Jaemin told Renjun where his room was located—at the end of the hallway, but the omega had no intentions of going to him, even when he had so many questions about this house and the work he would soon do. Renjun was taught impeccably, and one of the lessons he remembered well was to avoid going into other people's rooms if they weren't his mate or omega friends. So, private space, such as the beta's bedroom, was forbidden.
Speaking of rooms, once the beta was out of sight, Renjun stuck out his head to observe the hallway, spotting Jaemin's door and frowning. He remembered how Mr. Na told him about the formalities between him and the house owner. It appeared that the two didn't share a strict relationship. Jaemin was the home economist and, as Renjun understood, a cook, cleaner, and so on. He was like a butler, in other words. But his room was just one door away from the master's. He lived on the same floor, not a floor below. It was like he was on the same level as Mr. Lee's sister, who visited, but so rarely Renjun couldn't even feel her scent anywhere, although Jaemin claimed she was an alpha.
And, it seemed, he was on the same level as Mr. Lee's soon-to-be mate. Renjun already found it weird how Jaemin wanted to be his buddy by calling him by his name out of the blue, even when they were strangers. That a home economist calls their master's omega by their name shows how close he has to be to the alpha to feel brave enough to behave like this. He seemed to have a huge control in this house.
Although Renjun barely knew anything about the pureblood, he learned that he was a bit weird, but in a good way. He was unique. Not only did he have an unusual personality, his habits that became rules, but there was also something attention-capturing about his relationships with people. He seemingly had a hard time trusting other people to take care of his massive house. Okay, he fired the cooker and cleaner, but Jaemin remained. That meant the beta had everything that made him trustable to the point he was left to watch over the house by himself. Renjun wished to become another person Mr. Lee could trust.
The omega returned to his room, closed the door, and went to his suitcase. He unpacked his things, put the clothes into the wardrobe, stepped back, and stared at a peculiar sight. His clothes didn't even take up half of the space, only a tiny corner. He found it amusing. That meant there was more space for new things!
Renjun then spotted a door on his right. Getting curious, he approached it but stopped when he remembered that curiosity was bad for omegas. But he calmed himself down that the room was given to him, which meant the doors belonged to him too.
So, keeping that in mind, the omega opened the door and gasped. A bathroom! His temporary bathroom he'd use all by himself. Excited, Renjun checked each corner, his eyes admiring the gothic-style bathroom, especially the bathtub, integrated with a few modern things, such as a glass shower door.
A knock on the door startled the pureblood omega, who was about to turn on the water to see how it worked. He left the bathroom and was about to open the door, but Mr. Na didn't wait for it.
"Mr. Huang, when you're done, meet me downstairs," he said behind the door. "Let's check the kitchen and make something for ourselves."
ꕥ
Renjun was so used to a room full of omegas that sleeping in a spacey room he used all for himself was odd and frightening. As if the new place wasn't enough to blame, there was a storm outside. The thunder and wind together sounded like a whip, forcefully hitting the roof. The branches of a tree seemed like long and thin fingers, scratching the gothic-style window. It was raining heavily, the drops, although tiny, whacked into the window with every wave of wind, forcing Renjun to open his eyes each time.
His sleep quality was terrible, and the morning shower didn't help him feel refreshed. So, when he met Jaemin downstairs, in the kitchen he was already fond of after checking it the previous day and learning not to use the gas stove as it was dangerous for omegas, Renjun couldn't even lie. His face, even with little makeup, was the proof he had trouble sleeping.
"Should've taken a glass of milk," Jaemin said in worry, furrowing his eyebrows in concern and catching the omega off guard.
"I just need time," Renjun laughed, brushing it off. "Anyway, what should we make for breakfast, Mr. Na?"
The dinner on the previous night was very light; they had an omelet, which they ate sitting in a dining room, just the two of them. It was awkward. Renjun wasn't yet used to the big spaces, so he felt very humble and asked whether it was necessary for them two to dine in such a big area. Jaemin laughed.
"If not for us, who else would use this room?"
The same happened with breakfast. Together, they made porridge, which brought Renjun negative emotions. Jaemin's way of cooking wasn't bad, and he knew what he was doing. The omega didn't show it, but he was upset by it. How can a beta know the same things as an omega, whose one of the main points was to cook? The only difference was that Renjun was into electric stoves, and Jaemin liked a gas stove. They had both, which made the omega excited their styles were different here, at least. He made no comments about this, however.
They sat in front of each other, just like the last time, separated by a wide table. They left the corner of the table empty, which was obviously left for Mr. Lee. Despite that, the rest of the table was empty two. Renjun counted at least four other chairs that weren't taken.
"You haven't seen my kitties yet," Jaemin said out of the blue. "Let me show you them once we finish."
Renjun vigorously nodded his head. He loved pets, especially dogs and cats. They always made his heart feel warm, so his biggest wish was to have at least two pets in the future.
The three little kitties indeed had a room of their own. Renjun had already noticed the door in the hallway, right after exiting the dining room. The previous day, he had to follow Jaemin around, so he didn't pay much attention to the places he wasn't taken, but now, as he got the chance to learn about the house more, not only did he notice the glass door but he also saw also a tag that let him know it was "Kitty Room".
"I can see them," Renjun gasped.
He only needed to approach the door, and he already noticed two kittens playing in the middle of the room.
"The transparent door was Mr. Lee's demand," Jaemin explained. "He's allergic to cat fur, but that doesn't mean he hates cats. He only steps inside when he has no schedule. When he does, he admires them through the glass and avoids waking his allergy before important meetings."
"That's cute," Renjun purred, thinking of the pureblood alpha as a soft man.
"Wanna go inside?"
The omega nodded and followed the home economist into the Kitty Room. Just like everything else in this house, the room was wide and had high ceilings. But it also had big windows. Actually, there were more windows than walls! Renjun knew cats liked the sun, so he wasn't surprised to see one kitten lying before the big window and catching the rays of sunshine. Apart from natural attractions, the cats had many toys, a few houses, and cat trees! One of the trees was almost as high as a ceiling, and as Renjun looked at it, he noticed several shelves on the wall that later on he understood were the steps for cats to climb higher.
Just because of those steps, the omega also noticed a little porch for the cats, behind one of the windows. They had a cat door that led there, to the garden, where there was a spacious cage for them to spend time. At the very corner of the room, there was a rather luxurious food place. They had an automatic feeder, but they also had an automatic litter box! The longer Renjun stayed in the room, the more surprised he was. This room would've looked like a kid's room if he didn't know it was meant for three kittens. Just how much money did the master spend to make the cats feel loved?
Renjun crouched to the one who laid on the carpet and warmed up to the morning sun. The omega thought it'd run away from him, but the kitten lifted its head, purred, and snuggled into Renjun's hand that was about to pet it.
"Are these your cats, Mr. Na?" the omega asked, looking up at the home economist.
"Yes," the latter replied, picking up the other kittens and bringing them to Renjun. "I asked Jeno—I mean, Mr. Lee if I can adopt them, and he agreed. We both like them. Look, her name is Lucy!"
Renjun let Jaemin introduce him to the kittens, although he was already confused about who was who. Before the beta could ask him to check if he memorized, and Jaemin seemed to be that type of guy, Renjun jumped to the other topic.
"Mr. Lee is very considerate!" he said innocently, slightly flushing as that happened whenever he thought about the future mate.
"Oh, he sure is," Jaemin laughed, putting the kittens back and patting their heads. "I told you before he may appear very cold at first, but he's actually a softie. He likes to show this side to people he really trusts."
Renjun nodded, keeping in mind that he'd have to do everything to be the person on the good list.
"Mr. Lee trusts you a lot, Mr. Na," Renjun remarked, realizing that not only did Jaemin live on the same floor, but the alpha let him install a room for his cats too.
"Well, it's only natural. We have known each other for four years, but it seems like an eternity," Jaemin laughed, but then unconsciously touched his neck, giving away he was nervous. "My mother used to teach Mr. Lee manners. She was a home economist and his teacher."
"Oh, really?" Renjun's eyes sparkled. "That's so nice! Were you friends?"
"Apart from many fights that we had, yeah. As we got older, we got along so much we couldn't be separated. But it happened that we parted ways. Mainly because my mother's medical condition got worse. She felt pressured working there, with all the alphas," Mr. Na said, smiling nostalgically. "After half a year, he called me and asked me if I wanted to move into this house and listed the things I would do and how much he would pay me. Since I had all the fundamentals from my mother, I agreed, and now I'm here."
That was enough for Renjun to understand the room placement upstairs. Jaemin wasn't only a home economist but also a reliable friend. This explained why he had so much freedom to the point he got a room for his cats. To Renjun, their relationship seemed awesome. He got more excited to meet Jeno as he, too, wanted to be a reliable person.
"Oh, I remembered something!" Renjun gasped, standing up. "I promised my friends to write them a letter as soon as I got to my new home. Can I, Mr. Na?"
"Sure," the beta smiled. "Mr. Lee has a computer upstairs, in his office."
Renjun nervously giggled, "I'm more into handwritten letters..."
"Even better! Wait for me in the dining room, I'll bring everything necessary to you."
Jaemin's smile was so warm that the omega felt absorbed by it. It was so soft and caring that he felt safe and calm around the beta. There was no way he was that type of a beta who liked to insert himself into the life of an alpha and omega. Staring at the economist's back when he left the room, Renjun was certain he could trust Jaemin and maybe even tell him some of his worries. After all, it was his first time getting bought, and Jaemin knew a variety of things about Jeno that could help their relationship. But then he shook his head, remembering more of Lady Brixil's advice. He simply can't. Not only because Jaemin was very close to Jeno and exposing personal matters would be dangerous, but also because Renjun knew the beta wouldn't understand him.
Omegas were beautiful but complex human beings. Betas, who were always in the middle of the other two genders, had no skills to understand either of them. They were more intuitive people, not sensible ones.
ꕥ
Renjun counted two days spent in his new home.
Jaemin introduced him to the new cleaning schedule. He claimed he changed it and added more details as now Renjun would help him out. In short, there was a lot to do, and the schedule was three papers long, very informative but clear enough for the omega to memorize.
They split up the jobs, and Renjun was glad to get most of it done on the first floor. Doing dishes was the easiest job in the new home. After all, only two people enjoyed the food, so there was nothing much to do. Renjun liked to clean the kitchen surfaces more and wander around the dining room, cleaning the table and making sure there wasn't a single crumb on the expensive carpet.
He was fond of the kitchen the most, but the living room followed right after. He liked cleaning dust and watering the plants, cleaning the floor, and making sure everything was in place. Once in a while, he stopped to look at the paintings, then would admire vases and statues. He also loved the Kitty Room, and with Jaemin's permission, he took good care of them. Lucy and Luke had already fallen in love with him, but Luna was still cautious.
When the beta worked on the first floor, he was in the laundry room and garage, and on the third floor, where the newcomer hadn't been yet. He briefly heard there was Jeno's office, and it was the place where Jaemin brought him stuff to write the letter. But what more was there? Renjun had no clue but knew he'd have to ask the economist soon.
The second floor with all the bedrooms was the floor where they both appeared. Jaemin was in charge of his own room, and Renjun could easily take care of his. It wasn't like this at first. The beta wanted to handle everything himself, but the omega politely protested, avoiding letting the economist come into his room.
"I'm a professional cleaner, okay? I know how to deal with bedrooms," Jaemin pretended to get offended, but that he wasn't taking it too seriously was evident from his following remark, "It's not like you have underwear tossed everywhere in the room, right?"
"I don't do stuff like this!" Renjun's face flushed, and he accidentally let his anger come out.
Embarrassed, the omega closed his mouth, but the beta was neither surprised nor angry. Instead, Jaemin laughed.
"What a tough guy!"
Anyway, Jaemin suggested they'd take care of the Master Bedroom together, so the previous night, it was Renjun's first time stepping inside the pureblood alpha's personal space. As expected, the bed was huge, and when the omega realized that one day he'd lie there with his alpha, his cheeks slightly tinted pink. He had to control himself before Jaemin could notice and followed the beta to the curtains. Not only did the home economist show the omega how to open them and that it was necessary to open and close them each morning and night, but he also said that opening the window was necessary too. Apart from that, everything in the pureblood's room needed extra care. Jaemin said he was allergic to cat fur but to dust too, so they couldn't leave a single dust behind even if the master wasn't planning to return soon.
"That's the painting," Jaemin said, pointing at an abnormal-sized painting above the headboard, "you shouldn't touch it. Jeno, or Mr. Lee, painted it himself, and although it kind of looks ugly, he treasures it so much that he doesn't let anyone touch it."
Renjun looked at the gold-colored frame and then locked his eyes on the painting. It didn't have a clear theme like the rest of the paintings in the house. No animals, scenery, or people, just a bunch of dark colors, painted on top of each other creating a chaotic first impression. But as an art enthusiast, the omega liked what he saw.
"That's honestly so pretty," Renjun said, a bit mesmerized.
"Oh, don't lie," Jaemin shook his head. "Everyone says this, and I'm always the only one disagreeing."
"No, it is... It seems like Mr. Lee has a lot on his mind."
"Well, you're partly right. Jeno sometimes feels pressured by society. But he's doing so well!
Although the last words Jaemin said should've stuck in the omega's head, as the alpha was fine, the latter thought more about the first part of the sentence. Jeno was pressured by society? Why? He was perfection. A pureblood alpha...
"So, we're not allowed to clean it?" he cleared his throat, reapproaching the topic.
"He cleans it himself. That's the only thing he cleans, so I'm very proud!" Jaemin said, then laughed.
The more Renjun walked around these two floors, the more he learned about the house layout. Of course, it was way easier than projecting the house. Even when the omega was sure he had memorized everything on the first and second floors and was down to see what happened on the third, he knew the house projection must've been way harder.
Before he could politely and naturally ask about the third floor, Jaemin led him there himself. Walking past other rooms, they stopped by one particular. It was a room smaller than the others, but it had chairs, and, most importantly, a piano. Renjun squealed as he saw the last object and turned to the beta to ask whether he could play it. He wasn't begging. Just fidgeted his fingers as he asked for the beta's permission, and he looked at him with a shy smile and glistering eyes.
Jaemin stared at the omega for a few seconds, then chuckled, "What a nice pair of eyes you have! Make sure to use this innocent gun against Jeno."
Renjun blinked in surprise. What?
"Also, don't ask for my permission. You're the one who should be in charge here, even when Jeno has no clue about you. You're the future Mr. Lee, too."
Renjun thanked the beta with a simple "Thank you", purposely not adding "for letting me use the piano" as he, too, realized that even when the beta was like his future mate's assistant, he was a beta after all. Renjun's position was a little higher just because he was about to be claimed by the head of the house. Usually, an omega would be at the lowest part of the chain, but Renjun's situation was different. He wasn't here to be a servant.