"Oh... JK is going to throw a fit."
Taehyung said, leaning back on the sofa.
"He is going to be living."
Hoseok also commented from another sofa.
"That kid had lots of hops." Namjoon also said so from Jin's side. His voice was filled with sadness for the maknae.
All the members of BTS except the younger one in question were at the reception hall of Big Hit. They all handed in their schedules for vacations.
Yes, you heard it right. They had scheduled vacation. That was something any of them hadn't expected. And something the production crew decided to pull off at the last minute.
"This is not working." Taehyung's voice was confident. "He is not going to come."
"But the production crew already has all planned." Yoongi pointed monotonously. He had been in a grumpy mood the whole week. "He cannot say no now."
"Something they planned even without bothering to say our word." Jin said disdainfully. Jin's usual lemon scent was turning sour. "We also have our own plans."
"Baby, calm down." Namjoon rubbed soothing cycles on his mate's arm, trying to calm him down.
"Don't do baby on me." The older omega snapped. "We had been planning this vacation for ages. Now, finally, after we got everything sorted out, they are saying they had planned our vacation."
No one had ever seen the older be mad like this. If they all thought Jungkook was the one who got annoyed hearing the news, they all had it wrong. It was Seokjin who was close to exploding.
"Hey, calm down. This is vacation. You can enjoy this."
The production director, whom they had ignored for the past few minutes, spoke. That person might have thick skin to still keep a calm face after they spoke like he was not here.
"Enjoy! How could we enjoy this when there were fucking cameras everywhere?"
Everyone was shocked by the older's swearing. Seokjin was the one who always kept his cool. But now he was pissed beyond belief.
That calm director's face changed a little bit. But soon he returned to his polite face and started to explain.
"Listen... I know this is hard, but this is your job. You have to..."
"What was going on here? Why have you all called me this early?"
A voice was heard as the door opened. Of course, that was the missing member. Dressed in a loose sweater and denim, Jungkook stood by the doorway. His eyes were on the tension in the room. Their small pack had a burning odor of sour lemons mixed in with other distressing odors. He couldn't understand what had worked up his usual calm hyungs so much.
He had been happy with his family when he got a call from their manager, Sejin, asking to come to Big Hit for a meeting. And he was super annoyed calling back to work on the first day of his vacation. He didn't know what was going on. But whatever this stupid meeting was about, he wanted to finish it as soon as possible so he could go back. He had promised to paint with Minji today. And he didn't want to keep his princess waiting.
"What is this all about?"
He asked, walking towards the sofa where all his hyungs were seated. He noticed the director of their programs, Mr. Kim Jisung, and their manager, Sejin, were also there.
"Here, look at yourself."
Oldest said throwing a program schedule at him. Thanks to quick reflexes, the youngest caught it effortlessly.
With raised eyebrows, the youngest carefully started to read the content on paper.
And others calmly waited for the next bomb to go off. They didn't have to wait much.
They could see the color changing on maknae's face. First, it was red. Then, the more he read, it turned darker, finally settling in black.
"Is this a joke?"
There was unusual calm on maknae's face as he finally spoke. It sent shivers down everyone's spine.
"I know this is too sudden. But what is written on this paper is what you six are doing in the next two weeks."
The director also said, holding the young alpha's glance.
"What makes you think I'm going to do this?"
Jungkook's voice was like a whip. Everyone could see how pissed off he was. The last time they saw the maknae like that was five years ago. When his hyung decided to move to America. That day, things didn't end pretty. There had been a few broken pieces of furniture, a few angry punches, bleeding knuckles, and exploded sandbags. And any of them wanted to play that scene ever again. Now it seemed really closed. Even though Jin himself had been pissed about this situation, he released calming pheromones of sweet fragrance to overpower burning sandalwood. Soon Taehyung's sweet lily scent also joined it.
"Kid look at this..."
The director started only to be disturbed by loud roaring.
"DON'T KID ON ME! I'M NOT DOING THIS!"
The angry alpha slammed the script on the coffee table, startling everyone. There was a burning smell of sandalwood everywhere, choking them all.
"Jeon Jungkook! Calm down."
It was Namjoon who acted first, getting on his feet. Soon Yoongi joined him while Hoseok tried to shield the two omegas from all the angry disputes.
"You make the whole room sink. Stop that now."
Yoongi's stern voice rose to control the young alpha. But that didn't seem to get through the maknae.
"JK stop! You are making omegas uncomfortable!"
Namjoon finally used Pack Alpha's voice. And it worked.
Jungkook finally noticed others around him. He slowly withdrew his burning pheromones, calming himself down. Sejin hurriedly increased the air purifier and sprayed pheromones and scent neutralizer to erase all angry pheromones.
"I'm sorry."
Jungkook quickly apologized to the two omegas. Except for a slight discomfort on their faces, they both seemed okay. Hoseok rubbed Taehyung's waist for a light scenting while both Taehyung and Seokjin flashed smiles to ensure their baby alpha that they were okay.
"It's okay."
Seokjin dismissed as Namjoon took his arm by sitting next to him again.
"As you see, this is not going to work."
Before anyone said anything, Namjoon stated, looking at the director, who now had an ugly frown on his face. Finally, this man was showing some emotion.
"We all had our own plans for this vacation, so now you cannot show this to us." Hoseok also added, handing glasses of water to still fuming Jungkook, making him sit on the sofa.
"But you are idols. You have a job."
The director's voice was stern.
"We are doing our job. And it was you who first declared this vacation." Taehyung's voice was filled with displeasure. "Now how could you take your words back?"
"This is vacation." Director pressured. "Can't you read? The full two weeks of a scheduled vacation area in the Pyeongchang Forest Area Entertaining games, swimming, boat riding, fishing, and hiking. We can arrange more activities based on your preferences."
"But as Jin hyung said earlier, there will be cameras."
Taehyung pointed.
"Yes, there will be cameras." Director agreed. "But it is not like we will going to air everything you are doing. We are going to edit and censor a lot. Only shows a few moments. And then a few interviews. The staff is not even there. You all are on your own."
"Whatever you say, I'm not coming." Maknae's voice was final. "I have my whole vacation planned. I'm not going to cancel it."
There was silence in the room as he said it. The director also glanced at the younger man with a stern look.
"I'm sorry to say this, Jungkook-ssi, but you are going to cancel it."
"Oh really." Jungkook raised an eyebrow at the director. He usually cared a lot about his image and manners. But now he simply didn't care. "What are you going to do if I'm not?"
The director's mouth formed a thin line, indicating he was also losing his cool.
"What have you planned, Jungkook-ah?"
Sejin, who had been quiet throughout the whole of this ordeal, finally asked, trying to reason.
"I'm going on a vacation to the summer cottage at Soyang-myeon with hyung and pups for the whole month." Jungkook answered. "We are planning to travel to several places. We already had arrange all the things."
Oh, that was huge. They could see how that was going to mess up the younger's plans.
"This only takes two weeks. You can go with your plans after two weeks."
Director pointed.
"NO!" Jungkook's voice was firm. "It can't be postponed."
"I don't see why you can't, kid! It's not a big deal."
The director also didn't back off.
Hoseok placed his hand on the younger, seeing he was also close to losing control.
"You are asking me now to break all the promises I had made for three little pups." Jungkook's eyes were icy cold. "It might not be a big deal for you. But it is quite big for me."
Jungkook was not going to postpone their trip, no matter what others said. He had seen how hard the twins and his brother were struggling. His brother had been awake the whole night for the past few days, soothing pups from one nightmare after another. Last night, Jimin spent the whole night carrying Minji in his arms, trying to calm her down.
And on top of that, Jungkook could see how much his brother was blaming himself for putting the twins in that situation. Even though it was not Jimin's fault, he blamed himself. It hurt so much for him to see his brother in that miserable state.
Back in the past, his brother had done a lot for him. He had sacrificed a lot and endured a lot for him. Jungkook never got a chance to repay that. Or not able to help when his brother needed help. But now things were different. This was the only favor his brother had ever asked for. And it was just a really simple one. What kind of brother could he be if he couldn't spare a few weeks for his brother, nephew, and nieces? He was not going to let them down. Not this time.
"Jungkook-ah, I think your brother will understand." Sejin started with a soothing voice. But the younger didn't let him continue.
"No! You should understand." Maknae didn't surrender. "I can't postpone my vacation. I have my reasons. If you want, we can do this shoot after my vacation."
"We cannot delay this that much." Director objected. "It's going to mess up with our schedules."
"Okay, then shoot it without me, because I'm not coming!"
Everyone could see that this time it was final.
This time, the younger wasn't going to work as they wanted. He made a decision. And it was final.
"How about you do your vacation and shoot at the same time?"
A sound came from the doorway.
Everyone's eyes turned to the doorway where their boss, Bang Si Hyuk, stood, dressed in a three-piece navy blue suit.
Everyone was startled at the sudden presence of their boss, but soon they all bowed for a greeting after standing.
Bang Si Hyuk dismissed their greetings with a soft smile, taking a seat in a single armchair.
"What do you mean by that?"
Namjoon asked, registering their boss's words.
"I mean, you can take your brother and kids with us." Bang PD said, shocking everyone. "What we are going to is also going on a vacation, isn't it? You can take them with you. While on that, we can do shoots also."
Bang PD put it like the simplest thing in the world.
"I don't know. My hyung doesn't want to stay around the camera or expose pups to them." Jungkook said finally.
"We are not going to air anything related to them." Their boss assured. "We can ensure to protect their privacy. If you want, we can sign a non-disclosure agreement with your brother's lawyer."
"I'm not sure." Jungkook's voice filled with hesitation. "I need to talk with hyung first."
"Okay. I'm sorry, kid, but this is the best I can do." His apology was sincere. "I know this is unfair after declaring a vacation. This is a last-minute project. It catches us off guard, too."
Bang PD's apologized to all of them, knowing he had not only destroyed Jungkook but others as well. So now he was providing the best solution.
"I hope you all are also okay with Jungkook's family joining us."
He asked the others' opinions too. Others didn't have much to complain about. Actually, Taehyung was overjoyed to meet with Jungkook's adorable nieces and nephew. He had seen the pictures of those three cuties. And now he couldn't wait to see them in real life. Jin, as an omega, loved children dearly. So, he thought if there were three pups, that was not going to be bad. Namjoon and Hoseok also didn't mind another addition.
But there was only one person who didn't prefer that solution. But he knew this was the best they could do. So, he also didn't have any objections.
After Bang PD's declaration, the argument also died down. The director, Bang PD, and Sejin finally left, leaving seven pack members on their own.
There was silence among them. No one tried to break the silence for the first time.
"Okay, spill out. What was going on with your family?"
Namjoon finally broke the silence with a direct question.
"What are you talking about?"
Jungkook asked, pretending to be clueless.
"Oh, JK. Do you forget I partially raised you?" Jin was tasked at the baby alpha. "I know how you behave when you are in trouble. So, I spill it."
Jungkook let out a breath, admitting defeat. He sank deeper into the sofa, getting more at ease. He knew that was his family's private matter. But they were his pack members, and he trusted them. For most of that, he needed someone to talk to. Maybe some other advice?
"Twins are sick."
He finally let out.
"Sick!"
Taehyung exclaimed. There was a clear worry on his face.
"What's wrong with them?"
Jin's voice was also filled with worry now.
"It's not something serious. At least for now."
The last sentence the younger said under breath. But it didn't go unnoticed by members.
"Tell us in more detail, JK."
Namjoon pressed.
"It is called Mesmerene Syndrome."
Young Alpha stated.
"Mes... What is that?"
Taehyung was confused. He had never heard of that kind of disease before.
"It is sort of a hormone imbalance." Jungkook started to explain with a deep breath. "You know both twins are alphas. So, they need stimulants from other alphas for their hormone development. But they didn't have any alpha figures in their lives for the past few years. So, their hormones don't develop, and their inner alphas are confusing."
Jungkook explained in the same way his brother did.
"So, is it bad?"
Seokjin asked confusedly. He didn't know about this kind of situation before.
"Yeah, that could be bad." It was Hoseok who answered instead of the younger. "I once had a cousin who suffered in that condition. If it is not treated, it can turn out to be pretty bad."
"What do you mean by once? Where is your cousin now?"
Namjoon asked.
But it was answered by a silence. Everyone turned to Hoseok to hear the answer. But they saw the sadness and guilt on his face. Everyone had a bad feeling.
"He was dead." Hoseok said it in a low voice. There were deadly silences spread around the room, adding an ominous feeling.
"What happened to him?"
It was Yoongi who was finally brave enough to ask that question.
Hoseok didn't want to answer that. But they needed to know the seriousness of that disease. It was not something they could take easily.
"We didn't notice there was something wrong with him until pretty late. His parents divorced when he was a child, and he lived with my beta aunt. Aunty also didn't pay any attention to him. So, no one knew something was going on with him. His inner alpha started to confuse the point where it could drive him into madness. He finally took his own life."
Jungkook felt like someone had poured ice-cold water on him. He suddenly couldn't breathe. It was like he was under ice water.
"Jungkook! Jungkook! JK!"
He heard a faint voice in the background. But with the hoo sound in his ears, that voice was not clear.
Then suddenly a strong wave of lemon and pine hit him, startling him out of a numbing state.
"Jungkook, can you hear me?"
A worried voice from Seokjin finally reached his ears. With half-open eyes, he finally saw the blurred figure of omega in front of him. Wait, when did he close his eyes? And when did Jin come so close?
"Here, drink this."
A glass of water was placed in his hand. The young alpha gratefully gulped it down, suddenly noticing his dry throat.
With that, everything became clearer, and the ring in his ears also disappeared. Then he realized what had been going on. He was suffering from a mini-panic attack.
"Are you okay?"
Namjoon, who stood by his side, asked, noticing he was slowly coming to his senses.
"Yeah." Jungkook replied with a low voice. Hoseok's voice was still cycling around his mind.
"Hey, don't get so serious about what happened with my cousin." Hoseok assumed exactly what was going through the younger's mind. He didn't tell that to scare off alpha.
"How can I not hyung? What if something happens, twins? What if..."
"There were no ifs in here, Jungkook." Hoseok didn't let the younger finish his words. "That kind of thing never going to happen, your twins. Their and my cousin's situations are entirely different. You cannot compare it."
"How I cannot. They both had the same condition." There was panic in the young alpha's voice.
"It's different." Hoseok explained. "My cousin never gets a chance to be treated. And no one even knew he was sick in the first place. So, it continued for years, JK. He was fifteen when he died. He suffered alone for years. No one ever noticed."
Beta's voice was filled with sadness and guilt. He still regretted that any of them hadn't paid attention to young Kai. They all brushed off his symptoms, saying it was typical teenage acting up.
Taehyung placed his hand on Beta's shoulder for silent comfort.
"What Hobi said is right." Namjoon supplied. "Twins are still young. We can prevent it before it turns more serious."
"So, what did their doctor say about treatments?" Taehyung asked. His voice also trembled with a slight fear. From the pack, Taehyung was the only one who actually met with twins. And he instantly fell in love with those two adorable balls of fluff. So, hearing they were in danger was like hurting him personally.
"The doctor said they needed to spend more time with an alpha figure." Jungkook replied in an exhausted voice. He felt like all his energy had been drained from all the ups and downs he experienced within the past hour.
"So that's why your brother came back."
Seokjin finally understood.
It was not a question. A statement.
"Yeah." Jungkook said, leaning back on the sofa and glancing at the ceiling above. "He doesn't have any alphas who can trust America. Here, he has a few friends and me. This is the first time he actually asked for a favor from me. All these years, he has sacrificed a lot for me. And now, when he needs me, I want to be there for him. That's why I planned this vacation."
Everyone could feel the desperation in the younger's voice. All of their hearts ached for the younger. They all had heard about how much suffering he had been through as a parentless child. They all wanted their youngest to be happy from now on.
"You can bring them on vacation with us." Namjoon assured. "There are three alphas instead of only you. I'm sure we can all help with them."
"Are you really okay with them?" Younger asked with an insecure voice. "They are kids. They can be a handful sometimes. And it will affect our schedules."
"Are you kidding me? Who's going to miss a chance to spend time with those adorable puppies? "It was Taehyung who exclaimed at first. The young omega's eyes were sparkling with happiness. The aroma of fresh lilies filled the room, making everyone relax. "If you didn't bring them, I'm going to crash into your private vacation."
And Jungkook knew his best friend was not kidding. It was no secret that the second youngest adored three pups. So, this was like a golden opportunity for him.
"I'm also okay." Hoseok joined. "Having a pup means there is more fun. and where the fun is where this hope is."
"And I'm more than okay." Seokjin said. "I always love pups."
Yeah, everyone knew how much Seokjin loved pups, to the point that he wanted one of his own. But the downsides of idol life. They couldn't do that just because just he wanted to. So, he had to soothe his mind by looking at other pups.
Then everyone turned into Yoongi, a grumpy alpha who had been sulking in the corner.
"I'm good. Go on." Alpha replied simply. Knowing his nature, everyone knew those were his approving words.
"Then since everyone doesn't have any issues, I will take care of other things with Bang PD." Namjoon finalized.
"Hyung wait." Jungkook, stop him. "I'm not sure my hyung will agree with this. I need to talk with him first."
"Of course, you should talk with him first." Pack alpha agreed. "Then let's discuss more after that."
After that, everyone spent some time catching up on other things. But Jungkook didn't have any interest in what they were saying. So, he was the first to take a leave.
"I'm leaving. Minji is waiting to paint with me."
He bid goodbye to his hyungs.
"Okay."
"Bye!"
"Happy painting!"
Others also said goodbye.
The young alpha walked down the corridor in an absent mind. His mind was on the discussion they had.
"Jungkook, wait a minute."
He stepped in his tracks, hearing his name. He turned back to meet up with Yoongi, who had followed him.
"Hyung, is there something you need?"
The younger didn't know why his hyung followed after him.
"Mmm..." Yoongi rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "How is Litian? Isn't she also alpha? Is she also suffering from that?"
Jungkook was taken back from the question.
He never expected that question from his silent hyung. He didn't even know that Yoongi knew Litian's name, let alone that she was an alpha.
"The doctor said that since she was still young, she was not affected yet." Nevertheless, Jungkook answered. "Spending time with alpha is good for her as well."
Yoongi stood there, simply listening to the answer. He didn't know what he was thinking. His emotions were all around him.
"Thanks, then I will get going."
Yoongi left in a hurry.
Jungkook stood there in an empty corridor, stunned, staring at hyung's retreating back.
He figured out that Yoongi's behavior was weird today. But he soon dismissed it, shaking his head.
He resumed his walk toward the exit. Now he had more important things to worry about than simple weird behavior. Like painting and how to apologize for being late.