trips out, but is unphased, walking away and calling for someone named Mingyu behind the counter.
Chan finds himself alone at the table with Jeonghan, Seungkwan, and Hansol. Ducking his head again, he avoids Jeonghan’s stare and takes another bite. An awkward tension falls over their group that Chan ignores at all costs.
At home, he would do his part to try and diffuse it. But he doesn’t know his place here, except that it’s at the bottom. He doesn’t dare cause a problem for any of these men.
Luckily, with the pizza mostly gone, it’s a little easier to tell their scents apart.
Hansol, Chan thinks, is a beta. He hums as he chews, contentment leaking into the air around him, but it’s slightly muted the way beta scents tend to be. Like paper and ink, pleasant but easy to miss.
On the other hand, Seungkwan’s scent is louder, becoming more clearly alpha as Seokmin’s scent goes along with him. His is a fruity scent, not exactly typical for alphas, and musky underneath, which is.
Chan knows there are packs where even other alphas must submit to the pack alpha. It’s normal in families, where the eldest alpha is the leader of the family no matter how many generations there are. Glancing between Jeonghan and Seungkwan, he decides that must be what’s happening here, even though he doesn’t think they’re related.
But… Jeonghan doesn’t seem to have a scent, he realizes, sniffing surreptitiously in his direction. It’s not like a beta’s scent, it’s just… not there.
“I’m wearing a scent blocker,” Jeonghan tells him, something almost like amusement lining the words. “Is it working?”
Chan’s head jerks up, scared to have been caught, and watches woodenly as the smile on Jeonghan’s face shifts to something smaller.
Is he angry that Chan is snooping into his business? For being rude enough to creep on his and his pack mates's scents when they've only just met?
Of course he is.
“Alpha hyung,” he starts apologetically, but he doesn’t get a chance to say anything else because both Seungkwan and Hansol laugh. It’s not a mean sound, and they both shoot teasing looks at Jeonghan, not Chan. But still, he sinks into the seat, embarrassed and wishing he’d never spoken at all. This is why his family said omegas shouldn’t speak too much.
“I’m telling Cheol-hyung about that,” Seungkwan giggles, pulling out a phone at once. Jeonghan rolls his eyes and doesn’t even bother to try and stop him.
“Hannie-hyung isn’t an alpha,” Hansol says to Chan, smiling. “He’s an omega.”
Chan pauses, turning his eyes back to Jeonghan. Of course, he has the look of a classic omega, soft features and longer hair that makes him look approachable and sweet. But the air around him doesn’t feel like that—the other three have clearly reacted to him the way Chan’s family does to Harabeonim.
Okay, maybe not the exact same, because no one teases Harabeonim and he doesn’t tolerate bad manners the way Jeonghan seems to. But it’s close enough.
How can this man, who everyone treats so deferently, be an omega? How can two alphas and a beta look to an omega, even if he’s older than them, as some kind of authority?
“I don’t understand,” he says quietly. Omegas aren’t meant for that role, everyone knows that. Are they… are they messing with him right now?
Maybe that's it. They've found an opportunity to joke around, a simple omega they'll never see again after tonight. They're trying to shock him with their city pack dynamics.
Under different circumstances, Chan would be upset—feel picked on and annoyed. But surrounded by strangers, and after all the turmoil he's been through today, he struggles to call up any strong emotional response.
Eomma says city packs are cruel and treat omegas badly. Maybe Chan should just try to leave now before Seokmin comes back with an excuse for Chan to stay longer.
But in the seconds it takes for him to think all of that, Hansol sets down his half-eaten crust and asks, “You’re one too, right?”
It's a straightforward question; it doesn't seem like he's mocking him.
Still, Chan feels his guts twist. He hates acknowledging what he is, especially when his family says everyone can tell right away anyway. Still, he says, “Yes, hyung.”
“Bononie,” Jeonghan says, and Hansol turns to face him. The moment is quick, but Chan watches as some kind of silent message passes between them. There’s no way he can even begin to decipher it.
“Sorry,” Hansol says, shrugging. “I know it’s kind of rude to ask that. I just think it’s better to be upfront, I guess.”
Chan can’t think of how he should react to that, so he only nods. He’s less sure, now, that they’re messing with him. No one is laughing anymore and Seungkwan isn’t paying them any attention. Jeonghan hasn’t loudly disclaimed being an omega like any normal alpha would.
What is going on right now?
When Hansol realizes he’s not going to say anything, he continues, “I’m a beta. Kwannie and Seokmin-hyung are alphas. Mingyu-hyung is an alpha too, he’s the one who made the pizza. There, now we’re even.”
“Not by half,” Seungkwan says, shutting his phone down. Counting off on his fingers, he lists, “There’s also Seungcheol, Joshua, Junnie, Wonu, Jihoon, Myungho, and,” he fake shudders, “Soonyoung-hyung.”
Chan blinks at him in surprise. Are those all the names of their other pack members?
“Wahh, Seungkwannie, so disrespectful to your hyungs,” Jeonghan says, his tone light.
The words make Chan’s shoulders stiff but he’s the only one—Seungkwan doesn’t bother to look ashamed. But then, why would he if he’s the alpha and Jeonghan is the omega? What could Jeonghan possibly do to him?
“Chan-ssi, every person he just named is older than him. See how rude this little alpha is?”
Unable to defend himself, Seungkwan pouts and sips on his drink.
“We’re a big pack,” Jeonghan continues. “We were all raised so differently. Seungkwan’s appa and eomma are so kind, I don’t what know what happened to him, aigoo….”
“Older sisters,” Hansol says sagely.
“What do you know,” Seungkwan retorts. “You’re both older brothers! What does that say about you? Lee Chan, please tell me you aren’t an older brother too.”
Are they arguing or playing? Chan wonders, completely disoriented. What is this conversation even about, at this point? “I am,” he says, and it comes out awkward and tense. He cringes, but Seungkwan doesn’t seem to care.
“Oh my god, I’m absolutely surrounded…” He sets his hands on the table and shouts behind Chan, “Seokmin-ah! Come back! I’m being bullied!”
Chan turns around just in time to see Seokmin running back, another guy—another alpha, Chan knows just by looking at him, sinking down a little into the seat—following him more sedately with a few boxes in his hands. When he gets close, Seokmin leans over the table to clutch Seungkwan’s head to his shoulder, cooing protectively at him.
“What are these mean betas and omegas doing to my poor, sweet baby Seungkwannie without me here to protect him?”
“I’m the only beta here,” Hansol says lazily, completely hidden from Chan’s view behind Seokmin and Seungkwan’s bodies.
On the other hand, Jeonghan tells him, “He deserved every bit of it, Seokmin-ah, don’t let him fool you. He tried to pull Chan-ssi into our argument.”
“They were calling me rude, hyung!”
The three of them—Jeonghan, Seokmin, and Seungkwan—devolve into more words and fake tears and weird accents.
Chan has no idea what’s going on or how he should react; he’s never seen a pack act like this before. It’s not just that the younger members are teasing and fighting with the eldest, it’s everything.
Jeonghan is an omega, but he’s at the top here; he’s at the top yet he’s joining the petty argument and laughing the whole time. It’s not how any omega should act—he’s completely flaunting every social hierarchy that matters.
Even Hansol is confusing to Chan, just sitting there enjoying the show and shoving the last bite into his mouth.
“Hey,” a soft voice says, cutting through the haze in Chan’s mind.
He realizes all at once that the other guy is standing above him, intimidatingly tall even as he slumps. Chan’s skin crawls and he stands up suddenly, accidentally bumping the table. It’s not right for an omega to sit while an alpha stands. Nor does he like the feeling of being so small, so overwhelmed by such a tall alpha.
The guy steps back to give him space, and the argument peters out behind them.
“Mingoo, be nice to Lee Chan-ssi or I’ll make you regret it,” Jeonghan casually says. Chan’s shoulders tighten, his breath picking up.
Omegas don’t… they don’t threaten alphas. Just because none of these other guys are going to punish Jeonghan doesn’t mean their pack alpha won’t. They must have one. And whoever he is, he won’t be happy to know that Chan’s presence has caused a problem between his pack mates.
“Chill, hyung, I wasn’t going to be mean,” the man, Mingyu?, sulks. To Chan, he says, “I just wanted to introduce myself. I’m Kim Mingyu, this is my family’s restaurant. Seokmin said you’ve never had pizza before tonight? Did you try it?”
“Um. No, I haven’t. It was very delicious, alpha, thank you for making it.” He bows a little, hoping that’s the right answer. Who knows what these strange alphas want to hear.
Mingyu’s face twitches. “Just call me hyung. I’m glad you liked it. I have some more here, but my shift is over and we were planning on going home after….”
Oh, Chan thinks. He steps away from the table even more, out of Seokmin’s reach. “Thank you all for your kindness. I’ll never forget it,” he says, bowing again. The words are rote, just whatever polite manners he can think of to say. “But I’ll leave now so you can all go home.”
He makes to step towards the door, not wanting to look back. Maybe some day this will be a weird story he tells his grandkids, about the time an odd (but, he acknowledges to himself, handsome) city pack fed him a slice of pizza and gave him a moment where he didn’t feel so lost and alone.
But then he hears Jeonghan.
“Why don’t you come with us?”
Chan freezes. It’s silent for a moment, and he slowly turns around, feeling like he’s caught in headlights, the way the whole group is staring at him.
“Ah, hyung, he’s probably got somewhere else to go,” Mingyu says, looking embarrassed.
Jeonghan is unrepentant and meets Chan’s eyes. There’s really nothing similar about him and Junseo, but for some reason, his instincts are saying there is one thing.
That Jeonghan, like Junseo was, is trustworthy. Even though he’s done nothing but be bossy and confusing and just threatened one of his own alpha pack mates like it was nothing, Chan feels himself melt a little under Jeonghan’s gaze.
“I don’t,” he whispers, cheeks heating. It feels shameful, revealing just how incapable he is of taking care of himself. Of how little thought went into running away, besides the need to escape. “I don’t have anywhere else.”
“We have a spare room and a lock on the door,” Jeonghan tells him seriously. “Come with us for tonight.”
Chan is stupid and reckless and a bad omega. Today has been horrible in so many ways. He has no real choice here.
Bowing gratefully, he says, “Okay, hyung.”
Jeonghan smiles, and turns away from him. He jumps into action, saying, “Seokmin-ah, grab the pizzas from Mingoo, he’s been working all day and now we’re forcing him to stand here and wait on us, aishh… Hansollie, let Seungkwan out, hyung is getting claustrophobic….”
Chan stands there stiffly as the others laugh and shift around, tension breaking around them. Mingyu gives him a kind look, and Seokmin mouths something that Chan doesn’t catch. Hansol and Seungkwan get up and lean into each other right away, not ignoring Chan but not hovering either. It’s only once Jeonghan slides out that the group starts moving towards the door, Seokmin and Mingyu in front, Hansol and Seungkwan behind them. Jeonghan steps into line beside Chan, not letting him be last.
This isn’t even half of the pack, Chan realizes, unsure of what he’s walking himself into. There’s, what, six more people? Seven? And one of them must be the pack alpha.
Maybe Jeonghan can tell he’s working himself up, because he laughs at him as they step outside. It’s not a rude sound, but Chan still shrinks into himself.
“Oh, Chan-ssi, it’s okay. We don’t bite. Except Soonyoungie.”
Chan makes a face before he can contain himself, and Jeonghan laughs again.
“I’m kidding. Mostly. Anyway, he’s probably not home yet so you won’t have to meet him. You don’t have to meet anyone you don’t want to, okay? I just want to get you some clothes and make sure you have somewhere safe to sleep tonight.”
The words push a lump right into Chan’s throat.
He speaks softly even though the others are all trailing ahead of them. “Why… why are you doing this, omega hyung?”
Other than Junseo, omegas in his family have rarely been kind to him. When he was younger, he was always doing something wrong, being too loud or too energetic, not polite enough, not accommodating enough. It was the other omegas who taught Chan how to act, how to behave.
Under Harabeonim’s strict rules, they’re more likely to tell on him than correct him themselves. Even Eomma gets fed up with him.
It doesn’t make sense that Jeonghan, not knowing him at all, would be nice. Even if the rest of his behavior is completely un-omega like.
Jeonghan hums. “I ran away too, once. It’s scary, isn’t it.”
He’s not asking, just stating it as a simple fact, but Chan still whispers, “It is.”
It’s the scariest thing he’s ever done. He regrets it as much as he doesn’t. There’s a part of him that wishes he never stepped foot on the train this morning, but it’s too late now. He’s here, and he’s following a group of strangers home.
Whatever is coming, he’ll have to find some way to deal with it on his own. He’s put himself in this bed, now he needs to lie in it.
Chan doesn’t feel any better about his decision by the time they get to the pack house.
On the train, they sit in the mixed gender section. It’s packed so full of people, Chan’s nose feels useless. It’s overwhelming, more people in the car than he saw most days combined. There’s no sitting room so they stand huddled together by the doors.
Like it’s instinct, Jeonghan is the focal point of the group—everyone else stands around him, a barrier to keep out any of the strangers on board. Chan tries to stand next to Seungkwan, but Seungkwan tsks and gently pushes him to stand with Jeonghan.
Surrounded on all sides by alphas and one beta, Chan’s shoulders curl protectively. He hates that that’s his first instinct, to just curl up—but he has no other recourse for himself. Peeking at Jeonghan, he sees no fear at all, just a pleased, almost smug smirk.
“They’re protective, aren’t they,” Jeonghan coos, pulling Chan to stand more securely beside him. He turns his attention to the group, praising them for being ‘such sweet puppies’ until Mingyu is blushing and Hansol is giggling.
Chan doesn’t speak much, forcing down the discomfort. He lets the sound of their chatting wash over him, trying not to question why they’re treating him this way, and failing horribly. When he looks around the rest of the train, he sees people he thinks might be omegas in all kinds of positions—some sitting, some standing, some alone, and some in groups. Their group isn’t the only one huddled like this, but it doesn’t feel normal to Chan.
His family has never been like this. They don’t coddle the omegas unless they’re pregnant, and Chan most certainly is not.
Standing there, he can rationalize that they would want to protect Jeonghan. They have weird pack dynamics and seem to adhere more towards age hierarchy; Jeonghan is the oldest, so of course they’d push him to the center.
But why Chan too?
He’s nothing to them but a guy their friend dragged in an hour ago. Just some omega dressed in mourning clothes, who can hardly speak and whose emotions feel so confusing and out of control he can barely handle them himself. Not to mention he’s the youngest of them all. He’s nothing but a mess they’re stuck dealing with.
Now they’re taking him home for the night.
He’s a burden to them, and surely they know that too. But they still keep him there next to Jeonghan until it’s time to get off the train, without one word of complaint.
The train takes them to a nice neighborhood of pack houses, large and welcoming, more opulent than anything Chan has ever known. Even here, the streets are still alive, other groups of people walking past them to get back to their own homes.
No one that passes by is wearing a hanbok. Nor do any of them look upset or trapped, held close to their alphas. It's not a fairytale where every person is smiling, but it's clear that they're all… Content. Willing to be together.
It makes Chan's stomach churn. He's gone into Iksan proper many times, but comparing this to his own neighborhood is like night and day. He glances at Mingyu and Seokmin, who are talking and sulking rather than keeping a close eye on the omegas in the group.
If Geon or one of Chan's alpha cousins were here, they would've made Chan stand on the inside of the sidewalk. Some of his cousins would even have their hand on his back, in easy reach of his neck.
Is it different in the city? Or are these people just careless?
As they walk, again Chan and Jeonghan are huddled more in the middle of the group. It's the only real way the alphas and beta protect them.
But this time, Seokmin starts walking backwards and relying completely on Mingyu to guide him, all of his attention on Chan. He clutches the pizza boxes awkwardly, but pushes away Mingyu’s hands when he tries to take them.
“We should give you a run down before we get there, I think,” he says. His permanent smile eases only a little bit of Chan’s tension, especially with Jeonghan next to him, bumping shoulders every so often.
“We should!” Seungkwan adds. “Gosh, I guess we haven’t had to welcome anyone in since Myungho. That was so long ago now!”
“Ohh, I forgot about that,” Mingyu says with a laugh. “He was so freaked out.”
“Which is what we want to avoid with Chan-ssi here,” Jeonghan interjects lightly.
“Don’t freak out, Lee Chan,” Seungkwan says, attempting for comforting and failing terribly.
There’s not really room for him to stand beside Chan on the sidewalk, so he just leans in from behind them, hovering without touching Chan. Having an alpha so close is uncomfortable, but Chan tries to smile at him anyway.
“There’s a lot of us but we’re good people! Mostly!”
“Except Soonyoung-hyung,” Mingyu and Hansol say at once, and both laugh.
Okay, that’s the third time someone has joked about this Soonyoung guy. Chan resolves to avoid him as much as possible—he must be an alpha. In Chan’s experience, alphas who people make jokes like this about are never very friendly, and can always find some fault in an omega’s behavior.
“Anyway,” Seokmin cuts in. “We’re almost there and Chan-ssi still doesn’t know anything!”
“Everyone shut up and let Seokmin talk,” Mingyu calls, and everyone falls silent. Jeonghan rolls his eyes but gestures for Seokmin to go ahead.
And then, speaking at the speed of light, Seokmin tells Chan: “Okay, our pack alpha is named Seungcheol, but he doesn’t really like being called by his full name, he gets soooo sulky about it. It’s not like a big deal though, so actually, don’t worry about it. Anyway, next is Jeonghan-hyung, but you know him already. Then there’s Shua-hyung. He’s just coming off his heat so he probably won’t be downstairs, but he’s really nice! Just don’t let yourself get cornered by Hannie-hyung and Shua-hyung because they are both evil. Then we have Jun-hyung. He’s really funny and kind and—“
“He’s perfect, Chan-ssi,” Seungkwan says vehemently, leaning forward again. “Everyone is morally and legally obligated to love him. But he’s mine.”
Chan dips his head quickly to Seungkwan in a small bow, his eyes wide. He recognizes the threat for what it is. “I’ll stay away—“
“Hey, stop it! Jun-hyung isn’t yours!” Mingyu interrupts, scowling over his shoulder at Seungkwan. “Stop trying to claim him and keep him to yourself. Chan-ssi, don’t listen to Seungkwan, he’s just a weirdo.”
“My love for Moon Junhwi is eternal and everlasting, and I don’t appreciate you questioning it!”
“I’m not questioning it, I’m saying you can’t go all alpha and—“
“Anyway,” Seokmin says, bringing Chan’s attention back to him. He can feel a headache growing from all the noise and the constant tension, waiting for these playful arguments to turn real. “As we've established, Jun-hyung is great. After him is Soonyoung-hyung. He’s…”
“Insane,” Hansol inputs mildly.
“Sexy,” says Jeonghan.
“Well, yes. Hyungie is kind of weird but really he’s a good guy. He’s just intense. But I think he’ll like you!”
Jeonghan nods in agreement before asking, “Are you catching everything so far, Chan-ah?”
“Um.” Chan doesn’t really want to say no. Or that he doesn’t want this Soonyoung guy to take much of an interest in him. “I think so.”
“Okay good. Next is Wonwoo-hyung. He’s kind of shy so don’t get upset with him if he doesn’t talk to you much. He’s a cutie though. After him, we only have two more you haven't met, I think, right? Jihoon-hyung and Myungho?”
Mingyu pauses his and Seungkwan’s continued argument to sigh dreamily. Hansol explains, “Those two are like, his favorites.”
Their words fade to the back of his mind. Two more? How can I possibly remember two more? It's a silly thought when he's already met five, and there are five more names he's just heard. But for some reason this is what sets him off—this is way too much for someone who never leaves home.
Mingyu pouts. “I don’t have favorites….”
“Yes, you do!”
“No, I don’t? Why would you say that?”
He’s feeling overwhelmed; the dynamics of this pack are so confusing to him already. The names jumble in his head—Jeonghan’s not the oldest, was it Joshua then? Or Seungcheol? Everything Seokmin said about them has already slipped his mind. It’s only Jeonghan who feels real, standing beside Chan and laughing little heh-heh-hehs as the rest of the pack speak over each other.
“We’ve all seen how you moon after Jihoon-hyung and how often you carry Myungho around just because he asked. What do you have to say about that? You’re a simp, hyung. It’s embarrassing.”
“I literally hate you.”
Those words make Chan’s ears prick slightly, but he doesn’t tune fully back in. His feet keep him moving even as he considers how difficult it’ll be to remember everything. He can remember the names of his pack members, but they’re his family. He was raised with them, of course he knows them all. This is the exact opposite of that, like being thrown right into the deep end with a cheat sheet but the water made the ink bleed.
“That’s not what you said the other night—”
“Hey, we have a guest here, can you guys not?”
“He’s bullying me. I’m being bullied by one of my own dongsaengs.”
But I’m only staying for one night, he tells himself. Do I even need to remember all of their names?
“It’s okay, hyung. Myungho’s my favorite too.”
I should. They’re being kind enough to let me stay in their home, their den, I need to be respectful—
“I’m offended,” Seungkwan announces, his voice loud right behind Chan's ear.
Chan startles at the sound, but there’s no real anger in Seungkwan’s tone. He glances around, still a little caught up in his thoughts, and finds that Mingyu is blushing and Hansol is smirking.
“We don’t care,” Seokmin tells Seungkwan, who scoffs. “Stop interrupting me! Now, Jihoon-hyung is grumpy but don’t let that bother you, okay, Chan-ah? It’s just because he’s short.”
“Channie is short too,” Jeonghan points out. “Don’t insult his people.”
“My people?” He questions before he can stop himself. As soon as the words are out, he realizes what he’s done—question someone above him. His body goes stiff but no one glares at him or tries to grab him.
No, they all laugh.
It's… not a mean sound, he doesn't think. Flushed, he glances from face to face and only finds friendly amusement.
“Duh, I meant the shorties,” Jeonghan tells him, smirking.
“I’m even more offended now,” Seungkwan scoffs again, slapping at Jeonghan’s shoulder. “You’re barely any taller than us, hyung!”
“Stop getting me off track!” Seokmin whines. “I only have one person left and we’re basically home already!”
Disoriented, Chan looks around and realizes that yes, while he’s been caught up in everyone talking and his own shifting thoughts, they’d closed in on one of the big houses. Mingyu opens the gate, and the others file in easily; Chan is the only one who shies away from brushing up against him in the small space.
Mingyu smiles kindly at him, shutting the gate behind the group. Chan watches to make sure he’ll know how to get out if need be. It doesn’t seem complicated, thankfully.
Once it’s shut and Mingyu rejoins the group, Chan takes a moment to look around. Like the rest of the houses on this street, it's a modern build, much fancier than the home Chan grew up in. The outer walls are mostly white with dark accents, and dim lights that shine on a front porch above their heads. It has wooden stairs leading up to the front door and a stone driveway, at the bottom of which is where their group pauses.
A sudden and overwhelming urge to run hits him. He’s never been in a pack house like this, yet he can feel how expensive it must be—with multiple floors, big glass windows, and an honest to god yard in Seoul, it all speaks to opulence.
Chan doesn’t belong here. In his second hand hanbok, heart racing and mind blanking out, he knows he’s too different—he shouldn’t have let Jeonghan—
“Chan-ssi?” Mingyu calls.
Snapping out of it at once, Chan starts to bow in apology, but Jeonghan catches him.
“I—I got lost in thought,” he tries to explain. “Omega-hyung—”
“Shh, just listen,” Jeonghan tells him, pulling him closer.
A complicated expression lines his face, and Chan doesn’t know him at all, but he thinks maybe…. He feels caught. Like Jeonghan knows what he’s thinking. That he needs to leave.
But if that’s the case, Jeonghan doesn’t acknowledge it at all. Instead, he says, “Seokminnie, go ahead.”
“Okay!” Still gripping the pizza boxes, Seokmin says swiftly, “Last is Myungho, he joined us most recently out of everyone and he’s still a bit shy too. Don’t touch his clothes without permission and you’ll be fine. Got all that?”
“Uhh,” Chan squeaks.
He knows he shouldn’t talk back, but he hopes no one will expect him to remember, well, most of that. Maybe he can keep track of the names, but all the details otherwise? No chance.
The door opens before he can find something to say, or rather, a safe way to say absolutely not.
Everyone turns to look up at the figure standing there, a guy whose scent not only radiates alpha more than Seokmin, Mingyu and Seungkwan combined, but also has a flash of heat scent lingering around too. From below, he looks tall and big, but not intimidatingly so. With light coming from behind him, it’s hard to make out his face.
As the others call out greetings, Chan’s breath catches in his throat and his eyes drop immediately.
That little voice inside him whispers at him, telling him that while all of the men he’s met tonight are attractive, this man is everything an alpha should be, strong muscles and a stronger scent. But the bigger part of him, the part he pays attention to, realizes at once that this is someone well above him. His instincts scream again—run, kneel, submit, run, run.
But Chan can’t, not now. He’s rooted here, his feet like cement blocks holding him in place as the others move forward. They’re all smiling, totally at ease with this man staring down at them. Even Jeonghan, who Chan’s subconscious omega has already begun to cling to, doesn’t seem scared.
But…by scent alone, he’s sure that this is the pack alpha. Chan forces himself to move, to behave, to not upset this man the first moment they meet.
No one else bows, but he does, as low as he would to Harabeonim.
“…four, five, six?” The guy says, voice starting out near-silent at the beginning and ending at normal volume. Confusion colors his tone. His gaze is heavy on Chan like a physical touch, weighing him down even more. “Do we have a guest?”
“Hi Cheollie. Seokmin’s adopted someone,” Jeonghan says, stepping ahead of the group. His words are straightforward, no room for questioning. Once again, Chan is shocked by how audacious this omega is, to speak to an alpha that way. “His name is Lee Chan and I’m going to sign some papers too.”
The man blinks at them. His eyes linger on Chan for a moment, and it makes his whole body tingle. He’s used to his family alphas—he has no idea what to do except treat him the same way as Harabeonim.
For a second time, Chan fears that he’ll be upset that his pack members have dragged someone home. Chan doesn’t belong here, no matter what jokes Jeonghan makes.
But the alpha doesn’t come downstairs and force Chan off his property, or scold his pack mates for being so presumptuous to bring a stranger into their home. He just says, “Well, okay. Come in then.”
The man—it must be Seungcheol, Chan thinks faintly, remembering now that he’s the eldest alpha—lets them all go inside before asking any questions.
Chan looks around briefly, finding the pack house to be large and homey, with light blue walls and lots of light. Tables and shelves are covered in knickknacks and clothing and papers everywhere he looks. Bottles and cups sit on a coffee table absolutely overrun by magazines and remotes and other random things, but the floors are mostly clean in comparison.
Hansol shows him where to take off his shoes, and offers him a pair of black house slippers that seem brand new in comparison to the rest. “These are for guests,” he explains, grabbing ones for himself with psychedelic patterns of flowers on it. “I don’t know how long you’ll want to stay, but you can use them for now.”
“I won’t overstay my welcome, I promise, beta-hyung,” Chan tells him, feeling only a little more comfortable like this. It’s just the two of them by the door still, the rest of the group having grabbed their own slippers and moved towards the center of the room.
Now that he’s inside, a weird feeling has taken hold in his chest: simultaneous relief and anxiety. It’s nice here, the atmosphere light and filled with laughter, no signs of discontent coming from anyone in the room. But at the same time… entering another pack’s den has him on high alert, expecting danger from every corner. He tries to swallow it down.
Hansol just looks at him for a moment, his face impassive enough that it makes Chan regret ever opening his mouth. Then—
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
“Um, sure.” Chan shuffles on his feet.
“Does your pack make you call people that?”
He blinks. “What, you mean ‘beta-hyung’?”
“Yeah. You called Mingyu alpha earlier, too. Just alpha.”
Chan doesn’t understand the problem, but he feels the need to defend himself anyway. “My family doesn’t make me, they don’t have to. I want to be respectful. You guys are doing a lot for me, I don’t want you to think I don’t know that.”
Hansol pats his shoulder, smiling a little now. “We know, dude. You don’t have to be extra nice to us about it. And, can I be honest with you? None of us really do that with each other. It might make some of the hyungs weird.”
“Make them weird?” Chan questions. Apprehension tightens in his chest. “Will it upset them?”
“Not like how you’re probably thinking. It’s chill, man. Just something we’re not used to.”
Chan glances over at where the rest of the group have congregated, the pizza boxes open and resting precariously on the coffee table with guys hovering around or sitting on the couch. There are new faces already, and Chan tries to search for the one who must be Soonyoung, but can’t tell just by looking.
There’s a friendly but curious air about them, everyone shooting glances back at Chan and Hansol and looking away when they realize Chan might catch—or really, has caught—them. Chan thinks he should feel relieved that none of them are hounding him for information, and he is, but at the same time…. It hits him all over again that these are strangers. Some of them are even big, buff strangers who have no reason to show Chan any mercy if he upsets them. Which, knowing his track record, is likely.
In a whisper, he asks Hansol, “Should I stop?”
For a second, Hansol doesn’t answer, and when he does, it’s with a shrug. “I’m not trying to tell you what to do. Just giving you some context if someone reacts weird.”
The betas in Chan’s family are not always the most forthcoming people. He can’t remember a time that one of them tried to help one of the omega family members, because Harabeonim doesn’t like it when the omegas need something. So maybe he should be thankful that Hansol has pulled him aside to tell him this. But—
That’s not helpful at all, Chan thinks, a little frustrated. How is he supposed to find his place here, even if only for one night, if he doesn’t know what will cause problems and what won’t? Where is the line between ‘weird but tolerable’ and ‘weird and annoying’?
Run. If I leave now, then it won’t matter.
He doesn’t have anywhere to go, but maybe being alone would be better. There are less landmines that way. Less feeling like an intruder.
His thoughts are cut off abruptly when Jeonghan calls, “Hansollie, stop hogging Chan-ssi.”
Hansol turns and walks away from Chan, humming as he goes. “Nah, don’t feel like it.”
“Is that any way to talk to your pack omega?” A tall guy Chan hasn’t met yet teases.
“See, Junnie is on my side. This is why he’s my favorite.”
Seungkwan opens his mouth, only for another, shorter guy to slap his hand over it. Mingyu calls through a mouthful of food, “Shut up, Seungkwan!”
There’s muffled curse words and somewhat gentle fighting for a moment as Seungkwan struggles to get free. A chair scrapes against the floor and several people call out taunts—including “Beat him up, Jihoon!”
Chan stands on the sidelines and watches, hardly able to believe how different this pack is from his family’s. Harabeonim doesn’t like a lot of noise or rough playing, even from the alphas—it’s so odd to Chan that Seungcheol is just… sitting, watching the show in front of him with a grin.
He doesn’t notice Jeonghan watching him until suddenly Jeonghan is standing, a plate in hand, and approaching him. Shoving the plate in his hands, he says, “You only had one slice of pizza earlier, so I saved you some. Aren’t I a good hyung?”
“Yes, thank you, omega-hyung.” He bows, cringing to himself immediately for the instinctual words.
“Aigoo, what are we going to do with you…,” Jeonghan shakes his head. “Is it too noisy in here?”
It is, and Chan’s headache is only getting worse. But he doesn’t want to insult their pack, so he says, “No, no, it’s fine.”
Jeonghan seems to see right through him again. “Let’s go sit down in the dining room. You can meet the guys later.”
Chan hesitantly protests enough to say he tried, but gratefully follows Jeonghan away from the crowd.
They don’t go far, but having walls between them helps immensely—not only does the noise level go down, but so does the amount of scents. The dining room has a large circular table, plenty of comfortable chairs, and again, a bunch of stuff littering every surface.
Someone has put an incense stick on a side table, and though it’s not currently burning, it’s given the room a base level scent that covers the riot of the pack. All that’s left is Jeonghan, but he’s wearing a scent blocker, and Chan sighs a little in relief. Slowly, the tension in his back eases as he drops his shoulders down from his ears.
Jeonghan rolls his eyes at the mess and pushes enough of the stuff out of the way that Chan can sit down with his plate. Once he gets another bite, Chan realizes how hungry he is and for the next few minutes, neither of them really speak. Chan eats, and Jeonghan hums little tunes as he idly sorts through the junk on the table. Nothing really gets cleaned, he notices—it just moves from one spot to another.
After a while, Jeonghan says, “Chan-ah, Cheollie wants to talk to you.”
Chan tenses. “Seungcheol? Isn't he your… your pack alpha?”
“Yes, but he’s not scary. I’m going to stay with you and make sure he’s nice.”
That does help a little. He’s learned how important it is to have allies. Even weird ones. He relaxes slightly, and Jeonghan smiles a lazy grin.
“There we go, you smell a little less terrified now. Very good, makdoongie. Why don’t you finish your last piece and I’ll go get him?”
Makdoongie? Chan thinks he’s the youngest of the group, yes, but he’s never been called that before. He doesn’t know how he feels about it, being called so affectionately by someone he’s known for so short a time, or the idea that everyone can tell how much he’s freaking out because he can’t control his scent.
A little patronized, definitely. A little touched, he can’t deny it.
Blushing, Chan mumbles, “Okay,” and does as he’s told.
Jeonghan leaves, and Chan hears the noise in the other room rise as everyone greets him. He can’t make out individual words but it’s obvious how much they love him.
Feeling a little sick, Chan stops trying to eat and starts considering the situation again.
He doesn’t want to go home, not unless he has absolutely no other choice. No matter how much he loves them, he just can’t forget what his family did to Junseo. That little voice inside him has been asking ever since Junseo got sick, what if it happens to me? Would they just let me die too? Would Harabeonim care at all?
No—he can’t go back. But is this the better option? Alone, hours away, with nothing to his name but the clothes on his back? Caught up with a pack so different from his own, they might as well be aliens. A pack where he doesn’t know anyone, or how to act, or what they might do if he messes up.
A place where his instincts keep telling him to leave—though, admittedly, being in this fragrant, quiet room helps dampen the urge.
They’re letting him stay the night, and they’ve fed him. He’s grateful, but he can’t shake the hesitation and fear that’s gripping him when he considers his future at all. A life of monotony, of marrying whoever Eomma and Appa told him to, has fallen away entirely, and now he can’t imagine anything. He can’t even imagine what’s going to happen next. What has he done?
Letting out a little groan, he drops his head.
A creak in the doorway, however, has his bolting right back up. He twists in his chair, expecting Jeonghan and Seungcheol—only to see another guy he hasn’t met. This one looks sleep rumpled and a little puffy, his dark hair a mess and a blanket wrapped around his body so that all Chan can see are bare shoulders and bare feet.
“Um,” says the guy. “Are you one of Seungkwan-ah’s friends? I thought Cheol said no one was coming over until I was done….”
Chan stands and bows in apology. The man shifts, taking a step into the dining room, and it’s only then that Chan recognizes the lingering heat scent around him. It’s faded, but potent enough that he can’t quite catch anything else.
Didn’t Seokmin say that they had a pack mate who was just coming off his heat? Chan can’t fully remember, but clearly it must be the case. Though he has no idea why any omega would risk coming downstairs, where there are alphas, when he still smells like that.
No—it’s his house, how can Chan blame him? The dynamics of his pack are still mostly unknown but it’s not likely he would be in any danger from his own alphas. Right?
Averting his eyes and breathing through his mouth, Chan says, “No, I’m… I’m a guest for the night.”
The guy frowns a little. “Oh, okay….”
“I’m sorry,” he bursts out, bowing again. He knows from experience that not all omegas are kind like Junseo was—and having their heat intruded on must be one of the worst ways to upset another omega. “I can—I’ll go, I’ll—“
He cuts off when Jeonghan appears behind the unknown man, Seungcheol trailing behind.
“Why are you out of bed?” Jeonghan tsks, sliding around until the other omega is caught between him and Seungcheol. “I thought it wasn’t going to fully break until later. Is it done already? Have you had anything to drink recently? Water, not that weird juice Seungkwan-ah likes.”
“Hannie,” he yawns, “I love you, but I do not have enough brain power to be accosted with questions right now. Especially when there’s a new person here. My brain is still in half-feral mode. What if I attacked him?”
“You wouldn’t,” says Jeonghan, who is way more confident about this than Chan is.
Seemingly amused, Seungcheol wraps his arm around the other omega, taking care not to jostle his blanket, and tells Jeonghan, “Shua-yah’s got a point, you know.”
Chan watches with his heart in his throat as Jeonghan gives Seungcheol a short, defiant look. Chan’s never seen pack members interact like this before. Omegas in his family know better than to talk back to an alpha—there are consequences to doing something like this, even with the smallest of actions.
But Seungcheol doesn’t even blink, smiling lazily at the omega in front of him.
“Cheollie would never let you do that, Joshuji. He would’ve come in here and stopped you right away.”
“Uh-huh. Riiiight. Best alpha ever,” he says sarcastically, fighting off another yawn. “Where’s Gyu?”
Like with Seungkwan earlier, Jeonghan pets the man and coos, “He’s just in the living room, baby.”
“Before you go find him—Shua, this is Lee Chan. Chan-ssi, this is Hong Joshua,” Seungcheol says, brief but polite. His expression doesn’t change much as Chan bows again, saying a perfect greeting even though they already spoke. Joshua greets him back, but it’s clear he’s distracted, words trailing off and his head twitching towards the doorway.
After, Jeonghan steps further into the room, and Seungcheol sends Joshua down the hall towards the rest of the pack. His heat scent goes with him, and Chan swallows roughly, relieved the other omega didn’t seem too troubled.
“What’s this about you leaving?” Jeonghan makes an innocent face at him. “I thought you liked us, Chan-ah.”
“Don’t make him feel like he can’t say no, Hannie,” Seungcheol admonishes.
Jeonghan sulks. Stop it, you’re just going to upset him, Chan thinks desperately, but his telepathic message doesn’t seem to go through.
How can Jeonghan have read him so well before, but not now?
“Oh, fine.”
Seungcheol doesn’t close the door behind him, but his presence fills up the room anyway. Chan bows quickly, and falls back into his chair, anxiety burning in his chest as Seungcheol comes and takes Jeonghan’s seat. The omega doesn’t go far, though, leaning against Seungcheol’s shoulders and looming over him.
This close, Seungcheol’s scent is overwhelming. It’s only now that Chan sniffs the air, hopefully subtly, and finds that it’s not all alpha musk. Joshua’s heat scent is there too, but more than that, he smells like… cherries. Like peaches, and maybe coconut? It’s a far more summery, sweet scent than alphas usually have.
It’s also very different from his Harabeonim’s much more severe leather scent.
If he’s honest with himself… he can admit he likes Seungcheol’s scent. Still, Chan tries not to breathe through his nose too much.
Maybe he can tell, because Seungcheol smiles at him. It’s not nearly as friendly as Seokmin’s, but that must be a hard bar to clear. Even having only known Seokmin for a short time, he knows that much.
“We haven’t been properly introduced yet. I’m Choi Seungcheol, I’m the alpha of this pack but you might’ve noticed this one is really the boss,” he says, gesturing to Jeonghan, whose face stays placidly calm.
What? He looks between them, and Seungcheol laughs, but he doesn’t take the words back. Is he being serious?
Chan swallows down all of his roiling thoughts and emotions, and tries to nod like a normal person. Perfectly polite, he replies, “It’s nice to meet you, alpha.”
Like Mingyu earlier, Seungcheol’s face twitches, the corner of his mouth turning down.
“You don’t need to call me that, kid. As long as you’re here, you can just call me hyung, everyone else does.”
“I—I,” Chan splutters. He opens his mouth and then closes it, fear halting any words on his tongue before they can tumble out.
He thinks of his own pack, what would happen if anyone tried to call Harabeonim more casually, and wraps his arms around his stomach. The stiff fabric of his hanbok shifts uncomfortably but he ignores it. His heart is pounding in his chest.
“I can’t do that.” Then, as if it explains everything, “You’re pack alpha.”
And to him, that does explain everything. The pack alpha should always be shown respect, because he could kick Chan out at any time. Harabeonim keeps the family together and proper at all times. He made sure that Chan knew, growing up, how to act and how the world works. Maybe Seungcheol is different from him, but he’s still at the top, and Chan wouldn’t dare to treat him like anything less than that.
“I am pack alpha, you're right.” He pauses, ducking his head and moving in a little closer, trying to meet Chan’s eyes. They lock for only a second before Chan averts his gaze. He looks down at his hands, where his fingers are worrying at the inside of his sleeve.
He hears Seungcheol sigh, his insides trembling at the sound.
“I’m giving you permission to call me hyung. Okay?”
At that, Chan’s head immediately snaps back up. He can’t quite bring himself to meet the alpha’s stare. He shakes his head without even realizing what he’s doing. “Alpha, I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“Why not?”
What a silly question. Still not daring to meet his eyes, he says, “It’s not right.”
Jeonghan grabs the back of Seungcheol’s chair and leans forward as he speaks. “Yah, there’s no need to be submissive. He can take it.”
Seungcheol grabs his wrist, rubbing his thumb over the scent gland there. At some point, Chan realizes, he must’ve taken off the scent blocker. Having the gland stimulated makes a gentle scent fill the air between them, starting out a little agitated and soon coming to be more calm. It tastes like vanilla latte on Chan’s tongue.
“Chan-ssi, this isn’t going to change our minds about you staying the night. We just want to get to know you a little better, and let you get to know us.”
Chan swallows and doesn’t reply, keeping his eyes low.
Seungcheol sighs. “Alright, that’s okay. Let me tell you about us, okay?”
They wait for Chan to nod before Seungcheol begins to tell him, in bare details, about their pack. Years ago, Seungcheol had become friends with Lee Jihoon and Kwon Soonyoung, two guys he met on the train every day as they headed to work. As Jeonghan says it, ‘a lot of stuff happened’, and they ended up living together.
The other pack mates came after that, first Wonwoo, then Mingyu, then Junhui. After that, the rest of the pack came in fits and starts, filling up their old apartment until they were forced—and luckily able to—apply for a pack house.
“Some of them were runaways who needed somewhere to stay,” Seungcheol tells him seriously. “We’ve had people who did only stay for a night or two, and it was fine.”
Jeonghan runs his fingers through Seungcheol’s hair. “Our pack isn’t traditional, is what he means.”
“Right. Now, I don’t know what your pack is like, but we’re probably pretty different. I’m not your boss, Chan-ssi. As long as you want to stay, you’ll be our guest, but you don’t have to kowtow to me or call me alpha.”
Chan can’t imagine not doing so. Even if Seungcheol says it, who knows if he actually means that?
When he looks up at them, he finds both men watching him with something pensive in their eyes. They’re waiting for him to answer, he thinks. So he sits up straight and bows his head, saying to his lap, “I understand.”
A sudden sound outside the room has them all jumping. The front door opens and shuts with a slam, and Chan flinches so hard it hurts. Seungcheol reacts, nose twitching as he stands up at once. He stalks towards the door, sticking his head out to see what’s happening. Loud voices filter in, no words but a few laughs and what sounds like friendly jeers from the tone.
“It’s just Soonyoung and Myungho,” Seungcheol says, tension falling out of his shoulders. Closing the door, he comes back over to where they’re sitting, falling back into his seat. “Sorry, Chan-ssi.”
The fright must have loosened Chan’s tongue, because without thinking, he asks, “Why are you saying sorry?”
“Well, for one thing, I didn’t want to trap you in here,” he says dryly. “You can leave whenever you want.”
“But this way, no one will intrude,” Jeonghan adds. “Here, a closed door is closed. We have to have privacy somehow. No one will bother us unless it’s an emergency.”
Chan doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. So far, these two haven’t done anything to him, but Seungcheol was right—he doesn’t like being enclosed in here with two people who could easily get away with whatever they want. Jeonghan is an omega like him, sure, but it’s becoming clearer the longer he’s here that Seungcheol was being serious when he said Jeonghan is the boss, too. They act like equals.
“Okay,” is all he can think of to say. It makes him look stupid but his brain isn’t really fully working right now.
“Maybe you can tell us a little about you now,” Seungcheol prods gently.
Chan shifts in his seat, not sure where to even start. Taking a breath of Jeonghan’s still calm scent helps a little.
“Um, okay. I’m twenty-three and I come from a family pack. We live just outside of Iksan. My Harabeonim is our pack alpha. I have a younger alpha brother who—“
“Cheollie, I’m gonna go sit with Channie,” Jeonghan says suddenly, interrupting Chan’s wooden answer.
Chan shuts up at the sound of his voice. He can do nothing but watch as Jeonghan grabs a chair and comes to sit beside Chan, obviously pumping out more of his scent as he goes. Seungcheol relaxes further into his own chair, like maybe the pheromones are getting to him a little, but to Chan they just make him feel nervous. He’s not used to omegas doing anything like this, so obviously trying to calm another person down.
Or, well. That’s not quite true. He’s used to doing it himself. Not it being done to him.
Now, Jeonghan is in range to brush their shoulders against each other. At first, Chan tenses up, glancing at Seungcheol, who surely won’t be happy to see one of his pack mates, maybe even his mate, getting close to another person. But Seungcheol doesn’t seem angry, just watching them with a little smile.
“That’s all very nice, Channie, but we want to know more about you.”
Chest tight, all Chan can say is, “There’s not much to know.”
Jeonghan scans his face for a long moment. “Hmm. Okay. Then what happened today?”
Shutting his eyes, he turns his head away. “There was a funeral for my cousin in law, Junseo-hyung.”
“Oh Channie, I’m sorry. Were you close?”
Tears sting and slip over his cheeks quietly. “Yes.”
In their family, the lines between the genders are clearly marked and one doesn’t step over it lightly. Chan knew Junseo better than he knows his own brother, because Geon was always put with the alpha cousins while Chan was put with the omegas. Junseo wasn’t the first omega to join the family after Chan was born, but he was the closest in age to Chan, only a few years older and from a family who spent a lot more time with each other than the Lees do. He sought Chan out, and they became friends over time. Subin even let Chan come to their home, and it was like Chan was finally making a space for himself in his family, no longer just the useless youngest omega, but someone’s friend. Someone’s favorite little cousin.
“He was the only who ever treated me like—“ Chan cuts himself off, clearing his throat to get rid of the wobble in his words.
He doesn’t realize what his scent is doing, filling the room with all the grief that’s been pent up the last few months. Taking a second to control himself, he ignores the older men and tries to erase every memory of Junseo from the forefront of his mind.
Sniffling once, he continues in a whisper, “I just couldn’t stay there any longer. I… I don’t want to go back.”
Neither Seungcheol nor Jeonghan ask why. Rubbing his own leg, Seungcheol says, “I’m glad my pack mates found you, Chan-ah.”
Exhausted now, Chan bows in thanks. “Is that enough information?”
Seungcheol nods. “You can stay as long as you need. Do you have any clothes you can change into?”
“No. No, I only have… this.”
“That’s okay. I’m sure we have something you can change into somewhere.” Seungcheol stands. “I’ll be right back. Hannie, maybe you can show him the room.”
Jeonghan agrees easily, though he doesn’t stand up until Seungcheol is gone.
“We can head up whenever you’re ready,” he says, stretching. “The clothes will probably come from Seungkwannie. Is that okay?”
An alpha’s clothes don’t sound bad in comparison to funeral wear.
“Yeah, omega-hyung, it’s okay. Can we go up now?”
Jeonghan guides him upstairs without a complaint, rubbing soothing circles on Chan’s shoulder. The room he’s being allowed to sleep in is at the far end of one hall, tucked in the corner with the door shut. Jeonghan brings him inside but doesn’t step too far in, waving his hands as he says, “This is it. It’s not much but I hope you like it anyway.”
“I do, omega-hyung,” Chan tells him, even though he’s not paying much attention to it as the day crashes down around him. Sitting down on the edge of the bed, he says, “I’m… I’m sorry I didn’t meet everyone.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s too late to meet so many new people. Once Cheollie gets back with some pajamas, we’ll leave you be for the night.”
Chan feels like he should say something to that, a token protest or a desperate thank you for everything they’ve done for him today. But nothing comes. Jeonghan doesn’t seem to mind, going to the closet and making noises to himself at whatever he sees inside it. That’s how Seungcheol finds them, Jeonghan snooping and Chan trying and failing to behave like a normal person.
“They’re Seungkwannie’s, but they were just washed, so there shouldn’t be any of his scent on them,” Seungcheol explains. “If they won’t work, I can find something else?”
There is a faint hint of citrusy alpha on them, but Chan can’t imagine turning them away. Taking them gratefully, he says, “This is fine, thank you, alpha.”
“Aigoo,” Jeonghan sighs, not unkindly.
Flushing, Chan starts, “I’m sorry—“
Seungcheol shakes his head. “Don’t worry about it, Chan-ssi. Just get some rest. We’ll see you tomorrow, okay?”
Chan nods miserably, waiting for them to walk away and hopefully far enough down the hall that they won’t hear him lock the door. It probably wouldn’t keep someone out if they really wanted in, but it makes him feel better that he can put some kind of barrier between himself and the rest of the world.
At least for tonight, he has somewhere he can be alone. He survived a day without his family. So far, this pack hasn’t done anything but confuse and slightly overwhelm him. Beginning to untie his hanbok, he tells himself that Junseo would be proud.
One day at a time, Lee Chan. One day at a time.