Chapter Text
SEOUL, SOUTH KOREA. SHON APARTMENT. INT. 21:29.
“WELCOME BACK TO KOREA BROCHACHO!” Jaemin greets with a huge grin. “I MISSED YOU!”
Both Yujin and Yunjin wince at Jaemin's enthusiasm in the form of ear torture. Yujin is squished by the other alpha's tight hug. Yujin tries to pull away, but Jaemin has succeeded in attaching himself to the alpha like a koala.
“I missed you so much, bro!” The alpha continues.
“We literally saw each other last week.” Yujin deadpans but hugs him back as tightly anyway.
Jaemin gasps as if he is deeply offended.
“You! Why are you invalidating my feelings!” He exclaims with a frown on his face.
Yunjin winces and hits her twin brother’s shoulder, making the alpha pout.
“Yah! Shon Jaemin, are you trying to copy mom's high notes? You're too loud!” The omega scolds with an annoyed expression.
However, Jaemin pulls away dramatically and places his hand on his chest.
“I'm not ashamed that my mother is Park Jihyo!”
Yujin shakes her head at the two’s loud banter. “You could use a little bit of Shon Seungwan-ssi's composure.”
In response, Yunjin simply rolls her eyes and crosses her arms. Jaemin, on the other hand, merely shrugs and remains grinning.
“He's nothing like dad. He's Park Jihyo's son. Of course, he's loud.” The omega sighs.
“And so are you,” Yujin says.
The omega frowns and was about to rebut, but then, Yujin hugs Yunjin tightly. The tall alpha having missed the omega due to them actually not seeing each other for a while.
It truly has been a while because Yunjin studies in France, while Jaemin and Yujin study in California.
Yunjin pretends to hate it, but softens up after the alpha's sincerity becomes evident to her senses.
“I missed you, too, Benito.”
The omega laughs loudly when she pulls away and sees Yujin's reaction to the nickname.
Their banter is interrupted when Jaemin decides to lunge into their space like an attention-deprived golden retriever.
“My favorite trio is back together!” He yells, crushing the two in his arms with the happiest grin.
“JAEMIN!!!”
###
SEOUL, SK. TAXI. INT. 00:42
“This is going to be fun!” Jaemin says whilst scrolling through his phone, probably looking at nearby shops and trendy food places for later.
“This is making me sleepy.” Yujin yawns.
The male alpha turns his head towards Yujin and glares playfully, elbowing her slightly. “Boo, you virgin. Has Caltech succeeded in making you an incel?”
Yunjin lets out a chuckle, making Yujin flash her middle finger to the omega, in which she simply responds to by a putting her hands in front of her and shrugging slightly.
The female alpha then looks at Jaemin. “Like your business program is any better. All you do is train to be a privileged asshole.” Yujin rolls her eyes.
“So? At least it's cool. You're taught to be a virgin and solve math.” Jaemin dismisses, unaffected.
“And you're a nepo ba-“
The omega interrupts, “Okay, that's enough slander.”
Jaemin simply responds with a quiet ‘okay’ and Yujin remains frowning.
“Call it whatever you want, Engineer Yoo. But we're going out tonight and that's for sure.” Yunjin pats her back. “Where's the Gangnam party animal in you?”
“Yeah! I don't think Caltech and its virgin population could take away the manwhore in you.”
Yujin sighs. Jaemin grins again.
“Fine.”
And from thereon, Yujin’s personal circus and hell starts.
###
GANGNAM, SOUTH KOREA. IV CLUB. INT. 2AM.
Everything is blurry. Yujin tries to look at her watch but all she manages to see is the steady movement of the clock's little hand. The alpha squints to the best of her ability but her efforts are proven ineffective as she stares at her watch blankly, forgetting why she was even looking.
She feels a hand on her shoulder, making her look up.
“What time is it?” Yuna, her high school friend, asks.
“I don't know!” Yujin practically yells, resulting in Yuna giving her a ‘what the fuck?’ look.
The beta is evidently drunk, swaying and clutching her head. Most probably from all the 15-second shots that their other friends made the losers in rock, paper, and scissors do.
Yujin gives up and just closes her eyes, paying the beta no mind and removing her glasses before stumbling to where she thinks the bathroom is, her phone and wallet carelessly forgotten somewhere in their table.
And that's where her memory log ends.
###
SEOUL, SK. DOC'S APARTMENT. INT. 11AM.
Yujin is woken up by the ruinous ringing of her cellphone. The vibration is against her bedframe, making the annoyance increase about a thousand times.
After about 15 minutes of pretending the phone doesn't exist and she is not awake, Yujin relents and surrenders.
Without checking the contact name, she answers the call.
“Who the fuck is this?” The alpha answers angrily, extremely grumpy due to her bad hangover.
“Yoo Yujin.”
Yujin sits up and immediately looks at the contact name.
She wishes she didn't answer.
The electronic device flashes the name: Mother
“M-mom. Fu-Sorry! I didn't check the contact name. Good morning!” Yujin sits up and looks at the time.
“Where are you? Where were you?” The adult omega asks calmly, as if she isn’t about to murder her pup.
Yujin thinks of a lie. A mistake that she’ll remember until the end of time.
“Oh...I was at the Shon’s apartment, eomma. Now I'm at daddy's old place.” She tries to say as convincingly and as calmly as she can.
“Are you sure?” Yujin realizes that she’s fucked.
However, regardless of her awareness of that fact, she still stands by her lie.
“Yes, mom. Of course. Why? What's happening? Is everything okay?”
“Yes. Everything is fine.” The alpha exhales.
“Oh...o-“ Yujin is cut off.
“Except maybe for the fact that the media is feasting over a video of you osculating with an idol last night.” Nayeon declares as if she is making a statement about the weather.
“Oh, right. That's good.”
Yujin pauses. She closes her eyes and opens them. She closes her eyes again, opens them, looks at her hands, and then looks back at the contact name.
Just to be sure, she touches the plant on her bedside.
And when she feels the smooth and precisely sculpted ridges and creases, she knows that she fucked around last night and is about to find out.
“Oh.” The alpha says dumbly.
“Someone will pick you up in 10.”
The call ends. Yujin buries her face into her hands, simultaneously laughing and cursing herself. After her brief display of mental instability, she enters the shower and tries to drown herself.
While being coddled by the strong flow of water, Yujin realizes, really realizes, what her mother said.
Yujin contemplates between using the fire escape and faking her death. She thinks about Jaemin and Yunjin and how they all got home. She thinks about how she got here when they all agreed that she would sleep over at the Shon’s.
Who did she mess with last night?
###
SEOUL, SK. CAR. INT. 13:00.
The first thing that her mother's security did when they picked her up was take her phone, snatching it from her hand the moment she got close to them. The tall men with suits and sunglasses paying no mind to her offended and pissed expression.
Yujin wanted to give them a piece of her mind but decided against so after being reminded of her media fuck-up. The worst kind of fuck-up you can do as the child of a government official, more so as the child of the fucking President of South Korea. A fuck-up that she can’t defend herself from because she does not even remember.
A fuck-up that she is sure that she will be whipped and stoned for.
Yujin loved her mother and the good she had done for South Korea. However, as she sits in the Seoul traffic, conditions comparable to a criminal waiting for the electric chair, she wishes there was just a little more corruption.
Just enough to make the traffic longer and enough for her to prepare for the guillotine she seemingly volunteered for after agreeing to go out and party last night.
Very controversial and selfish but Yujin knows that she’d rather be jailed and fined than face her mother’s merciless wrath.
Unfortunately (Good for South Korea), good governance gets Yujin to her mother's office in 15 minutes.
When she enters the all-too-familiar gates of The Blue House, Yujin starts reciting Our Father and Hail Mary in every language she knows.
###
SEOUL, SK. THE BLUE HOUSE. INT. 13:30.
“Good afternoon, Pup.” The President greets when she hears the doors of her office open.
Yujin does not want to look up. Unbeknownst to her, Nayeon's eyes remained steady on the document in front of her, seemingly paying no mind to her presence.
But the alpha knows better. This is merely the calm before an outrageous storm.
“Hi, Mom. Good afternoon.” Yujin manages to steady her voice and greet.
“Sit down.” Nayeon commands.
Yujin slowly walks over, tucking her hands into the pockets of her hoodie to hide their evident shaking and then mustering sufficient courage to sit on the chair in front of her mother’s table.
After a few moments of silence, or an eternity for Yujin, Nayeon speaks and finally looks up, being met with her daughter's terrified expression and stance.
“Do you have anything you desire to tell me?” She calmly waits.
“I wasn't at Jaemin and Yunjin's place last night.” Yujin confesses.
Yujin tilts her head up meeting her mother's sharp and, of course, frightening gaze. She takes a breath and continues to speak, maintaining eye contact in order to convey the genuineness of her confession.
“But I was with them and some friends. We went out to get some drinks and party to catch up with some old friends.” The alpha continues, speaking slowly in order not to make her mother angry and seem defensive.
“Was the idol you osculated with an old friend?”
Yujin closes her eyes but then opens them after being reminded that her mother hates avoidance.
“I...I don't know what you're talking about, mom. I'm sorry. I had a bit too much to drink.”
Nayeon's expression changes from neutral to evidently disappointed, staring Yujin down before reaching for a remote and turning the television placed at the center of the office.
Before the clip plays, Nayeon meets Yujin's gaze and points at the screen. The President straightens her posture, clasps her hands together, and looks expectantly at her daughter.
VIDEO. 4:32 AM. IV CLUB.
“Holy. Is that Yoo Yujin? Im Nayeon-ssi's daughter from the States? Since when has she been home?” A young man is heard, the camera shakes.
“Shibal. It is. Are you getting this?” Another voice speaks.
The camera now focuses on Yujin and a woman making out passionately in the hallway that leads to the club’s bathroom.
“Yes. Yes. The press needs to see this. Who is the girl?” A louder voice replies, the cameraman.
“Probably some nobody. Such a manwhore. Much like her sire.” The first voice comments, a snicker in his tone. “No surprise he has a mistress and some bastards.”
“No. Holy shit. No. That's fucking Jang Wonyoung. Do you see the fucking bracelet?” The camera shakes violently and then zooms, the video now at a close-up to the two’s faces.
“Fuck. Shit! It is. We're gonna get fucking rich! They'll surely pay a lot of money for this.” The man laughs loudly and exclaims. “We’re gonna be fucking millionaires!”
“Are you getting this? I'll fucking kill your family if that fucking camera is off. This is a fortune.”
The one holding the camera responds with an annoyed and hostile tone. “Yes! Yes! Shut the fuck up, we might hear some talking.”
The camera zooms out and the screen now portrays a neutral distance, enough to see the two’s full bodies and their shameless caressing.
“God, that alpha is such a fucking rake. And so is Jang Wonyoung, letting an alpha feel her publicly.”
Yujin is busy planning her suicide when the video pauses. Her desire to see the full video overridden by her immense desire to dig a hole beneath her shoes and bury herself alive.
“Do you remember now?” Nayeon focuses her gaze at Yujin.
“No, mom.”
The president shakes her head and frowns, returning her focus to the document in her hand. “Surely you must know that just because you don't remember your actions means that you won’t be held accountable for it.”
There is a reason why Yujin hates the way her siblings call her a stupid alpha. First, she does not think that she is a stupid alpha. Second, it is simply mean and a cheap way to annoy her. And third, which she will realize after she opens her mouth, is that, frankly, it is true.
“What's so wrong about kissing my girlfriend in public?” The alpha’s mouth bypasses her brain.
It was Nayeon's turn to be ridiculed.
“Girlfriend?” The documents in the President’s hands are dropped to the table.
Yujin’s heartbeat is racing but she finds the courage to stand by her lie.
“Yes, mother. Wonyoung is my girlfriend. I have a girlfriend.”
'Stupid alpha.' Yujin hears Chaewon, Doyoung, Minjeong, Beomgyu, and Eunchae sing in her head.
###
SEOUL, SK. SHON APARTMENT. INT. 20:09.
“What the fuck do you mean you told your mother, the President of South Korea, that you're dating Jang Wonyoung?” Jaemin stares at Yujin, who is sprawled out on the floor, her gaze fixed onto the chandelier above her.
The alpha sighs before sitting up and plopping down on the couch on the far opposite of Yunjin, then finally meeting Jaemin's eyes.
“I told her that there was nothing wrong with the video because Wonyoung and I love each other and have the right to show it.” Yujin explains gloomily, exhausted from the long and emotionally draining conversation she had with her mother. Whilst hangover, if she must add.
Jaemin shifts his eyes to his twin sister, who just sighs frustratedly and shakes her head.
“I love you, but this is even stupider than the time you stole Doc's Ferrari and told her that you were sleepwalking.” The omega reminds.
Yujin winces at the thought, recalling the look on her sire, Dr. Yoo Jeongyeon's face as she tried to bullshit out of her way out of trouble (and with Im Nayeon, possibly death.)
Well, she was 17 and whatever you do at 17, you must forgive yourself for. That’s the only way you can grow to be a decent adult.
“I know. I was just...scared.”
Jaemin covers his face in his hands before sitting on the couch next to Yujin, crossing his arms and calming himself, wanting to be understanding towards his best friend.
“Did Imo at least believe it?” The alpha gently asks.
“Yeah...She did.” Yujin breathes out,
The Shon twins share a look before returning their gazes to the depressed alpha in between them.
“It...turned into a fight about how she doesn't know anything about my life. How it's her fault that dad left because she never paid attention.” The alpha continues. “And why Chaewon-unnie, Minjeong-unnie, and Beom-oppa never come home anymore.”
Yunjin's hand reaches for Yujin's shoulder, giving a light pat to signal the alpha that it's safe. Jaemin, on the other hand, simply remains listening.
“And she listened to me. For the first time in years, she did. And I just...couldn't take it back because I was afraid. She was angry when I told her I was with Wonyoung and I just exploded in anger. I don’t know why.”
After a minute or two of silence, Jaemin laughs out loud and puts his arm around Yujin’s shoulder. Yunjin tries to be serious but cracks up at Jaemin’s laughter. The twins kept laughing and the disoriented and depressed Yujin shook her head, trying to act annoyed.
“Holy shit, Yujin. Bro. What the hell.” Jaemin faces Yujin, “Isn’t that your childhood dream? To crash out in front of your mom and make her regret her decisions?”
“What, no!” Yujin denies. “I was angry when I said that.”
“And you were angry earlier.” Yunjin points out, “Exactly, dude. What the fuck.”
Yujin covers her face, yelling frustatedly but failing to contain the grin brought by Jaemin and Yunjin's 2-in-1 comfort clowning and personal jester treatment.
“I know.” Yujin silently admits, taking a pillow and burying her face in it.
“Sorry to burst your bubble, bud. But if you want to pull this off, you kinda need to talk to Wonyoung.” The omega reminds, causing the clownery to die down.
Jaemin shifts into his gentle-genuine mode. “You sure about this, champ?”
Yujin breathes and smiles slightly, punching Jaemin’s shoulder. “It’s stupid. Extremely stupid but yeah. I don’t know what to do but I hope it’s not too hard considering we’re not exactly strangers.”
Flash news from the future: It will, indeed, be too hard.
###
Luckily, Yujin convinced her mother to hold on to the video for the sake of Wonyoung's career and their family's reputation. With a few pseudo-genuine lines of "We want to be the ones to decide when" and "I want to protect Wonyoung", Yujin was able to reach her mother's soft spot for her second-youngest pup.
The only thing is, Nayeon was so convinced by Yujin's acting skills, which would probably put Beomgyu's Guildhall acting degree to shame, that she wished to formally meet Wonyoung before they came out to the world.
Particularly, in a month and a half at Doyoung's pre-wedding family dinner. Which is a lot of time until Yujin realized that her dad and her siblings, whom she had not seen for a while, would be arriving in Korea.
If you ask Yujin, it's genuinely very easy to fool Im Nayeon and Yoo Jeongyeon. Her 'stupid puppy eyes', as quoted by Beomgyu, always took her off her parents' military-grade biological radar, allowing her to get away with a fair share of bullshit.
However, Chaewon Yoo, the eldest daughter and the first-born whose glare can make even Dispatch and sasaengs quiver in their socks, is a completely different story.
###
SEOUL, SK. DOC'S APARTMENT. INT. 1:47AM.
It has been four hours since Yujin surrendered herself to the comfort of the horsehair mattress and silk-feather pillows.
However, it seems like the Gods have deemed her surrender as useless and have put her in a blacklist to force her to reflect on the molten pit of bullshit that her stupidity has drove her to since landing in Korea less than three days ago.
She thinks of her siblings and how much she misses them (and also how to convince them of her 'relationship' or at least convince them to join her circus.)
Yoo Chaewon. The first-born and the eldest daughter. Ruthless, precise, composed, and genius. A cardio thoracic surgeon whose hands and mind people in her field worship. The daughter that brought pride to the entire South Korea and single-handedly increased the votes of adults and the elderly for ranking number one in Oxford Medical School. Yujin will never convince Chaewon. Even if she tried. Even thinking about trying is an overestimation of her intelligence.
She decides it's okay, though. Chaewon only likes to watch.
Yoo Doyoung. The second child and the eldest son. Sharp, passionate, warm, and protective. A lawyer who brings light to the darkest corners of the world. A renowned alumni of Harvard University. Yujin decides that she does not want to play with her beloved brother and will tell him the truth if he asks.
Yoo Minjeong. Twin number 1. The brilliant and exquisite ice princess, as dubbed by the Korean media. The favorite. A med student from Oxford University who matches her father and older sister's brilliance in medicine. Undoubtedly a medical superstar in the making. Yujin doesn't even try to devise a plan. Minjeong is merciless and worse, sees through Yujin with minimal effort. The alpha decides that she will just have to toughen up and brace herself for when her beloved older sister finds out.
Yoo Beomgyu. Twin number 2. The mischievous, the amazing, and the prodigy. An actor, composer, and director that hails from Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Both the American and Korean media have at least once said that his exceptional talent could bring peace in the world. Beomgyu is suspicious but wishes for nothing but to merely observe and find out for himself. Yujin knows that she's safe with Beomgyu; But only if Minjeong doesn't find out.
Minjeong and Beomgyu are a package deal. At some point in poor Dr. Yoo's life, she has considered writing a book about twins and their chilling ability to seemingly communicate telepathically. Fortunately, President Im had knocked some sense into her mate.
Lastly, Yoo Eunchae. The sweet, the loved, and the adored. The youngest Yoo and, undoubtedly, their parents' absolute favourite. Yujin is sure that if Eunchae had not decided to go to London to follow her dreams, their parents would still be together and would not have fallen apart like they did.
However-
Yujin's thoughts are interrupted by a loud 'ping' of her phone. She closes her eyes in annoyance before sitting up and reaching for her phone.
A text.
'Seoul International. 2:30. I can't afford more time.'
Yujin glances at the wall clock. A minute over 2.
Before the alpha could process her own actions, she finds herself mounting her sire's old cruiser and clasping a piece of plastic and metal over her chin.
She doesn't need to think twice.
###
SEOUL, SK. SEOUL INTERNATIONAL ACADEMY OF ARTS. 2:27.
The cruiser's engine dies down as the alpha nears a random bench that she knows too well. Even after years of trying to.
Whilst unsure, when she removes her helmet and catches the silhouette of a woman sitting on the said bench, she confirms that she is still stupid.
Yujin contemplates walking away and lighting a cigarette before approaching the woman but before she knows it, she finds herself sitting beside her.
The two stay quiet, not wanting and at the same time, not knowing what to say after years worth of distance kept their fates from intertwining.
“We could have met at a restaurant.” Yujin starts.
“I know.” Wonyoung remains unfazed, continuing to watch the clement sway of the trees.
Yujin stays quiet, her eyes finding the empty football field under the starless night sky and feeling the gentle graze of the wind on her skin.
‘Light pollution’ Yujin thinks. But a part of her remembers the explanation that her mother gave her when she first asked when she was only a naïve child.
Her mother told her that Seoul's stars are in the ground.
And tonight, as she gazes upon the pitch-black sky above her, she realizes that it is true.
One missing star is even sitting right next to her.
“I know you've seen it.” Wonyoung interrupts Yujin’s pondering.
“Of course I have.” The alpha replies simply.
Wonyoung briefly looks at Yujin but then guides her gaze back to the harsh light of the streetlights below them.
“I took care of it. Nobody will bother you.” Yujin continues. “They have the tape and they made sure there is only one.”
Wonyoung hums in acknowledgement and then after a few moments, musters up the courage to speak. “Doc messaged me. We spoke for a while.”
Yujin stops breathing for a second. She closes her eyes and realizes what happened.
“What did you tell your mom?” Wonyoung asks.
The omega is looking at Yujin now. And by the looks of it, she is committed and there is no stopping her.
Yujin tells herself that she is a 22-year old alpha who is capable of speaking. However, her attempts to motivate herself are overpowered by the small voice in the back of her mind, lingering.
'It's different when you're with an omega." It whispers.
“I told her we were together.” Yujin speaks. ”It was the only way I could convince her to let me off and protect your career.”
Yujin turns to Wonyoung, who only nods slightly.
“What did you tell my dad?”
“She asked me if I remembered her.” The omega explains. “She asked me how I was and then congratulated me. Us.”
Yujin remains still, offering nothing but silence as a response.
“I couldn't bring myself to tell her the truth. I was caught off-guard.” Wonyoung continues.
“I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you into this.” Yujin apologizes, clenching her fist. “I’ll fix it.”
Wonyoung laughs lightly, causing Yujin to glance at her, ignoring the confusing feeling in her chest after doing so.
“We both brought ourselves into this. Luckily, you could think fast. You saved my career.”
Yujin hums, trying to dismiss her discomfort by swallowing painfully.
“We agreed, remember?” Wonyoung suddenly asks.
“What?”
“We agreed we wouldn't hate each other. We agreed we didn't need to do that.” The omega explains, still not sparing Yujin a glance.
“Yeah.” The alpha agrees. She tries not to look at Wonyoung. “We don't hate each other.”
“If you say so.” Wonyoung purses her lips. “What do we do about this?”
“What do you want to do about it?” Yujin shifts the decision back to Wonyoung’s side.
Wonyoung stands up and positions herself in front of Yujin, reaching for an envelope inside her bag and then holding it in front of the alpha.
“What is this?” Yujin eyes the plain white envelope.
“A contract.”
It was Yujin's turn to laugh. The omega remains still. Yujin reluctantly opens the envelope, carefully reading the contents of the envelope.
“Yeah? Who made this? Your company?” The alpha looks up, folding the letter and putting it back inside the envelope.
“My lawyer.” She simply states.
Yujin stands up and towers over Wonyoung, looking at the woman in the eyes. “I don't know why you want this from me. You know that my family is going to make this worse.”
“That's the point.” Wonyoung answers, matching Yujin’s intense eye contact.
Yujin chuckles and shakes her head, taking the helmet that was formerly resting on the bench. She looks at the envelope one more time before putting it inside her jacket.
“If you don't sign this, I would need to tell your mother the truth.”
The alpha is still unfazed but stops to look at Wonyoung, gauging how serious the woman truly is.
“Oh yeah? Maybe you should have texted me a few hours ago, before I had to kneel in front of my mother. She would have agreed with you.” Yujin walks away.
“Doyoung.”
Yujin turns around. “What?”
“Doyoung is getting married and you'll make your first public appearance after two years.” Wonyoung announces confidently, “All of your siblings except Eunchae will have their mates. You're of age and you will be coming there as a bachelor.”
Yujin is more than confused, now walking back and facing the omega.
“And what's it to you, Wonyoung? What the hell are we even doing here?”
Wonyoung inhales and then looks Yujin in the eyes again. “I need to leave my company. I need to breach my contract and because you had your mother protect you, I can't.”
The gears in Yujin’s head turn and is met with heavy friction. But after a few moments and a bit of oil in the form of logic, it all starts forming and the gears spin smoothly in Yujin's head.
And when it clicks, she turns around to walk back to the motorcycle and exhales, a bitter laugh following.
“So you remember what happened that night?” She inquires.
“I do.”
“And you knew who I am so you used me to win some game?” Yujin is getting pissed off.
“Yes.” Wonyoung confesses frankly and without hesitation whatsoever.
Yujin searches Wonyoung’s eyes but she does not relent.
“What do you need me to do?”
“Sign the contract. That's all I need.” She answers straightforwardly.
Yujin looks away and thinks for a moment.
“Give me time.”
“Okay.” Wonyoung stands down.
They stand still for a minute, in the middle of the street, surrounded by nothing but the gloomy glow of the streetlights, and the heavy atmosphere brought by unconfronted fears and pasts that they have so desperately tried to erase from their minds.
“Do you want me to take you home?”