Jouska 0.3

"Chanyeol-ah!" The voice whispered in my ear, sounding hoarse and intimidating. I suddenly opened my eyes, seeing nothing but darkness. No matter how hard I tried to focus, all I could see was darkness.

"Chanyeol..." The voice sounded again. Along with my restlessly moving eyeballs, I felt a pair of hands groping my stomach. And when I made a small rebellion, the chain around my neck restrained my movements. Slowly, I can see the figure of the owner of the voice. A pair of cold eyes with a sharp gaze and a smirk on their lips stared at me. "This is what you wanted, right?" He whispered right in my ear. My eyes widened as something sharp and cold pierced my lower abdomen. It hurt like hell, then a warm, slightly thick liquid seeped out. I panicked and screamed loudly. However, no sound came out. Meanwhile, the man laughed out loud.

I opened my eyes and got up quickly. In a split second my hand reached for something I always tucked under my pillow. I gripped the sharp, serrated knife tightly, rising from the bed to brandish it in all directions.

There was silence, no one but myself who was now dizzy from standing up so suddenly after being woken up by a nightmare.

"Damn..." I staggered back and sat on the edge of the bed again. Fingers still tightly grasping the knife handle, breathing heavily and sweat pouring down my forehead.

"Dream..." It's been a while since I've had a nightmare like that. Dreams of myself imprisoned in a dark, cramped and stuffy room. My body shackled in chains like an animal and used as a slave to satisfy the lust of the world's most disgusting creature, the alpha. That was just one of the many reasons I hated them. Apart from that, I hated the other side of me and the secondary sex omega that resided within. I hated the omega's gentle instincts, as well as its lower level than the alpha, as well as the beta.

I stared at the knife in my hand. I silently resolved to continue obliterating the omega side of me until I was left with only the cruelty and heartlessness of alpha.

Warm light streams through the glass window of my room. It made me dazzled by it. I squinted, using my left hand to block the sunlight that penetrated through the gap in the blue curtains.

It's morning already. I sheathed the knife again before slipping it into its original place, under the pillow where I slept. Just in case, I had experience with stalkers infiltrating my apartment.

A pair of feet stepped quietly toward the window. The curtains were fully opened, revealing a view of Seoul in the morning. The sun was shining brightly accompanied by wisps of clouds floating in the blue sky.

Cho Seungho.

I just woke up, and the name flashed back into my mind along with his figure at the cafe yesterday afternoon. Every line of Cho Seungho's face was so similar to the face of the alpha in my dream. No, in reality it wasn't a dream.

My fingers unconsciously clenched into fists. There were emotions rippling in my chest. The mission Hajoon had given me was still an enigmatic puzzle.

"Wooah!" I yawned while stretching my arms. Returning to the bed to lie down for a few more minutes. But before that, the cell phone on the table rang.

"Aish ..." The mention of Hajoon's name put a damper on my morning mood. "What?" I asked, wanting his point straight without wanting to hear any pleasantries.

"How was your morning?" Hajoon asked casually.

"Tell me quickly, what do you want me to do!" I urged, really reluctant to talk to this alpha after having a nightmare like earlier. And this happened sometimes.

I heard Hajoon sigh. "Seungho is around the Gangnam area doing his morning run."

"Is that all you have to say?" I asked, letting out a long sigh.

"Don't you want to take this opportunity to get close to him? Put on your gym clothes and join his for a morning run." After saying that, Hajoon turned off his phone.

"Aish damn ..." I couldn't resist. I very reluctantly followed his orders.

-

Each small step I took along the sidewalk eased my bad mood a little. It was still quite early, but some people were already busy with their monotonous routines. I ran into many people who were also out for their morning run. I kept my gaze forward without caring about the few who turned their heads towards me. I had consumed feromone suppressants, there was no way they could know my identity other than being attracted by my physique.

Betas make up almost 70% of the world's population. Followed by alpha 20% and the remaining 10% are omegas. Of all the beta pollution, why wasn't I born one of them? An alpha once told me why. I ended up hating myself even more.

In this world, whoever you are, no matter your background, if you are born an alpha, you will be respected.

Not far from where I was standing, a man was seen drinking mineral water from a bottle. Cho Seungho, who are you? I don't even know your background yet.

I blinked as he turned to me. His lips turned up in a smile, one hand waving at me.

"Chanyeol-ah! Is that you?" he asked from a distance, hurrying over to me. The smile had yet to flex on his handsome face-despite his labored breathing. "What a coincidence that we meet here."

"Ya ..." I snorted softly, the truth was that this was no coincidence.

"By the way, do you live around here?" Seungho asked, glancing at the buildings around Cheongdam PH129 apartment in Gangnam District which is also an elite neighborhood.

"So to speak ..." I rubbed the back of my neck, a little uncomfortable with his question.

This alpha's expression was getting more and more excited. "I live nearby too," he pointed to one of the concrete buildings that towered over the others, the penthouse where he lived. "Want to stop by?" It was not a question, but an invitation. I admit that this alpha was friendly to strangers. Or did he have other intentions?

"I think next time—"

"Come on! I'd like to take you to tea at once."

I didn't have time to dodge, Seungho grabbed my arm and pulled me to his destination. I couldn't help but follow him.

"You'll like the tea," he said without looking back at me, quickening his pace slightly. Gosh, this alpha was in high spirits, even after a tired morning run.

-

"Tieguanyin tea is a blend of black and green teas that are both fermented," Seungho said as he poured oolong tea into two cups. "Known for its rich flavor, the leaves are harvested in the mountains of Anxi County in Fujin Province, China."

I sat and listened, my eyes fixed on the glass of tea and occasionally on his face. Not forgetting a snack of warm dimsum. The sight of that food made me hungry now.

"Thank you," I said as I picked up the cup, taking a few sips before putting it back down. It was Seungho's turn to notice me. "What?" I asked.

"Eat the dim sum too. They're souvenirs from yesterday when I came from China."

Was he just showing off his vacation? I don't know, so I ate it. It was warm, like it was freshly cooked and the texture was soft. In terms of flavor, it was pretty good. Seungho was still watching me eat, I myself didn't turn to him for a while. I thought he would ask about how the dim sum was, but he didn't. This alpha was sipping tea while eating his dimsum too.

Silence ensued. During that time, I quietly took in the entire room of Seungho's apartment. There was a chandelier above the white ceiling, neatly organized bookshelves, a cozy sofa and a calm atmosphere merged together in a renaissance style room. Out of all that, there was one thing that caught my eye; a deer head wall hanging near the desk. I noticed that on one of its antlers was a silver pocket watch.

I woke up when I felt a warm breath on my neck. When I turned my head, Seungho was very close. Spontaneously, I returned his gaze. He only said, "You haven't claimed it yet."

His brown eyes looked right into mine. I had the chance to glare at his words, but I didn't. There was a glimmer of hope that I found in the alpha's eyes. And that was ...

"I've actually liked you since the first time I saw you. You know, love at first sight," Seungho said.

I fell silent. Even though I had predicted this would probably happen, the atmosphere made me nervous. Seungho probably felt the same way, judging by the way he rubbed the back of his neck.

Seungho hastily added, "It might be sudden, but I trust my feelings." He gulped, his Adam's apple twitching visibly. "Because ..., I've never felt this kind of feeling before. Chanyeol-ah, you are my mate. I'm sure of it."

Why? Suddenly my heart was beating fast. Something inside me, an unfamiliar feeling that I had never felt and was very ... pleasant.

"Ehem," I cleared my throat breaking the awkwardness. "But I don't have the same feeling." My eyes looked right into his, stern and threatening with the intention of him forgetting what he had just said.

Seungho smiled softly. "I understand. "You just need time."

He was so confident—that I would like him. When we first met, just smelling his pheromone made me sick.

Wait a minute, I haven't smelled that citrus musk since entering here. Is he taking feromone-suppressing drugs?

"By the way, why do you like me?" I asked, taking another sip of tea in the cup.

"I'm gay." Seungho was frank. "And omega males, they're rare. As a gay man, I'm not interested in a relationship with a woman, whether it's an alpha, beta, or omega. If I don't have a fate pair of omega male, that means my choice is only in beta male. But who would have thought, I met you, that's a stroke of luck for me."

"You say as if I'm the only omega male in this world." The line of words that came out of my mouth sounded cold to my own ears. I hated being an omega.

Seungho's lips carved a bland smile, not as sweet as the dimsum I was now chewing. "I've met them a few times, unfortunately they already have mates. And the rest ..." The smile was now gone, and those eyes showed a strong sadness about something he didn't say.

Seungho took a breath, looked back at me and said, "I just wanted to protect you."

"Pfftt ... uhuk!" I choked on my laughter. A look of surprise filled Seungho's face. He took the initiative to do something for me, but I resisted by pushing his shoulder. Meanwhile, I was still busy covering my mouth with the back of my hand, holding back my laughter at what he had just said.

Protecting me? Hahaha.

"I appreciate your good intentions," I said.

I can protect myself.

"But no, thank you." I stood up, about to leave. "Tea and dim sum are good."

"If you need a ride, don't hesitate to say so." Seungho stood up as well, his smile returning.

"No need to bother." I waved my hand.

"I'm not bothered." Seungho was still coaxing. I didn't respond.

As I was about to turn away, I heard a voice from the left approaching us. So he didn't live alone. I turned to the other resident of this apartment. He was a dark-haired, fair-skinned teenage boy with dimples that appeared when he smiled. I caught a glimpse of that after the teenager changed the expression on his face.

"You ...?" The teenager pointed at me with his index finger. Eyes bulging and speaking while stammering.

"Gunwoo-ya! Be polite to my special guest." Seungho called out to the teenager.

I seem to have met him before, but where?

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