Chapter Text
The wedding hall was bustling with chatter and laughter. Soonyoung stood at the altar, waiting for the Omega to walk through the door.
There wasn't a single trace of happiness on his face.
When his mother informed him about the marriage she had arranged with her friend's son, he was enraged.
And when he learned it was his first love, he was devastated.
He could neither hate nor accept the idea.
His first love.
Lee Jihoon.
Who had no idea of who he was when the alpha had been head over heels for him back in university.
They were from different majors.
One day, in their sophomore year, the alpha saw him first during recess and fell in love at first sight.
The omega's peach scent caught his attention first but it was his kindness that made him fall for him. He never had the courage to approach him and eventually they finished university and parted ways.
It has been five years since he saw him last on their graduation day.
So, when he saw him again, sitting on the couch in the middle of their living room, he was quite surprised and felt happy. Maybe they could get along well and maybe… just maybe Soonyoung did have a chance.
But the moment he learned about the arranged marriage, his hope broke.
Of all the people out there, why did he have to be someone related to his mom?
His mom, who he resented so much.
His mom, who left him for someone else.
If you asked Soonyoung whether he had never loved anyone after Jihoon, the answer would be a no. He did get into a lot of relationships after university but they never felt the same.
The butterflies he felt while watching Jihoon from afar were far stronger than anything he had ever felt with someone else in his arms.
Maybe first love was always meant to be special.
Now, standing at the altar, the alpha wondered how he ended up being in this position--where he could neither be happy about marrying his first love nor stop resenting him for being the one chosen by his mother.
The sound of the door opening snapped him out of his thoughts.
His eyes widened a little at the sight of the omega walking toward him in a white suit, carrying a bouquet of white roses.
He looked gorgeous.
The alpha couldn't take his eyes off him.
Everything around him blurred as his eyes only focused on the figure walking toward the altar and stopped in front of him.
The omega looked surprised by the way he was staring at him.
Their eyes met for a second and the alpha looked away first. The priest started the ceremony and guided the couple through their vows.
Soonyoung recited every single word he had memorized without meaning a single one of them.
When it was finally time for them to kiss, they both froze. Without much thought, Soonyoung leaned forward and cupped the omega's right cheek, blocking the audience's view.
He quickly placed a peck to his hand that was covering the omega's lips and leaned back.
The audience cheered loudly and the omega smiled at him sadly, making his heart break into pieces.
♧
Soonyoung paced around his bedroom waiting for the Omega to arrive. The same bedroom was meant to be shared by both of them. It scared him the most.
How is he going to suppress his urges?
His alpha had already found comfort in the omega's scent. Now staying in such a close proximity would only make it harder for him to control his wants.
Until their new house is ready, which will take a month or so, they'll be staying with his parents. It will make the whole staying-away-from-each-other fiasco a lot more harder with his mom's eyes always on them.
The alpha stopped in his tracks when the door opened to reveal a tired looking omega still in his wedding suit.
The omega looked at him once and immediately looked away with a blush covering his cheeks.
“Um… Jihoon right?” he asked.
“Yes,” the omega said so quietly.
“Look, Jihoon. I will cut it straight,” the alpha said with firm persistence. “I didn't really want this marriage but my mom forced me. So I hope you understand and we will maintain our distance.”
The look the omega gave him after hearing his words, killed him alive. He looked genuinely displeased. His sour scent filled the room instantly, making his alpha restless
“I get it,” the omega replied with a sad smile.
His alpha wanted nothing but happiness on the omega's face. But he controlled himself by fisting his hand tightly.
He immediately left the place, moving to the balcony. He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding on to.
The night air made him shiver instantly but it was less suffocating here than inside.
When the alpha made his way inside again, the omega was already on the bed, changed into his pajamas. He had placed a pillow in between to create a distance between them.
Soonyoung's scent soured this time.
He quietly without making noise got into his side of the bed after changing into his night clothes–half naked with only sweatpants covering his lower half.
“Good night, Jihoon,” he mumbled into the quiet space not expecting a reply and he didn't get one either.
♧
The alpha groaned softly, disturbed by the loud sound of the hair dryer. He squinted in the direction of the noise.
The sight before him made his eyes widen in surprise.
The omega was drying his wet shoulder-length hair while wearing only a bathrobe.
He sat up abruptly making the sheets rustle loudly. The sudden noise made the omega flinch and turn toward him.
Their eyes met in a moment of tense silence. The omega's scent turned sweeter, making his alpha restless once again. The alpha looked away, clearing his throat.
He reached for the nightstand to retrieve his phone.
6:59 AM
He looked at the omega again, only to realize that the omega was already looking at him. He was hesitantly playing with his fingers.
“Um.. Aunty told us to come down by eight,” he said hesitantly.
“Oh,” the alpha nodded thoughtfully. “You can go first if I'm late.”
He was about to climb out of bed when the omega's hesitant voice stopped him.
“Soonyoung,”
The alpha was taken aback by the call of his own name. He turned to look at him, but the omega was already near the bed.
“I know you don't want this marriage, but I hope you at least try to act in front of our parents. My parents will be upset if they know we are not happy together.” He smiled melancholy.
The alpha thought for a second before nodding.
He was right.
He nodded again before heading to the bathroom.
“I will be ready in 20,” he said, opening the door.
The alpha sighed once the door closed behind him.
He thought staying inside the same room would be hard but no, acting lovely in front of their parents would be way more harder.
♧
“Oh my, Jihoon-ah, you look so pretty.” Soonyoung's mother exclaimed as soon as she saw Jihoon getting down the stairs.
The omega blushed a bright red at his mom's comment.
He mumbled a quiet, ‘thank you, aunty.’ before following Soonyoung who didn't stop once. They neared the dining table and the alpha pulled out the chair for the omega to sit making his mother squeal.
The omega looked at him in surprise for a moment before masking it with a polite smile. After seating himself next to the omega, the alpha served the food on both of their plates.
Soonyoung didn't know if he was acting anymore. Everything felt natural–pulling out his chair, serving him food, sitting beside him–they all felt strangely natural. And that scared him the most.
As they ate quietly with his mom seated in front of them, they couldn't help but occasionally glance at each other.
Their eyes met some times and neither of them cared to maintain it, the alpha being the first to look away every time. The omega's eyes were quite challenging to look away from.
“So, how was your first night?” His mother asked excitedly.
Soonyoung coughed loudly at his mom's sudden question. The omega reached for the water and handed it to him, patting his back to calm him in the process.
Meanwhile, the omega himself was taken aback. His whole face painted red at the question.
His mother laughed at them, “Did you sleep well together?”
“Yeah, we slept,” the alpha replied flatly, remembering the pillow sitting in the middle of the bed.
The older omega nodded her head enthusiastically, humming to herself. She turned to Jihoon, remembering something.
“I heard from your mother that you studied in the same university as Soonyoung. So, did you guys know each other before?”
The alpha froze at that.
What should he say?
Yes?
Or, no?
He did know the omega before. But this wouldn't be the right time to say that.
The alpha was about to say no, when the omega interrupted him. “Oh yes, aunty. I have seen him quite a few times but we were from different majors so… we never interacted before.”
“Ohh,” she nodded. “What about you Soonyoung?”
The alpha was frozen on his seat, carefully taking in the omega's words. He didn't hear his mother's question. His mind was a mess.
He knew him? Even though they were from different majors?
But how? He never saw him looking in his direction.
Then, is he also aware of his past feelings for him?
Are they even past feelings? He still felt the same.
A nudge to his shoulder brought him back to the ongoing conversation. He blinked at his mother who was staring at him weirdly.
“I asked if you knew him too, Soonyoung,” she said with annoyance.
“No,” he said flatly, shaking his head.
He could smell the omega's scent souring instantly but he didn't know why. So, when he looked at him questioningly, the omega just gave him a sad smile.
The alpha was dying to figure out the reason behind that smile he had been giving him since the day before.
♧
tbc!!!