Chapter Text
“And that is a wrap!”
The burst of applause filled the studio the moment the lead photographer called it. Assistants unclipped lights, stylists swarmed with touch-up kits, someone somewhere cheered loud enough to startle a lighting rig. The faint chemical tang of hairspray mixed with the warm scent of coffee and prop glue that always clung to sets.
Taehyung exhaled slowly—soft, strawberry-sweet Omega pheromones curling around him without conscious effort, calming the buzzing crew rather than overwhelming them. He bowed his head politely as the cake was carried out, candles flickering against the harsh white studio lights. After the team’s chorus of “congratulations!”, he blew out the candles, cut the cake, fed a stylist a piece, laughed at a joke he barely heard, and slipped away for a quick change.
The moment his shoes were off and he slid into the backseat of the car, he groaned.
“What’s next?” he mumbled, voice rough around the edges.
Soobin tapped something into his tablet. “A gala tonight. Industry big-shot event. You’re on the VIP list.”
Taehyung draped an arm over his eyes. “Do I really need to go?”
“You have to—it’s important for PR.” Soobin’s tone was gentle but firm. He’d perfected that balance with Taehyung over the years.
Taehyung peeked out from under his arm. “Are you coming with me?”
“Of course,” Soobin answered without looking up. “I always do.”
Taehyung fell asleep to the soft hum of the road and the grounding musk-clean scent of Soobin’s Beta pheromones—steady, familiar, reminding him he wasn’t alone.
He woke only when Soobin shook his knee.
“Tae, we’re here. Final fitting.”
The boutique’s interior was all velvet and champagne-colored lighting. Jimin practically flew toward him the moment he walked in.
“There you are, sleeping beauty,” Jimin said, hands on hips, eyes sparkling. “Come, come. Dress.”
Taehyung stepped into the fitting room, and minutes later stepped out wearing the gala outfit—the one Jimin had designed specifically for him. The fabric hugged his waist, flared dramatically, and shimmered like molten pewter under the lights.
“Can I please get something to drink?”
And just like that two of Jimin’s assistant went into the back of the store to get the Omega’s favorite drink that was always stacked on the strict order of Jimin.
Taehyung twirled, staring at himself from every angle. “Wow, Jimin-ie…”
Jimin sniffed dramatically, brushing imaginary tears from his cheeks. “You look like a scandal waiting to happen. Perfect. I think I outdid myself once again.” He pretended to wipe off the fake tears.
Taehyung laughed—and then a soft wave of citrus-warm Omega scent escaped him, involuntary but content. Jimin wrinkled his nose with affection.
“Stop scenting when you’re happy. I can’t keep up.”
“You love it,” Taehyung teased.
“I do, but still.”
“You love it. Admit it.”
Jimin side eyed him and then smiled. A smile that Taehyung caught.
Soobin stepped in, adjusting Taehyung’s collar with practiced hands. “We should get moving. Red carpet opens in forty minutes.”
The ride there was nothing but silence with jazz playing softly in the background. Taehyung went through five pages of questions and how he has to respond to questions that will be thrown at him. Most of them just direct the question back at them. He threw the sheets beside him, a sigh and then a groan escaping his mouth. The dress was perfect and yet his muscles craved the soft bedding of his room.
“How long do I have to be there?”
“Maximum an hour. Then we can leave.” Soobin tapped on the screen.
Taehyung looked over the seat to see what the younger was up to but all he came across were graphs and numbers.
The high buildings were left behind as they entered the more posh area of the city. He could see the event lasers emitting in the night sky. Just an hour and then he would be back in his penthouse, in his nest, surrounded by scents that will make him fall asleep. Taehyung shook his head to get out of the sweet, sweet thoughts.
“We are here.” Soobin got out first.
The reporters were already clicking photos. The flashes blinding Taehyung even though the glasses were tinted.
Three knocks on the window. Three seconds till it was show time. Until it was time to socialize and drink.
The tired eyes turned to fearful ones, his pheromones making a bubble around him. The Omega was ready to become the talk of the night. Kim Taehyung, who made it in the industry at the age of 20. A successful model who made it big in his debut year by walking for Paris Fashion week and bagging major fashion houses. The one who everyone bowed down to. Five years since his first walk and everyone knew his name and who he was.
Another knock, made Taehyung open his eyes. The door opened and the flashes became ten fold.
❤︎
The gala buzzed with Alpha-heavy energy the moment they entered. Expensive colognes hung thick in the air, layered with dominant pheromone signatures Taehyung disliked—sharp, spicy, suffocating. All he wanted to do was escape from the place, go back to his place, have a nice warm bath and sleep in his nest.
His own scent blocked the others. The combination of sweet and sour hit every person as they turned towards him.
Cameras flashed instantly. He took a few steps as one of the coordinators came forward to guide him towards the red carpet. A smile so sweet that it melted everyone’s heart, walk so fearless that it made people have goosebumps, eyes so feline that it cut through people and yet a smile so soft that it almost made him look like a kindergarten teacher. People adored him, children loved him, but the Omega knew what he desired.
“Kim Taehyung! Over here!” The reporters shouted as soon as he took his place.
He posed, smiled, turned his face just so, letting the tailored outfit catch the light exactly the way Jimin designed it to. Jimin stood a few steps behind the photographers, watching proudly, arms crossed. The suit fit him perfectly, the perfect amount of flare in the pants, the sequences jutted on the cloth made him look softer.
“Who are you wearing tonight?” Someone screamed from the sea of reporters.
Taehyung looked towards Jimin, a smile reaching his eyes. Jimin blinked a few times before realising that Taehyung was calling him. They had attended shows together in the past too, so it was no surprise that Taehyung agreed when Jimin asked if he could tag along as his date for the evening had canceled.
The designer pointed at himself. He took calculated steps until he was at an arms reach from Taehyung and that is when he pulled him. The two posed together and answered a few questions before thanking and heading towards the gala. Their friendship was known by many in the industry. Two Omegas who had a shared dream of achieving, what many feared in a alpha dominated field. They shared a house for the first two years and became friends the first time they met. People loved them for their friendship and the silly lives that Jimin sometimes turned on when they were ever so lightly drunk and their words slurred. Of course they stopped after Taehyung became famous and Jimin got busy with his couture.
Inside, the ballroom glowed with warm chandeliers and soft jazz. Everyone kept moving around, with a glass of champagne or wine in their hand, most of them in couples, laughing so fake that Taehyung wanted to just walk out. The muscles in the Omega’s shoulder relaxed as soon as the music hit his ears. Jimin stayed for a few more moments before getting called by someone and left his side. Taehyung walked around, greeting, having small talk until something changed making his Omega howl. He looked around until it settled on someone.
A new scent cut through the room. The scent hung in the air making Taehyung breathe it in. Let it settle in his lungs. His eyes looked around until it set on someone. Someone who he hadn’t seen around. Not around these fake smiles and champagne in their hands. It was a new face. His eyes stopped at the said person. Their back to them. He mumbled a few curses
Dark cedar. Heat. Clean smoke. Something wild, untamed, but controlled under several tight layers of restraint. The scent made Taehyung feel things in the pit of his stomach. Something that he hadn’t felt in a really long time. The scent lingered in the air everywhere he went. From that moment on, he felt it everywhere he went. Those eyes and that scent.
An Alpha. Well that was obvious, yet Taehyung was drawn to the scent. He had great restraint when it came to these situations, pretending that it did not effect him at all. An executive of a fashion brand company approached him. It started with a greeting and a kiss on the back of his hand proceeding to conversing about how the industry is looking like. Still the Omega found it hard to stand and converse on a topic that he was least interested in and stared his way.
Taehyung felt him before he saw him. His eyes trained on the Alpha’s side profile. By this time the alpha had crossed the room and was talking to someone too.
Then their eyes met across the ballroom—the said alpha was in a perfectly fitted black suit, broad shoulders, jaw sharp enough to draw blood. His expression unreadable. Eyes sharp yet a kind of spark that he hadn't seen anywhere else. As if he had found something in him. His Alpha scent dipped, then flared for the smallest fraction of a second, like he’d lost control before catching himself.
Taehyung’s breath stuttered. He hoped that no one else caught onto it. In the room full of strangers it felt as if they were the only ones present.
His gaze dragged down his figure once—slow, assessing, almost challenging—and then flicked back to his eyes.
They passed each other only briefly as their entourages moved—barely brushing shoulders, not saying a word. Their bodies in close proximity, in each other's bubble, arms touched lightly, scents mingling ever so lightly. They felt it. Their eyes and that edge.
Lingering.
Curious.
Something electric crackled between them, silent but undeniable.
Jimin whispered under his breath, smirking, “Oh, that is going to be trouble.”
Taehyung said nothing when he finally stood beside him.
But his scent—soft citrus and warm vanilla—spiked just enough that Jungkook paused mid-step. he stood there in the middle of the room, an expensive suit, a twenty thousand dollar watch, and a glass of champagne in his hand.
“You know him?” Taehyung asked Jimin.
Jimin was quite shocked by the question as if Taehyung had asked something that everyone knew except for him.
“Uh.. yeah Tae. That is Jeon Jungkook. Big shot photographer, young and eligible bachelor. He earns in billions Tae. Remember that gallery I was pestering you about, that was his.”
Somehow the words that left Jimin’s mouth next went unheard. Jungkook had turned around, his eyes never faltering. It was as if those two were the only ones there. One moment they were there, next Taehyung had disappeared and then they just stared at each other for the rest of the night. Somehow when Soobin had come to tell him that they could leave, all the tiredness had left the Omega. All he wanted to do was look towards him, from a safe distance so that there is no scandal.
He hoped to see the Alpha yet he was nowhere to be found. So he left, two hours later, hoping to see him around.
˙✧˖°📸⋆｡˚
The morning after the gala came far too quickly.
Taehyung woke to a buzzing phone, face buried in a pillow that still faintly smelled of Jimin’s laundry detergent from the sleepover the night before. He groaned, reaching blindly for the device. It took a few takes until he had his phone in his hand.
Soobin: Wake up. Emergency meeting at the agency. 45 minutes. Wear something neutral.
Taehyung blinked. Neutral?
That only meant one thing: the board needed him polished, diplomatic, and impossible to blame.
“Oh no,” he muttered, dragging a hand down his face. “What happened now?”
He didn’t have to wait long to find out. He was out in the next fifteen minutes, the car already waiting in the parking lot. He changed quickly, a quick bite and was running out of his place.
At the agency, Soobin pulled him into a conference room with the kind of tight-lipped calm Beta pheromones that he only used when he was stressed but pretending not to be.
“The gala pictures,” Soobin said, sliding a tablet across the table.
Taehyung’s stomach dropped.
Every major outlet had used the same exact picture:
Jungkook walking past him.
Their eyes locked.
The air between them practically crackling.
Headlines screamed:
“JEON JUNGKOOK AND KIM TAEHYUNG’S TENSE FIRST ENCOUNTER?”
“FASHION’S ALPHA AND OMEGA: NEW POWER DUO?”
“GLANCE THAT SHOOK THE INDUSTRY.”
So it happened after all. So many years in the industry and here Taehyung had his first scandal. The one where he hoped that it wouldn't.
Taehyung scrolled, cheeks flushing. “This wasn’t even anything. I just– just looked at him. Why in the world is this even making the headlines.” The omega groaned as he skimmed the comments.
“That’s the problem,” Soobin sighed. “It’s nothing — but it looks like something. And the board wants to capitalize before someone else does.”
“Capitalize how? I am not an object, you know. What the hell do they even want?”
Before Soobin could answer, Taehyung’s phone lit up with Jimin calling.
“Tae, did you see?” Jimin screamed loud enough to make him wince. The omega was still very much parched and hadn’t eaten or had his morning coffee.
“I did, Mimi. I am at the company.”
“So what are they saying?”
Soobin hesitated. “A collaboration. A joint shoot. ASAP.”
Taehyung stared. “With him? But he is not a model.”
“Soobin,” Jimin cut in dramatically, arms crossed as he entered the room, “say the name. We’re not summoning a demon.”
Soobin exhaled. “Jeon Jungkook.”
Taehyung almost fell back in his chair.
“Never works with models twice,” Soobin added.
“—doesn’t take commercial shoots unless bribed with a year's worth of equipment,” Jimin contributed.
“But it is you, Tae. Do you really think that anyone can make you sway, much less cry?”
Taehyung stays silent. He wished Jimin had told him earlier about who he was, not just how handsome he looked but also how brutal all this new information was.
“Don’t overthink this. You are not like others. You are Kim Taehyung. Don’t forget how much people are scared of you. Plus all of these are just rumors. The picture that is going viral is anything but a proof that Jungkook too couldn’t take his eyes off you.”
Soobin didn’t deny it.
“They want him and you,” he said. “Eye contact alone went viral. Imagine a full editorial.”
Soobin ignored him. “The shoot is in three days. His studio. Private venue. Contract’s being finalized.”
“And even though the Board wants it,” Jimin added, “Seokjin hyung is the CEO. You know that he won’t let you or for that matter anyone else do anything they don’t want to. So the final decision really lies with you Tae, if you want to or not.”
Soobin muttered, “This is either going to end up being nothing… or make it explode in ways no one could predict.”
Taehyung swallowed hard. Who knew a glance across the room could bring so much change in a night.
Three days.
Three days until they stood an arm’s length apart.
Three days until whatever that electric moment at the gala was… ignited or imploded.
He didn’t know which scared him more.
The first thing Jin asked when Tae sat down was if he wanted to or not. The board members looked at him, all of them staring down as if trying to tell him telepathically to say yes. Then he looked at Jin, whose looked stern yet he could see the softness behind them.
“Sure.”
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and then clapped and cheered, congratulating each other and then Taehyung, wishing him well for the shoot.
All he hoped for now was the day to come so he could meet the said Alpha again.
˙✧˖°📸⋆｡˚
The day came sooner than expected. Taehyung had three days to prepare himself to come face to face with Jungkook. Which he decided to do by enjoying his peace, nesting, watching his favorite movies and going on a shopping spree with Jimin. Yet he did spent every waking moment surfing through the net trying to dig information about the Alpha.
It is easier said than done when he declared to Jimin how he won’t be thinking about the shoot or Jungkook at all.
The location where the shoot was supposed to happen was at the opposite side of the city, which meant that the omega had to wake up six hours before the scheduled time for traveling. Even though he slept the whole way there didn’t compensate for his sore muscles.
“So this is the place?” Taehyung removed his sunglasses as he stepped out, to look at the place.
It was a four story building with the top floor made of glass panels. A big Golden Studios logo was right in the middle, the word itself in golden with studios in white.
The vibe inside the building was impeccable. For some reason, the moment Taehyung stepped inside, the air felt… different.
Not heavy.
Not hostile.
But charged — like walking into the calm center of a brewing storm.
The lobby was all polished concrete, exposed brick, and tall windows that bathed the space in morning light. Assistants moved briskly, clipboards in hand, the smell of coffee and something chemical — maybe prop glue — lingering in the air.
A Beta intern almost tripped when she recognized him.
“O–oh! Kim Taehyung-ssi! Welcome to Golden Studios!”
Since when do studios get this nervous?
Taehyung smiled politely, adjusting the strap of his bag. “Morning.”
Two stylists whispered loudly enough for him to hear:
“Is he in one of his moods today?”
“I don’t know, but he asked for the lighting rig to be changed three times.”
“He hasn’t even had breakfast.”
“God help whoever stands in front of his camera.”
Taehyung’s eyebrow twitched. So the rumors weren’t completely exaggerated.
Soobin stepped beside him, voice low. “Remember, Tae… he’s particular. Don’t take it personally.”
“I won’t,” Taehyung whispered back. “I came here to work, not bond with him.”
Which was true.
Mostly.
Hopefully.
They followed an assistant up two flights of stairs. The hum of machinery and soft chatter grew louder. The third floor opened into a wide studio: white drapes, towering lights, stacks of equipment, and technicians adjusting rigs with practiced ease.
And in the center of it—
Jeon Jungkook.
Back turned.
All-black outfit.
Sleeves rolled to his elbows.
Tattoo peeking out as he tightened a lens cap. Taehyung stumbled on the last set of stairs, earning a gasp from Soobin, making everyone turn around. Jungkook too turned, his eyes trained on Taehyung, looking at him as if he was a deer caught in headlights. Without a word he turned back to the his camera. He did not expect tattoos. Hell he did not expect for it to be a full arm, and from what it looked like maybe the whole arm?
“Careful there.” Soobin whispered.
The tattoos ignited something in the Omega that he did not think existed in him. He could smell his scent getting sweeter by the minute, the suppressants weren’t really doing their job. The studio itself had a lot of scents yet the Alpha’s scent felt more prominent, unmistakably present — clean cedar layered with something dark, like warm smoke curling at the edges. Controlled tightly, but not enough to hide the underlying bite.
Taehyung felt it brush over his skin.
Not invasive.
Just… aware. The same way it felt when they were at the gala. But it felt more clear this time.
Jungkook didn’t look up as he spoke. His voice was low, clipped, efficient.
“Lighting test in ten. Background B. And someone tell Jihoon to fix that top rig before it collapses. I’m not babysitting equipment today.”
Taehyung tilted his head.
Okay. So the man was… intense.
It was only when Soobin stepped forward to clear his throat that Jungkook finally turned.
His eyes landed on Taehyung.
Paused.
Held.
Something unreadable flickered across his face — annoyance? surprise? recognition? — before he schooled it back into neutrality.
“You’re early,” Jungkook said.
Taehyung lifted a shoulder casually. “Traffic was kind to me.”
Jungkook blinked once, slowly.
He turned back to his camera. “Go to styling. They’ll prep you.”
Taehyung raised an eyebrow at Soobin, who winced apologetically.
But Taehyung wasn’t letting the Alpha get away with that cold dismissal so easily.
He walked forward two steps, voice smooth.
“You give all your models that warm welcome, or am I just special?”
A couple of staff members froze.
One stylist quietly muttered, “Oh my god.”
Jungkook’s jaw flexed.
Slowly — almost reluctantly — he looked up again.
And Taehyung saw it.
The shift.
The faintest spark of interest breaking through the annoyance.
A quiet, assessing pause.
Like Jungkook was recalibrating every assumption he had made in the last twenty seconds.
He didn’t reply.
Just stared.
Taehyung smiled like a challenge. “I’ll take that as special.”
He walked toward the styling room before anyone could stop him.
Behind him, Jungkook exhaled — barely audible — and muttered something to himself.
The next time Taehyung saw him was thirty minutes later, when he stepped onto set fully dressed.
Jungkook didn’t speak.
Didn’t greet him.
Didn’t tell him what pose to start with.
He just lifted his camera.
Looked through the lens.
And everything went still.
Taehyung felt the air tighten as their gazes aligned through the circle of black glass. Jungkook’s scent flickered — cedar sharpened with something hot, startled — before he forced it back down.
Click.
Click.
Click.
The room disappeared.
Only the two of them remained. Maybe it was the scent that grabbed Taehyung’s attention. Or it was how the Alpha looked at him in between changing lenses. Taehyung knew what he was doing anyhow. The photoshoot was for a magazine. One of the best in the country that asked Jungkook and Taehyung’s company to come together. And here they were now. Shooting for the editorial. The concept wasn’t really challenging itself for the two, it was a challenge when it came to the silence that they didn’t know what it meant.
Then Jungkook lowered the camera with a tight, unreadable line of his mouth.
“Come here,” he said quietly. “I need to adjust your angle.”
Taehyung walked closer — too close — and Jungkook’s fingers brushed his jaw for a split second. No one has ever talked to Taehyung that way. Hell, he doesn’t even know why he listened to that voice. But The Omega in him compiled. He was hard to tame yet he was here, listening to the voice of an alpha.
Another click.
Another silent spark.
The staff held their breath.
After a dozen shots, Jungkook stepped away abruptly, expression carved from stone.
He walked to his laptop, plugged in the camera, and pulled up the first photo.
The screen lit up with Taehyung’s face — sharp, magnetic, impossible to look away from.
Jungkook froze.
Not pleased.
Not impressed.
But irritated — like something had slipped through his defenses without permission.
His jaw clenched.
He clicked the image again, harder than necessary.
Taehyung watched from a distance, heat curling in his stomach.
Something dangerous had begun.
And Jungkook knew it.
Hated it.
Couldn’t look away.