Chapter Text
It’s a matter of tradition, Jinyoung knows it, but it still unsettles him greatly that just in just a few days he will be turning eighteen and deemed old enough for marriage. He doesn’t feel ready – he’s barely finished school a month ago and now they expect him to give himself away to an alpha of his father’s choosing – because it’s not omegas like him who have the right to pick, it’s alphas who offer to take in an omega of age and it’s omegas’ fathers who decide in the end. He’s seen it happen countless times before, and he knows it won’t be any different for him.
His parents have kept strangely quiet on the matter, not ever uttering a word of who has proposed in his presence. It makes his stomach churn, that he doesn’t know if there is even anyone who wants him, or has no one offered their protection to Jinyoung?
And if someone did – what if he doesn’t like the alpha? What if his father chooses someone unsuited, someone he won’t like or someone who will abuse him and make him do stuff he doesn’t want to? Jinyoung’s always been a bit free-willed, really, with a tongue quicker than his brain, and he sincerely hopes that his father is aware of the fact and will pick an alpha who won’t be so strict with Jinyoung, won’t punish him if he says or does something out of line. It’s his greatest fear, of course it is, with stories of omegas getting beaten behind closed doors going around the town constantly.
But there’s nothing he can do, and he spends the last few days of his “freedom” trying to relax as much as possible, despite the nagging thoughts in the back of his mind. He goes through his daily lessons on housekeeping with his mother and a few maids who help teach him how things work around the house. Of course, if he’s lucky enough to be married off to a rich, stable family it is expected that he will have maids to do things for him, but it’s not completely out of question that his chosen husband won’t be of good finances and that Jinyoung will be the one to take care of everything. In that case it is expected of him to be prepared to do work around the house. He silently hopes for the former.
On the day of his eighteenth birthday it feels like his doom has finally arrived and he feels sick as soon as he steps a foot out of his bed. He goes about his routines mechanically, some sort of numbness taking over his brain that prevents him from thinking about how when he goes downstairs to have a celebratory breakfast in his honour, he will be faced with the decision his father has made. He’s supposed to meet his future husband straight after that, and then they will presumably go on a short walk to get to know each other without the elders as chaperones. A marriage is then set a month after today, and on that day Jinyoung will officially become his alpha’s omega and move into his house. Quite idyllic, isn’t it?
He’s met with congratulations and cheers from his parents and three older sisters when he reaches the dining room, and absolutely everyone seems delighted that this is the day when he finds out who he will be given away to. As for him, dread sets deep down in his stomach and makes his hands tremble as every swallow of his food barely registers in his brain, until he’s done with what’s on his plate and everyone turns quiet as they stare at the head of the table where his father sits.
The old man clears his throat and looks straight at him, and Jinyoung wishes the ground would open up and swallow him inside.
“Jinyoung,” his father starts, “I’m sure you know how things today are supposed to go. You will be shortly meeting your future mate and his family, as we will have them stay for midday meal, and your marriage is to happen a month from now. You had quite a few proposals and I thought for a long time about who would be the best match for you. I made the decision in the end,” he makes a short pause here, and everyone’s breath hitches in unison, “that you, Jinyoung, will become the omega mistress to the household of Ims and their son Jaebum.”
His sisters give a loud cheer at the words but Jinyoung barely hears them over the sound of his own heart thumping wildly in his ears.
Im Jaebum
Im Jaebum
Im Jaebum.
***
Im Jaebum, as he finds out, is as handsome up-close and in person as the stories describe him. Jinyoung has heard of him, of course he did, has even caught sight of him a few times in passing but never had the honour of meeting the tall, dark alpha himself. Well, until today, that is.
They’re walking on the stony pathway in the forest behind his family house, silence stretched between them as Jinyoung thinks and thinks and thinks—wow, this is the alpha I will be marrying in 30 days. He, Im Jaebum, is the alpha who asked for my hand in marriage, who offered to take me in when I reach age and live with me.
It seems unreal, that someone like Jinyoung, from a middle-class family with admittedly very good reputation but not enough riches to actually be very powerful would be wanted by the Ims, the Ims who own half of the town they live in and whose influence and good looks running in the bloodline make for endless stories for ordinary people to entertain themselves with.
“You’re very beautiful, Jinyoung.”
He turns to Jaebum in surprise, a blush rising on cheeks and the alpha walking slowly beside him smiles. He’s painfully handsome, all dark eyes and powerful stare and ruffled locks of black hair, strong hands that look like they could be so, so gentle at the same time and wide, broad shoulders that make Jinyoung want to touch him.
He carries himself with grace and confidence of an alpha, and it amazes Jinyoung how sure his words sound – it’s, after all, the first thing Jaebum has told him since they walked out to get some time in private.
“Thank you,” he mumbles, ducking his head.
It’s silent again for a few seconds and then Jaebum’s hand touches his upper arm, gently gripping to get him to stop. They stand face to face, Jaebum bending his head down a little to look at Jinyoung who is shorter than him, as omegas usually age – smaller, tinier than alphas who grow out strong and masculine since childhood.
“Jinyoung, do you know why I sent my letter of proposal to your father when I learned that you will be coming of age and getting ready for a mating?”
He strikes the nerve on the first try, and Jinyoung wonders how exactly did he know what’s been bothering him all this time.
“No,” he exhales, “I really don’t, alpha.”
Jaebum’s hand reaches for his chin and he lifts Jinyoung’s head up to look into his eyes, grip soft but secure. He’s been terribly gentleman-y around Jinyoung all this time, but it’s obvious that he won’t take disobedience easily and wants his word to be respected, so Jinyoung doesn’t dare lower his head again and instead forces himself not to look away from Jaebum’s dark orbs, no matter how badly he wants to.
“My family is a very traditional one,” he begins, voice showing how proud he is to be able to say those words, “a well-known and respected one. It is only expected of me to take in an omega from a good family and with nice manners, don’t you think? And when I heard of you, I thought you’d quite well fit the role. Perfectly even, dare I say. I was looking for an omega up to my standards, someone I wouldn’t be ashamed taking in and who would do me honour to stand by my side from now on.”
Jinyoung’s fingers clutch at the robes at his sides – the pretty, silken ones chosen especially for the first meeting with his alpha.
“Do you think you can do it as I request? I think you do, Jinyoung, that’s why I asked for you. You wouldn’t disappoint me, would you?” All his questions are, Jinyoung senses, rhetorical, and he bites his tongue to stop himself from answering. “A pretty, well-behaved omega – and intelligent on top of that, from what your grades say…” he trails off, implying that picking Jinyoung was a calculated move, one thoroughly thought through and that he is seen as a good addition to the Im family now that their son decided to settle down, and pretty much nothing else.
No background story of Jaebum seeing him somewhere in the town, becoming enamored and impatiently waiting for him to turn eighteen to be able to court him – no feelings, no real interest besides keeping up his family’s appearance in public…
Jinyoung feels a little sick to his stomach, but thinks that it could’ve been worse, could’ve been worse than being a prized item in place of a partner. Could’ve been worse, he tells himself.
“And another thing – you don’t have to be so formal with me, unless we are in public where people’s opinions matter, that is. You can call me alpha if you so will, but Jaebum is also fine by me. That is a choice you can make.”
Jinyoung nods, not really thinking about it, as sudden tears sting sharply at his eyes. He lowers his head against his better judgment to hide them, but Jaebum surprisingly doesn’t pull his chin up again, dropping his hand back to his side and continuing their walk through the nature.
Wow, Jinyoung thinks, the first choice I can make on my own in all this.
***
They meet a couple of more times after that and Jinyoung is exposed to all different sides of Jaebum. For the most, he is a true gentleman towards Jinyoung and he starts to understand that maybe it isn’t really bad – there could have been someone who would mistreat him, and yet here is Jaebum being all handsome and from a good family – what is it to Jinyoung to be a good omega he was taught to be and not bring shame to his husband in the future?
He only knows that he’s damn well going to try to be as proper as possible.
With that thought in mind, he starts trying to get to know Jaebum better – he takes notice of little things that he hopes will help him get on Jaebum’s good grades later on in their marriage. He keeps all those little details carefully stored in the back of his mind and tries his best to match Jaebum’s interests, but it turns out not to be much of a struggle after all. Jaebum is intelligent, likes to read books and is delighted to hear that Jinyoung has always quite enjoyed reading a good book of poetry or novels. That fact alone presents them with an opportunity to find a common ground, and Jinyoung feels his heart being closer and closer to Jaebum every day.
His future husband is also a man of his word and expects people to respect his authority, unused to being disobeyed and pushed to his limits by anyone, and, God bless, is a true example of his family – a traditionalist to the core.
It shows the best when his virginity is discussed on one occasion – they’d just returned after another walk in the forest when Jinyoung’s father calls them both into the reception room. They stand side by side and Jaebum has a serious face on – one the mirrors his father’s expression completely.
“It has come to my attention that you two have been spending quite a lot of time alone and without a chaperone, so I hope you understand that Jinyoung is untouched and to remain so until you two are officially mated and you have the legal right to bed him,” his father says, and Jinyoung feels his cheeks and ears burning in embarrassment.
“Father!” he says, embarrassed that it’d be brought up so openly, but his father shushes him and Jaebum just sends him an unreadable look out of the corner of his eye before turning his attention away from him and onto the elder standing in front.
“This is between alphas, Jinyoung, do not meddle.”
He promptly closes his mouth and clenches his fists in resignation, and in a spur of moment turns around, collecting his robes around him hastily and turning on his heel to leave the room.
It’s an act of rebellion, both against his father and future mate, he realizes once he’s stomped his way to his chambers, and his heart thumps loudly in his chest when he realizes how severe his actions could be. It’s not a proper way for an omega to behave, not at all.
In the end, he doesn’t find out what else has been discussed on that day, and Jaebum never mentions the incident to him, but from that moment on there is a chaperone following behind them on about a ten meters distance every time they leave the house together. Jaebum has requested so after the warning – he has his pride after all, and won’t let some measly rumors going around that he deflowered his omega before time, like some – some barbarian.
It leaves Jinyoung quite saddened because it feels like his chance to get to know him better is ruined by another pair of ears listening to every word they share between them, and it just makes him uncomfortable to be looked after like that, but he knows that he has no right to complain and that he has already stepped out of line once – and was more than lucky to not be reprimanded as he expected. Besides, his father looked more than satisfied when Jaebum expressed his wish for a chaperone the next time he visited their family house to spend some time with Jinyoung.
So he keeps the words of complaint in, properly puts his hand on Jaebum’s upper arm when it’s offered to him to hold onto during their walks, and does his best to ignore the feeling of the stupid, stupid chaperone’s stare burning holes into the back of his head, as if mocking him.
***
He’s surprised when his mother knocks on his doors a few days later and announces that he should get ready and go downstairs because there is a visitor waiting for him. She doesn’t stick around for long enough to specify who it is, but his heart races faster when he realizes that it might be Jaebum who wants to see him. The thought sends him into a frenzy, not wanting to look sleazy and let his future husband wait for a long time, but at the same time not wanting to just run down after having put on just any clothes he finds. Instead, he tries his best to hurry around his chambers getting ready but still picks one of his most beautiful robes to wear, hoping deep in his heart that Jaebum likes red.
His heart is hammering loudly in his chest when he finally exists his room to go meet his visitor, but it drops nearly to his feet when he sees from the top of the stairs that it’s not in fact Jaebum who’s waiting for him but his longtime friend, Mark.
“Were you expecting someone else, that’s why you got so pretty, huh?” Mark asks teasingly as he gets down the stairs and finally meets his friend. They both laugh at that, and Jinyoung blushes a soft pink at the implication of him getting all dolled up for his fiancé. It’s true that he was hoping that he’d get some time alone with his future alpha, and that he indeed put on his best robes in hopes of impressing him.
Mark Yien Tuan is an omega from Jinyoung's old school, two years older than Jinyoung himself. He's Taiwanese and his parents moved to Korea just shortly after his 16th birthday with their kids – all four of them. The shy, soft-spoken omega quickly garnered attention of alphas all around the town, and as his 18th birthday was nearing, the Tuans had their hands full of proposal offers for their oldest son. Jinyoung heard rumors flying around that the Kims were particularly interested, and he knew deep inside that what Kim Jonghyun wanted, he would get, so he didn't have a single doubt in his mind about Mark being married off to the handsome, albeit older alpha. However, he was wrong, and it came as a big surprise to everyone when the Tuans announced officially that their son is to be mated to the younger of the two Wang alphas, seeing as the older brother was already happily mated and living outside of Korea. So there is was – Jackson Wang was to be Mark's alpha at barely 17.
It wasn't completely unheard of, but it was definitely uncommon for an omega of age to be mated to someone younger then themselves, merely because it was quite difficult to settle all in time. Omegas were found a partner when they turned eighteen, but there were no such obligations for alphas – they could be much older before they decide to settle down and take an omega in. But as far as age restrictions didn't exist for alphas older than eighteen, those not of age barely ever got mated because that would make their omega older than them, which wasn't something many of them took easily. It would also mean that the alpha had to be mature enough at such young age to be able to take care of a new family he would create together with his chosen omega, and that wasn’t a thing many families could say they prided themselves on.
It seemed that the Wangs didn't care much about customs, and that they were in discussions with the Tuans far before they even reached Korea in the first place. They didn't want to risk losing Mark to some other family only because Jackson wasn't of age yet, so despite the odd looks they received they began to prepare their son for the responsibility he would be taking onto his shoulders much earlier than his friends and colleagues.
Jinyoung though Mark to be born under a lucky star – he had to be, since Jackson ended up being mature and responsible enough so that his omega friend truly had no problems concerning all that. It seemed that the Wangs respected Tuans quite a lot and wanted to savour the deep friendship that ran between the families from a few generations back, thus teaching their son all about taking good care of an omega and the impending family. Jinyoung suspects that it also played a great role in the agreement that both families were of Chinese descent and spoke mainly in mandarin, which surely eased the conversation between the then young couple-to-be.
“How is married life going?” Jinyoung asks as they settle down on the sofa and a maid brings them the tea water. He waves her off after that and busies himself with pouring it in and putting the herbs inside the cups to dissolve as he waits for Mark to answer.
“It’s good, it’s good. I can’t complain, not really. Well – I could, but I feel that it would be too much of me to speak about myself when you are surely driving yourself mad thinking about your mating soon.”
Jinyoung turns to look at him fully and laughs at this.
“True,” he says, “but I’d also like to hear about you. It’d at least take my mind off things.”
“Well, yes. But first, how do you feel about it? Im Jaebum, wasn’t it? Were you expecting it?”
Jinyoung ponders on the question for a short while before shaking his head softly. “No, I wasn’t truly expecting it, mother and father never really mentioned anything. I didn’t know who to expect, but still – the Im family is so much more important than ours and I never thought that he, Jaebum, would ask for my hand out of so many omegas coming of age at the same time as me.”
Mark smiles at him knowingly.
“He’d have waited a whole lot longer for you if he had to - if you were younger, Jinyoungie. They always say that, don’t they? That an alpha would wait years for their omega of choice to become eighteen rather than to mate with someone they don’t want. After all,” he adds as an afterthought, “it’s really of no problem for them to wait. They can be much older than eighteen when they mate, it’s not like us omegas. The rules are different.”
“Yes, I guess so…”
He breathes deeply to calm his suddenly racing heart. He can feel his hands trembling slightly – the thought of Im Jaebum, the son of one of the most influential families and more than a year older than him waiting for him to become of age brings some warmth to his stomach. It’s a weird feeling, knowing that he was wanted by Jaebum and not some other young omega, knowing that he was to become the mistress of the house and share Jaebum’s space from now on. And then the warmth is replaced by a cold in his gut when he remembers their first conversation, when he was assured that it was only out of convenience that Jaebum actually proposed to him.
“It’s okay,” Mark interrupts his thoughts, still not sensing his real mood. “It’s okay, trust me, it will be. Im Jaebum enjoys good reputation, he seems to be a very nice alpha – I’m sure he’ll take good care of you. You don’t have to worry so much, Jinyoungie.”
“I know, I know, I think that’s why my parents accepted him. And, well, what would it look like if we, a middle-class family at best would reject the Ims? But it’s just that I’m scared, Mark, I don’t know if I’ll be good enough, what if I disappoint his family? Oh God, Mark, what if I disappoint him? I don’t know how to – I’ve never, what if I don’t do things right or if I’m bad at it?”
Mark laughs warmly at him, pearly whites poking of out his pink mouth. He doesn’t know everything though, doesn’t understand where Jinyoung is coming from, and thinks it’s the usual cold feet before the upcoming wedding. He reaches over and ruffles Jinyoung’s hair like one would do to a child, a fond smile still playing on his lips as he answers.
“Silly Jinyoungie, of course you’ve never, you’re not supposed to! What would that look like, huh? A scandal it would be, I tell you!” he exclaims in a voice suddenly louder than Jinyoung appreciates, laughter lining the edges of it.
„They – alphas, they know a lot,“ Mark tells him then. He leans forward on one hand and speaks in quieter, hushed tones. „When I first, you know, I wasn't sure if Jackson knew what to do,“ he admits. „I, of course, had no idea what to expect besides what my mother told me, and Jackson - he is younger than me – what was I to expect? But he did, and it wasn't - well, it wasn't awkward with him, you know. He knew what do to and how to act, and I just followed him. So just – just let Jaebum lead you. It's easier with time, Jinyoungie, you'll see.“
Jinyoung closes his eyes for a moment and breathes in, and when he opens them again Mark is looking closely at his face. He smiles at his friend, appreciating all the effort Mark is putting into this and his unconditional support. He puts a hand on top of Mark's and squeezes in silent thanks.
“And now? How is it now?”
Mark’s face turns solemn for a moment then, and Jinyoung clearly sees the flash of discomfort or possibly hurt on his face.
“I, well, it’s good. It’s still good, he treats me very well, Jinyoungie. A true alpha he is, it’s just that… You won’t tell this to anyone, won’t you, Jinyoung? It’s just that it’s been nearly two years since we mated and I’m still not pregnant,” he admits. Jinyoung can clearly hear how much it pains his friend to say the words and his own heart clenches in sorrow.
“I don’t know why, but I just can’t seem to conceive – and it’s not that we don’t try. We do, every night – well, almost every night, that is, but it’s been almost two years and that’s a long time for nothing to happen, you know? He’s been very understanding, doesn’t blame me – he always tells me that it will come when the time is right and that maybe it’s because I’m so upset about it that it’s not happening, but God, I feel so bad, Jinyoungie… I want it, I want it so much, and I’ve heard comments, they say,” his breath hitches, “they say that the Wangs were given a barren omega, a useless one – if I can’t bear children, what good am I then?”
He has tears glistening in his eyes by the end of his speech, and Jinyoung’s heart aches in his chest when he leans over and pulls his friend into his arms. Their robes shuffle around when he embraces Mark and lets him sob breathlessly for some time, a hand rubbing circles into his back to comfort him. His mind is running wildly, and whispered consolations fly out of his mouth mindlessly, the gravity of Mark’s words weighting on his shoulders.
Mark leaves shortly after he calms down, with another hug and assuring Jinyoung that he has nothing to worry about and that it will all be good in the end. A smile is etched on his face but Jinyoung now sees that there’s a hidden sadness behind it, the sparkle in his eyes dimmer than it was before.
Well, he thinks, at least he was right about something – talking to Mark really took his mind off certain things, all connected to Im Jaebum. Now he has other things to worry about.
***