After explaining to the others why Seokjin and I slept with each other despite saying that we weren't going to, everyone in the apartment knows about all his secrets. He looked very nervous and scared when telling them, but I think he's relieved now that they know. I'm just glad he's deciding to open up, not that he really had much choice when Jimin keeps pressuring us for details.
"And you'll stop using the drug?" Namjoon asks.
"I dunno," Seokjin answers with a sigh. "I haven't thought about it yet."
"What's there to think about?" Hoseok asks. "Why would you want to start using it again? No one cares if you're an omega. Sure, there aren't many other male omegas out there, but they do exist. I don't see why you need to hide it in the first place."
"Exactly," Jimin chimes in. "Especially not now that you and Jungkook are-"
I shush him and cover his mouth just in case. I still haven't told Seokjin how I feel and I'm not about to let Jimin do it for me. Jimin licks my hand to make me let go of him and I wipe the spit off on his shirt. We glare at each other until something lights up in his eyes and he snaps his fingers.
"No way! You guys fucked, but you didn't tell him-"
"Quiet!" I say and cover his mouth again.
Jimin says something else, but it only becomes muffled sounds behind my hand.
"But really though, why would you want to keep using the drug?" Yoongi asks while giving me and Jimin a stern look to try and get things back on track.
"It's complicated. The decision wasn't mine to begin with, and honestly it's easier to live as a beta," Seokjin answers.
"But you're not a beta."
"No, but the rest of the world thinks I am. It even says so on my documentation papers."
The room goes silent from his casual statement.
"Wait, you forged your papers?" Namjoon asks. "But I thought you said the only time you'd been in heat before was during your presentation? They fill out the information about the subgenders right away, so how can it say that you're a beta?"
"Uh... long story," Seokjin says with a shrug. "Either way there are a lot of things I have to take into consideration before deciding what to do, but at the moment I'm leaning more towards not using the drug."
I let out a cheer of joy, but quickly stop when no one else joins me. I awkwardly lower my head to let them continue talking.
"How do you even get these drugs anyways?" Taehyung asks. "Shouldn't that be pretty damn expensive? Working two part-time jobs is barely enough to pay your tuition, so surely you can't afford buying that stuff?"
"No, I don't buy them per se. They get sent to me."
Everyone looks very confused by that.
"What do you mean?"
Seokjin sighs and glances at me before leaning forward in his chair.
"I guess I might as well tell you guys everything. You know the big company that sells heat suppressants and shit?"
"Of course, it's kinda hard to miss," Hoseok says. "There are billboards and posters about it everywhere. They have monopoly on the entire business at this point."
"Yeah, well... the founder of that company was my grandpa and the current owner is my dad."
I actually gasp in shock, and I'm not alone. All of us are shocked by his confession.
"That rich, snobby-looking guy on the billboards is your dad?!" Jimin asks. "Why have you never told us?! Actually, there are a lot of things you should have told us earlier, but that is very high up on the list!"
"I didn't tell you because I wasn't allowed to. Technically I'm still not allowed to, but I've spilled to many secrets already, so this is pretty insignificant in comparison. The point is that my dad makes those drugs at one of his factories and gives them to me. It's been like that for ten years now."
"OK, stop for a moment," Namjoon says and massages his temples as he tries to wrap his head around all of this. "Your dad is a millionaire, and yet you live here with us and work two jobs just to pay your tuition? Why? I'm not complaining, I just think it's a bit strange because he should have more than enough money to support you."
Seokjin laughs a little at the question and I get a bad feeling of what he's about to say.
"My dad doesn't send me any money because he disowned me."
Taehyung who was drinking water spits it out in shock, and manages to get it all over Yoongi's face.
"Oops. Sorry," he says and Yoongi glares at him in silence, probably plotting a murder.
"Um, Hyung, care to explain a bit more about that?" Jimin says and I nod vigorously in agreement.
"Let's just say that Dad wasn't pleased when I was showing early signs of becoming an omega. He took me to several private doctors and they all concluded that I'd probably turn out to be one. He didn't like that and made some of his scientists work on a stronger suppressant in hopes of making me a beta, or at least less like an omega. He forced me to start using the drug when I was fourteen, and everything was kind of normal until I had my presentation. My omega hormones reacted and Dad bribed the doctor to write that I was a beta in the documentation papers. I thought we'd be fine after that if I just kept taking the drug, but my dad stopped talking to me after it was clear to him that I was an omega."
"But why didn't he want you to be an omega?" I ask, and when Seokjin looks up at me I can see buried feelings of sadness in them.
"Because my dad isn't particularly fond of omegas. You see, he's an alpha, one with a superiority complex at that. He sees omegas as less human and thinks of them as nothing more than toys for alphas to play with. To him male omegas are pretty much the spawn of Satan, so he stopped talking to me and made my mom do the same. Funny enough, my mom is an omega and since he's mated with that asshole it's very difficult for her to go against him. To be fair it's difficult for anyone to go against him. He's too powerful."
"So you got kicked out?" Taehyung asks.
"No, I left. If my family ignores me most of the time and the few times they do talk to me it's something degrading, then I might as well just leave. Thankfully I found this place not too long after I started university, so I moved out from my family home then. I get no economical support from my family, but they still send me the drug so that in case someone finds out I'm related to my dad, they at least won't know that I'm an omega. Apparently that's more important to him than someone finding out that he disowned his own child."
No one really knows what to say to that and Seokjin just anxiously fiddles with his shirt. To think that his own parents would do that to him. It must've been awful. My parents are so kind and sweet that I have no idea what he must've felt like.
Namjoon clears his throat and puts his hand on Seokjin's shoulder with a comforting smile.
"At least you have a family here with us. We're here for you and we'll accept you for who you are, Hyung. We love you."
"Right!" Jimin says and gets up from his chair to give Seokjin a hug. "If your family sucks then you just have to make your own! We're glad to have you here."
Seokjin blinks as he takes in what they just said. Slowly but surely his lips stretch into a big smile and his eyes sparkle with joy. I honestly don't think he's ever been more beautiful.
"Aw, shit," Hoseok sniffles. "You're gonna make me cry!"
"Group hug!" Jimin yells out and we all get up from our seats to bundle up around Seokjin.
"I've seen you guys as my family for a long time already," Taehyung says and Hoseok actually starts crying at that.
"So have I!" Jimin says happily. "I've already decided everyone's roles. Seokjin-hyung is the mom that takes care of us, Yoongi-hyung is the crafty dad that solves all our problems, Namjoon-hyung is the smart older brother, Hoseok-hyung is the not-so-smart older brother, I'm the charming, fun sibling that everyone loves the most, Taehyung is my straight gamer boyfriend, and Jungkook is everyone's baby even though he's the only alpha. Although, I suppose it's a bit of a strange family considering the mom and the baby-"
I reach out and cover Jimin's mouth for the third time during this meeting and thankfully he doesn't struggle to try and spill the beans.
"Well, even if it's a strange family it's our family," Yoongi says with a smile, and it makes Hoseok cry even more.
I manage to lock eyes with Seokjin during the hug and he looks so content and happy. I love him. I've been thinking all day about how I'm going to tell him and I think I finally have the perfect solution considering who I'm dealing with. I've come to the conclusion that no matter his answer I'm going to be happy about it because at least I've told him how I feel. It'll be fine even if he rejects me because I'll die knowing that he knows that someone loves him.
Once the hug is over and Hoseok has stopped crying, I start mustering up my courage. This is it. I'm gonna do it. I'm gonna do it! I carefully tap Seokjin's shoulder to get his attention and he turns around with a smile.
"Could you come with me for a few minutes?" I ask.
"Sure," he says with a shrug and follows me as I walk out on the balcony.
I shut the glass door behind us and quickly realize how cold it is out here. Seokjin runs his hands over his arms to warm up a bit and there's smoke coming out of our mouths as we breathe. I'm not out on the balcony very often, so I almost forgot we even had one. It's dark outside and it's actually really pretty to look out over the city with all it's lights. I should definitely try sitting out here when spring comes.
"Oh! Look, it's snowing!" Seokjin says and holds out his hands to try and catch the snowflakes.
The scene of him in the falling snow is something I'll never forget. His cute blond locks, his rich brown eyes, the scenery behind him, and most of all the look of pure joy on his face. It's amazing. He's amazing.
"So? Why'd you take me out here?"
I clear my throat and swallow my spit in preparation for what I'm about to say.
"What did the alpha say to the omega after their one-night-stand?"
Seokjin crooks an eyebrow at me in confusion while I feel my hands starting to shake both from the cold and from nervousness.
"You took me out here in the cold to tell a joke?" he asks with a slightly amused look.
Oh no. I didn't consider the chance that he wouldn't play along. I can't let this fail now! This has to work! I don't have any other backup plans!
"What did the alpha say to the omega after their one-night-stand?" I ask again, a bit more confident this time.
"Uh... I dunno? What did he-"
"I love you."