Chapter Text
Snow was drifting over the city, softening the skyline against the midnight sky. The lower districts still pulsed with noise beneath the winter haze at this hour with music leaking from underground clubs, drunken alpha laughter echoing through neon-lit alleys and car engines growling against wet pavement.
Above it all, separated from the rest of the city by steel gates and armed surveillance towers, stood the Min estate. Cold light burned behind dark windows there, nothing like the flickering warmth of night life. No one entered this estate casually, and almost no one left willingly.
Hongjoong arrived roughly around 12 pm. The black sedan rolled through three separate security checkpoints before the gates finally opened. Snow cracked softly beneath the tires as the car wound upward through the estate grounds. Bare winter trees lined the driveway like skeletal guards.
Hongjoong sat with one gloved hand resting against his knee, staying silent and attentive beneath the passing lights. He’d learned early in his life how to give off a controlled aura in the precise way dangerous men often were, not even letting go of it when he was alone like this, none of his superiors present. It was the sole way to assert his dominance, considering he wasn’t very tall and how his alpha scent barely registered at all. It was suppressed so thoroughly - and had been for years - that it would probably feel unnatural to release it without any restrictions now. He didn’t even quite remember himself what it was like, but the suppression was a necessary measure in his line of duty.
People trusted alphas like him, because they were disciplined and controlled. They knew their limits and followed orders even when morality became inconvenient - which was exactly why he had been chosen for what was about to come, a highly classified mission that required sworn secrecy.
The driver finally spoke, breaking the oppressive silence, but without looking back. “Sir, may I ask a question?”
Hongjoong didn’t see why not. “Go ahead.”
The driver gave him a look through the rearview mirror then. “You’ve read the file?”
About ten times. “Yes.”
A pause. Then the driver added quietly: “Don’t believe all of it.”
Interesting, Hongjoong thought, gripping his knee and wondering which specific parts of the aforementioned file he was supposed to disregard, as there had been several odd things compiled in it. This new task could entail many things and he couldn’t yet say if they’d be good or bad.
He wasn’t able to ponder much about it any longer though, as they reached the estate’s entrance. The driver smoothly opened his door and Hongjoong stepped on the frozen yet pristine ground. The grand estate gate opened before he even reached it. Warmth spilled outward immediately, carrying traces of cedarwood, expensive tea… and something else.
It was soft, barely noticeable beyond the array of other scents, but Hongjoong sensed it nonetheless - dulled but sweet lilies. His steps slowed instinctively as he tried to preserve it. The scent barely existed, which was no wonder, considering most omegas under containment were heavily suppressed to avoid instinctual disruption. Their pheromones and scents often subdued into near nothingness through medication and environmental control. It was for different reasons than for a respectable alpha like him, and not for the first time, Hongjoong almost dared to question their system before casting the thought aside.
He caught another hint of the lilies, which should have been impossible under normal circumstances. Omega scents shouldn’t be detectable like this - yet this one lingered anyway. It wasn’t strong of course, very much restrained. But Hongjoong felt its effects regardless, his alpha perking up and making it pulse beneath his skin. He felt a creeping sensation low in his spine before logic caught up.
Something’s wrong here.
He kept walking, careful to not let his irritation show. Inside the main hall stood Director Lee. He was older than him, a tall beta with light hair, wearing black gloves similar to Hongjoong’s own, a cigarette dangling between his fingers. The director was the kind of man to not be underestimated by any means. He’d spent too long around a variety of political monsters to remain entirely human himself, and Hongjoong was well-aware of it, even if he’d only met him once before.
“Captain Kim,” Lee greeted lazily.
“Director.”
They didn’t shake hands, which Hongjoong certainly didn’t mind. Lee studied him for a moment before exhaling cigarette smoke toward the ceiling. “You’re calmer than the last one.”
Hongjoong wasn’t sure whether that was supposed to be a compliment, deciding to lead the conversation somewhere else. “How many were there before me?”
“Four.”
That was… a lot.
“And?” Hongjoong pried, ignoring the bad feeling in his guts.
“One requested reassignment after three days.” Lee smiled faintly. “One broke protocol within just forty-eight hours. The third attempted forced dominance during an instability episode.” He took another drag from his cigarette, exhaling in an obnoxiously slow manner. “He’s dead now.”
Silence settled briefly between them. Involuntary goosebumps traveled over Hongjoong’s skin as the director proceeded to crush the remaining ash into a crystal tray one of the estate’s attendants brought to his side and took away again right after.
“The fourth lasted the longest,” the man continued, his tone turning almost entertained. “A full month before developing an obsession complex.”
Hongjoong said nothing. Obsessions were not uncommon among unstable alpha-omega pair dynamics. Their unregulated biology made monsters out of weak-minded people all the time. Still-
If this omega is truly as dangerous as it seems, then wouldn’t it make more sense to try it with betas?
“Why continue assigning alphas then?” he asked out loud.
“Because Seonghwa only reacts to alphas,” Director Lee explained and Hongjoong picked up on one word in particular - reacts. Not submits to. It was a very important distinction to make.
Lee began walking, gesturing for Hongjoong to follow him. “Seonghwa’s bloodline carries an extremely rare genetic variation. We call it the L-variant compatibility syndrome.” His voice echoed softly through the dim and deserted hallways. “It essentially means that he possesses higher pheromone synchronization rates than an average omega, which also leads to increased bond responsiveness. All of that results in a rare fertility adaptation that we haven’t seen manifested like this ever before.”
This omega had an incredibly high breeding value then, translated plainly. Used in the wrong hands, this highly critical political currency packaged as a biological miracle could bring upon a disaster.
“He was hidden from public registry until adulthood for that reason,” Lee went on. “He’s too valuable, but unfortunately also too unstable.”
They passed through another locked corridor. Armed and patrolling guards lowered their eyes as Hongjoong walked by. At first he thought it was out of respect, but then he caught the gaze of one of them, swimming with something like dread. They were looking at him in fear.
Hongjoong tried to keep his composure, his voice stable when he asked another question. “What exactly makes him… unstable?”
Lee was happy to answer. “He doesn’t behave like a typical omega.”
The hallway lights dimmed further as they approached the east wing. Hongjoong had known that the estate was huge, but it was a whole other level actually walking through this endless maze of hallways. “Most omegas learn their place from a young age, as well as submission.” Lee slid another cigarette between his gloved fingers, but didn’t light it yet. “Seonghwa never did.”
Hongjoong found himself more intrigued by the second. How could an omega not have their instinctual submission trained into them with the way their society had been structured for decades? “Why?”
The director shrugged. “No one successfully taught him.”
Hongjoong somewhat reduced his walking pace. “So he’s volatile because of his lacking submission. But still, if he’s so valuable,” he said evenly, “why keep him under this level of containment?”
The corridor lights flickered softly overhead. Director Lee was quiet for a moment before replying, glancing over his shoulder. “Because Seonghwa is a threat.” Hongjoong met his eyes and watched him finally light the cigarette, the flame briefly illuminating his tired expression. “Not physically,” he clarified. “Psychologically.”
Smoke curled between them and Hongjoong kept listening to the beta.
“He has a tendency to destabilize alpha responses. It shows in increased aggression and territorial fixation. Loss of impulse control, at worst.” Lee’s mouth curved humorlessly. “The people around him stop behaving rationally after prolonged exposure. Especially alphas.”
The way he said it sounded rehearsed, like something repeated often enough to become a policy at this point. Which probably wasn’t even so far off, with Hongjoong being the fifth alpha assigned to this case.
“He manipulates other people’s instincts? How?” he asked, wanting to get out as much as possible from the other man.
“We can’t really say. Whether he does it knowingly or unknowingly hardly matters anymore.” Lee exhaled loudly. “The facts speak for themselves though. I mean, all these containment incidents within just half a year? One of those alphas nearly killed another one over a perceived scent provocation that probably wasn’t even intentional. Seonghwa is classified as unstable because nobody’s figured out whether he’s doing it deliberately.”
Another shiver ran down Hongjoong’s back. What - or rather, who - was he about to get himself involved with?
The director wasn’t done yet though. “He’s contained because the people above us would rather lock away a problem than admit they don’t know how to control it. And the people who have tried usually regretted it.”
Hongjoong had been so focused on the man’s words, that he hadn’t even realized they’d reached their destination at long last. It was a thick security door that unlocked with a mechanical hiss after Lee punched in a code that Hongjoong hadn’t been able to see from behind him.
Warm air brushed against his face immediately as the door slid open, revealing a proper room that looked nothing like a containment cell. Bookshelves lined the dark walls, with low amber lamps glowing beside heavy velvet curtains. Music drifted softly from a radio somewhere unseen, a collection of old piano records from what it sounded like. A fancy tea set was resting untouched on a small table near the crackling fireplace.
It was a cozy and well-furnished room, by all means not what a prison was supposed to look like. Hongjoong recalled everything he’d been told so far and could only come to one conclusion - this was a pretty cage, disguised as comfort and providing feigned safety.
And near the window, someone was sitting in one of the plush chairs, reading. It was a man, dressed in a black silk robe draped loosely over his long limbs. He was pale, one of his elegant hands resting leisurely against the open pages in his lap. The faint light from outside paired with the snowflakes frosting the glass silvered the sharp line of his features. His black hair looked soft to the touch, curling slightly as it framed his face.
Beautiful.
The thought rose unbidden within Hongjoong and he was helpless in denying it. The man was absolutely stunning, almost violently so. It wasn’t the kind of delicate beauty often associated with omegas, at least not entirely - no, this man was beautiful in a way that made people irrational about it. For the first time in years Hongjoong felt his alpha instincts ignite before he could even think twice, and all at once he understood everything Director Lee had revealed to him.
He’s dangerous.
Another thought, but it did nothing to deter his alpha. His heart was pounding hard beneath his ribs, coming alive with something he’d thought he’d already lost long ago.
Mine.
That one was invasive and jarring enough to actually make him regain his senses this time. He schooled his expression into something neutral, fists clenching at his side.
Across the room, Seonghwa slowly lifted his eyes from the book, not even paying any attention to the director with his gaze settling on Hongjoong… and lingering. There was something knowing in the depths of it, like he could see right through him. The omega smiled and that was when Hongjoong picked up on the peculiar scent from before again - the dull lilies with an underlying sweetness. This close, he could tell that there was also something more hidden just underneath it, but it was impossible to name.
Seonghwa kept studying him carefully, his dark eyes moving over his uniform, the gloved hands and taking in his restrained and tense posture. It was frustratingly hard to read any kind of emotion on his face, so that Hongjoong couldn’t tell whether the other was upset, nervous or possibly… impressed? He thought he could see a telltale spark of interest flashing across the omega’s pretty features though.
Director Lee broke the silence first. “Mr. Park - let me introduce to you, Captain Kim.” His tone was bored. “Your new handler.”
At that, Seonghwa finally closed his book with a soft thud. The room suddenly felt smaller, his gaze remaining fixed on Hongjoong’s face as he spoke.
“You replaced the last one rather quickly,” he said, and of course even his voice had to be beautiful despite the contempt laced in it. Hongjoong seriously had to get a grip of himself.
Meanwhile Lee ignored the omega’s jab. “Captain Kim will remain personally assigned to you from now on. You know the drill, shared proximity monitoring begins tonight.”
What a light way to phrase things, Hongjoong thought sourly before he could help himself. Shared proximity, an euphemism for the obvious containment and guarding that would be happening, whether the omega wanted it or not.
Seonghwa’s expression shifted slightly, but not in annoyance or even surprise. He looked curious. His eyes that had briefly switched to the director promptly returned to Hongjoong. His nostrils flared ever-so-slightly and Hongjoong realized with quite an uncomfortable clarity that the omega could smell his scent. It was no secret that omegas possessed the finest senses for picking up and adjusting to all kinds of pheromones and scents, apparently even ones as severely suppressed as Hongjoong’s.
Seonghwa tilted his head as if he was assessing him and then he let out a quiet noise, a hum filled with amusement. “Mhm. This one reeks of self-control.” A tentative smile painted his lips, but it didn’t reach his eyes. Hongjoong easily recognized the challenge in the omega’s next words, his alpha absurdly urging him to get closer when it should have been growling in defense instead. “I wonder how long that’s going to last.”