Work Text:
Go find you sleeping in the dead hours
No matter how hard you stop me, I’m finally there for you
Finish your long journey and go back now
Back to your house now way back home
Shaun – Way back home
“Only you here?”
Yoo Jonghyun turned his attention to the figure that was walking into the room after the door was closed. His brows couldn’t help but frown at the sight of Kim Dokja with red fox ears. “What happened?” he asked directly.
The one being asked smiled and sat next to Yoo Jonghyun. “It’s okay.”
“You fought with Jonghyuk?”
Kim Dokja snorted. “It has become a habit.”
Yoo Jonghyun’s eyes couldn’t be shied away from the figure that now looked comfortable, preparing to sleep in a sitting position. Sighing, he returned to focus on the report he had been reading. The student council room became quiet. Occasionally the sound of book pages being flipped could be heard. His ears caught a light hum from the side. Yoo Jonghyun couldn’t pretend he didn’t enjoy it because it was one of his favorite songs.
“Are you seriously going to Norway, Jonghyun-ah?”
His hand movements stopped for a moment. “Hm.”
“...can’t you learn from here?”
Yoo Jonghyun closed the report book and put it on the table. He supported his chin while staring at Kim Dokja. His ears dropped slightly even though his face looked normal. “As a candidate leader for my clan, I have to learn directly from the Namgung family. You know for yourself, hands-on experience in the field is the best lesson.” His hand reached out and stroked Kim Dokja’s fox ear which was returned with a soft purr.
“It must be lonely without you,” replied the young man quietly.
“You can come with me.”
The eyes that had been closed now looked at him with a shocked expression. Yoo Jonghyun’s hand was moving slowly then rubbing his slightly chubby cheek. Kim Dokja was silent and he knew that his plea wouldn’t be fulfilled. His place was right here in Korea. He wasn’t Yoo Jonghyuk, but Yoo Jonghyun. Kim Dokja wouldn’t go to a place where Yoo Jonghyuk wasn’t there.
“Kim Dokja.”
“...”
“Choose me.”
“...what do you mean?”
The frustration that had been hidden for a long time now couldn’t be held anymore. Yoo Jonghyun didn’t know the expression on his face but he knew his voice sounded desperate. “If you don’t want to go with me, until I leave, stay by my side, Kim Dokja.” His body leaned toward the red fox boy who was still staring at him in disbelief.
“Stay beside me until that day comes.”
.
.
.
Yoo Jonghyun opened his eyes. Past memories appeared in the form of dreams. His body leaned on the car seat as he sighed. His eyes then looked at the streets of Seoul which were still busy even though it was almost midnight.
“Take Hyunsung to his house later.”
“Yes, Jonghyun-nim.”
He glanced at Lee Hyunsung who was sleeping beside him. The man from the bear clan had been always following him faithfully. In contrast to himself who prefered to stay at the Namgung family home for several years, he returned to Korea on vacation every year. Before leaving, Lee Hyunsung never tired of persuading him to come back home together, but he always refused.
If Yoo Jonghyun returned, he knew that his stance would be shaken. Especially after hearing the news about his twin’s engagement plan from Yoo Jonghyuk himself. When that happened, he tried to refrain from returning to Korea.
It might sound cruel, but Yoo Jonghyun couldn’t be a support for Kim Dokja who would end up rejecting him again. Even though the odds were still 50:50, sooner or later they would be together. That was what his instincts said. From the start there was no hope for his feelings to be requited. Being able to monopolize Kim Dokja for less than a year was enough for him.
In the end, his instincts were right. They had become mates now and were waiting for their baby. Yoo Jonghyun sighed again as soon as the car began to enter the housing complex that was familiar to him.
When the car stopped in front of a large gate, Yoo Jonghyun immediately got off without waking Lee Hyunsung. The driver nodded respectfully before leaving to take his loyal aide. The mansion gate suddenly opened. A figure of teenage girl appeared and immediately lunged at him.
“Jonghyun-oppa! I missed you!”
Yoo Jonghyun replied with a smile. “I’m home, Mia.”
“Welcome back, Oppa!”
* * *
The next morning, Yoo Jonghyun tried to hold back his anger when he heard Yoo Mia’s story about his twin who spent almost a year at Kim Dokja’s house, leaving their sister alone at the mansion. The housekeeper added that Yoo Jonghyuk stopped by often but never slept here again. So, he didn’t completely throw his responsibility as a guardian.
As scheduled, he would visit Kim Dokja’s place. Yoo Jonghyun had decided not to avoid him anymore. He also had to teach that jerk guy a lesson who could leave a teenage girl like Yoo Mia alone without direct supervision.
“That Sooyoung, why didn’t she say anything about this?” he hissed irritably.
“Jonghyun-nim, it’s here.”
Yoo Jonghyun stared at the 10-story apartment building where Kim Dokja was living. According to information, he started living here after his novel became popular to the public. Even now the novel had been sold in the international market, both in printed and digital form. Sadly, after readingthe novel series to completion, he realized that the protagonist character was taken from his twin’s personality, even though in the beginning Yoo Jonghyun thought it was him.
It was clear that all this time he still had hopes for the red fox man.
The smartphone then vibrated. A short message came from Han Sooyoung.
‘Dinner. 7 o’clock. @French restaurant in front of the station.’
Yoo Jonghyun replied briefly before getting out of the car. He came without giving any news, including to Yoo Jonghyuk about his return. But he didn’t know if Yoo Mia had already told them.
It didn’t take him long to arrive at the door of apartment number 703. His eyes stared at the sizable box in his hand that contained dumplings, the favorite food of three of them, before ringing the bell. Vaguely he heard a sound of falling objects and then feet that were stepping closer to the door. It seemed that Kim Dokja forgot to check who the guest was from the intercom because the door immediately opened.
As expected, the expression on his face was shocked. Yoo Jonghyun smiled as he lifted the box he was holding. “I’m back, Kim Dokja,” he said bitterly. He couldn’t say ‘I'm home’ because the man in front of him wasn’t home to him, past, present, nor future.
Kim Dokja’s eyes were watery before sobs could be heard. “Jong...hyun-ah...”
“Yes, that’s my name.” Yoo Jonghyun joked back.
Then the body that had transformed from the start into a half red fox hugged him tightly. Kim Dokja grumbled about himself never returning to Korea even not once during his training with the Namgung family. Yoo Jonghyun replied and rubbed his back, intending to calm him down while saying sorry.
“I thought... I’d never see you again.”
“Korea is my home. How can I not come back.”
The hug tightened. “Because of me, you...”
"Shh, don’t say that.” Yoo Jonghyun felt guilty too. He didn’t mean to make this pregnant man even sadder. “I needed time and it’s all my own decision. You’re not doing anything wrong, Dokja,” he said.
“But—”
“—you are pregnant, right?”
“...”
“Come in. The temperature outside is not good for the weak body like yours.”
Without protesting, Kim Dokja let go of his arms and was led into the apartment. According to the forecast this morning, the weather would be sunny all day long. It was estimated that the temperature during the day would be the warmest this summer. Yoo Jonghyun looked at the owner of the apartment who went to carry the dumpling box to the kitchen. Seeing him in a half-fox form made him believe, during this pregnancy, Kim Dokja would be physically weaker to the point of unable controlling himself.
This was normal, especially because he was anomega. Many doctors recommended that pregnant omega better stay at home and not do heavy work. Luckily Kim Dokja’s job didn’t require him to go anywhere.
The dumplings he brought were now served with a big jar of orange juice. Yoo Jonghyun didn’t hesitate to drink one glass to quench his thirst. His mixed feelings slowly started to calm down, especially seeing Kim Dokja eating dumplings greedily while exchanging stories when he wasn’t in Korea. But until two hours later, neither of them discussed Yoo Jonghyuk’s failed engagement because he knew it was quite a sensitive topic.
Not only for Kim Dokja, but also for Yoo Jonghyun. Back then if he decided to come back, it might be—okay, stop it. There was no use regretting the past.
“So, when are you two getting married?” asked Yoo Jonghyun after finishing one dumpling.
Kim Dokja choked up right away. Patiently he filled his empty glass. The man drank it until it was empty. “Don’t suddenly ask about that!” he protested.
Yoo Jonghyun squinted. “You don’t plan to get married?”
“Ugh, just ask your twin.”
“Where is that bastard, by the way? Running away after getting you pregnant?”
He massaged his forehead. “There are some businesses at the training venue. Soon he will be home too.” Kim Dokja took the dumpling again and prepared to eat it. “Even though he’s a jerk, he’s not an irresponsible guy, Jonghyun-ah. You two have the same attitude about that,” he said, chuckling softly.
His right hand rested at his chin on the side of the sofa. “But I still can’t forgive him who plays running away to your place and leaving Mia alone.” Yoo Jonghyun remembered something and sent a message to his younger sister, telling her to come here after school. He leaned on the sofa, somehow his body felt tired. Without asking permission, Yoo Jonghyun changed his position so he lie facing the ceiling of the room. It looked like the jetlag effect hadn’t disappeared completely yet.
Someone was covered part of the bodywith a blanket. He saw Kim Dokja smiling then stroking the top of his head with a nostalgic expression. “Get some sleep.”
“Thanks, Dokja-ya,” he whispered before losing consciousness.
.
.
.
Thud. Yoo Jonghyun groaned after his leg was kicked. As soon as his eyes opened, Yoo Mia’s figure was already staring at him, smiling broadly. “Morning, Oppa!”
“Ugh, Mia. Who kicked me?”
“Who allowed you to visit here?”
Twitch. Resentment filled his heart when his eyes caught his twin sitting on the single sofa and chewing dumpling. Yoo Jonghyun slowly changed his position, letting his little sister sit next to him. Sighing, he replied, “Dokja-ya allowed it. Besides, this isn’t your apartment, is it?”
“Why didn’t you notify me when you came back?”
“As a younger brother, you should have sent some messages me first while I was there.”
Yoo Jonghyuk seemed to pretend he didn’t hear anything and chose to turn on the TV. It was one of his habits when he couldn’t reply. Yoo Mia laughed then whispered in his ear, “Jonghyuk-oppa repeatedly came to your room when you first left, Oppa.”
He couldn’t help but grin when he heard it. “You can call or send a message if you are looking for something in my room, Jonghyuk. Mia can also help finding it for you,” he said.
Still trying to be cool, Yoo Jonghyuk looked at him as if to say, ‘What crazy thing are you talking about?’.
Kim Dokja laughed as he was serving castella cake on the table. “Ah, I remember, I saw Jonghyuk very early in the morning coming out from your room, Jonghyun-ah,” he added, who was immediately given a murderous look.
YooJonghyun shook his head, dramatizing. “I should have locked my room.” The sofa cushion almost hit his face if he weren’t quick to dodge. “Coming home from here, I better check my room soon. If anything goes missing, you have to take responsibility, my bastard twin.”
“Bullshit.” YooJonghyuk then got up. It was obvious he wanted to run away. “Mia, you have dinner here, right?”
“Yes! I miss Jonghyuk-oppa’s cooking!” Yoo Mia answered while her attention was focused on Kim Dokja’s tail that was moving slowly. Without permission, she embraced the tail and sighed comfortably. “Dokja-oppa’s tail is so soft...”
Kim Dokjalooked troubled. “Your brothers’ tails are softer and thicker, you know.”
“They are stingy. They won’t transform when I ask for it.”
Yoo Jonghyun glanced at the place where his twin had disappeared. He wouldn’t go to dinner with them but at least he wanted to help. It had been a long time since he and Yoo Jonghyuk cooked together.
Food ingredients were already arranged on the table. It looked like he was going to cook soegogi muguk. Kim Dokja’s voice was heard threatening that he wouldn’t eat if there were tomatoes in it. Yoo Jonghyuk, who just took out a tomato from the refrigerator, immediately tsked. Although grumbling, he complied. Yoo Jonghyun approached and tapped his shoulder, as a future father, his twin must learn to control his emotions.
“I can’t go to dinner with you,” he said to the twin who was measuring the rice.
“Who also prepared portions for you?” Yoo Jonghyuk replied after a moment’s silence.
You insolent brother. Yoo Jonghyun chose to focus on cutting the washed spring onions. Before long he smiled, the atmosphere felt nostalgic between them. With the addition of Kim Dokja in their family of three, Yoo Jonghyun felt that he was complete. He wanted to be like this forever, but how could that happen. Soon there would be niece(s) or nephew(s) and, of course, a couple of mates would prefer to live with their own family. Yoo Jonghyun couldn’t possibly stand in their way.
One day, Yoo Mia would also follow. Even though she was now 15 years old, it was only a matter of time until she found a partner who was willing to accept her as she was. When that happened, what would he do?
Distracting his mind, Yoo Jonghyun asked, “You don’t mean to stay in this place forever, do you?”
Yoo Jonghyuk looked over before peeling white radishes. “What do you mean?”
“You better find your own house or mansion. For long term investment too.”
“...I’m looking for it.” Yoo Jonghyuk gave the white radishes to him. “Uriel already recommended a few yesterday.”
Yoo Jonghyun frowned. “Are you still in contact with that Dokja’s fanatic fan?”
Thud. “If it weren’t for Dokja...” Black aura seemed to be emitting from the body of his twin.
Well, from the spam Han Sooyoung sent, he had to thank the woman. Uriel, Han Sooyoung, and Yoo Sangah always accompanied Kim Dokja in times of trouble. The three of them were indeed the most sensitive to the situation.
His eyes were staring at his watch. There was still one hour before the meeting with Han Sooyoung. But considering that he didn’t know the restaurant in question, he should leave early. “Sorry, I have an appointment with Sooyoung. You continue to cook it yourself,” said Yoo Jonghyun while washing his hands.
“You... close to Sooyoung?”
“Thanks to her spam messages that keep bothering me.”
“Oh.”
“Don’t think nonsense. We’re just friends.”
“Whatever. It’s not my business.”
“Asshole.”
* * *
Finally, he could be free from all activities today. Yoo Mia had also returned to the mansion, escorted by his twin. Yoo Jonghyun intended to call the private driver to pick him up, but he canceled it. In exchange, Yoo Jonghyun gave him a day off tomorrow because he would be at home all day long. After sending the message, his eyes looked forward, inwardly cursing Han Sooyoung for not telling the name of the restaurant and making him went to the wrong address.
Well, since she was the one who asked to meet up, of course Yoo Jonghyun refused to move.
He stood on the side of the road, watching the passing vehicles in front of him. Several taxis passed, but not one was without passengers. Yoo Jonghyun considered for a moment, it wasn’t bad to use the bus either, although it didn’t guarantee he wouldn’t get lost or take the wrong bus.
As his feet began to look for the nearest stop, his sensitive ears heard a scream from behind him. Yoo Jonghyun turned around and saw a teenager running towards him while occasionally looking back. His eyes followed the direction of the boy’s gaze which was fixed on two adults dressed quite shabby, they shouted at the boy to stop running.
They were thugs and wanted to harm this boy. Yoo Jonghyun’s instincts told him to help, but he thought it was troublesome. Unfortunately, he was too late to escape. His body was hit but it wasn’t him who fell, but the boy.
“Are you okay?” he asked, holding out his hand.
The boy looked shocked, but he had no time to answer because one of the people who was chasing him interrupted. “Hey, kid. You ran very fast, but we didn’t mean anything bad.”
“Liar! You want to take my money!” shouted the boy, standing up.
Yoo Jonghyun withdrew his hand before looking at the two adults who were believed to be thugs. They suddenly gasped and looked back at him. He knew this reaction, they realized the existence of a wild animal nearby that was ready to stab them in an instant. Of course what he meant was himself. Yoo Jonghyun didn’t give off his dominant aura, it was just physical, especially from the expression on his face and eyes which were often said to be scary.
The thug who was likely the boss took a step back. “Le, let’s go.” The other obeyed. They turned around without even glancing back. Several people who saw the incident just now returned to their own business.
His head turned to the boy. He was still trying to control his breath. Yoo Jonghyun frowned, where was this kid being chased from?
“Th, thank you... so much... Ahjussi.” He smiled tiredly.
“They are not debt collectors, right?”
His expression looked offended. “I never borrowed money from moneylenders.”
“Good.” Yoo Jonghyun was silent, his nose smelled something. He just realized that the child in front of him was probably a herbivore type. It was only natural that he became a prey to bad guys like them just now. “I’ll take you home,” he said after realizing that the uniform he was wearing was exactly the same as Yoo Mia’s.
The boy looked up. “Thank you, but it will be troublesome for Ahjussi.” He refused it subtly.
“It would be even more troublesome if tomorrow morning I saw a photo of you in the headline news about a high school boy being a victim of assault or murder.”
Of course what he said made the boy cringe in horror. “Ahjussi is too much.”
Yoo Jonghyun thought for a moment. This child might be the type of person who didn’t like to be in debt. His thumb tapped his phone menu then the screen displayed several boxes containing numbers and held it out to the boy. “Then can you show me how to order a taxi? I’ll take you home instead.”
He seemed to consider it. His eyes were staring at Yoo Jonghyun from top to bottom. He nodded hesitantly.
After ordering a taxi via telephone service, the ordered taxi stopped in front of them. This child was clearly still feeling alert because he wanted to be dropped off in front of a supermarket which he said wasn’t far from his house. Yoo Jonghyun couldn’t refuse and let it be. As soon as he got out of the taxi and said thank you, the taxi driver suddenly asked, “Would you mind if I spray air freshener, Sir?”
“Huh? Yes?” He replied uncertainly because he didn’t know what had happened.
The taxi driver explained, “Even though it is faint, I am afraid that the smell of omega will disturb you.”
Yoo Jonghyun paused for a moment. “He is... an omega?”
“Eh? You didn’t feel it, Sir?”
His hands unconsciously massaged his forehead. Yoo Jonghyun felt badly defeated. Had he lived with alpha and beta for too long, so he didn’t notice it?
.
.
.
He thought they would never meet again, but his thoughts were wrong.
Around two in the afternoon the next day, Yoo Mia came home from school. But, today she brought home three friends with an excuse of studying together. Yoo Jonghyun would call Kyrgios Rodgraim when the main door opened, followed by the voice of his younger sister who greeted him. He immediately went to the living room and his attention immediately focused on one of Yoo Mia’s friends who also looked surprised to see him.
“Guys, this is Jonghyun-oppa, my eldest brother,” said Yoo Mia.
The three friends bowed, “Hello, sorry to bother,” followed by a short introductory session. The short haired girl named Shin Yoosung, the curly haired boy named Lee Gilyoung, and the boy he met last night was... Lee Dokja.
Yoo Jonghyun tried to act normal. “Have you had lunch?”
“Yes, Jonghyun-hyung(oppa)!” they answered compactly.
He nodded and then retired to his study. When his feet were going up the stairs, Yoo Jonghyun once looked at the living room. His hands clenched into fists after his eyes met with Lee Dokja who also turned his head at him. He bowed respectfully before turning around. His name was Dokja... meaning ‘only child’ like Kim Dokja? Or did it really mean ‘reader’ this time?
Coincidence? Destiny?
Soon Yoo Jonghyun entered the study and looked for a photo album stored on one of the shelves. They had known since middle school, Kim Dokja’s appearance had changed a lot from before. He was pretty quiet but when someone approached or did something that offended him, Kim Dokja didn’t hesitate to fight back, including to Yoo Jonghyuk.
His hand stopped on the page of their photo on the day of junior high school graduation, followed by a photo of them wearing the same high school uniform. In the photo, Kim Dokja is smiling broadly while embracing him and Yoo Jonghyuk. He recalled Lee Dokja’s appearance last night and just now, Yoo Jonghyun couldn’t believe that he had missed this. Kim Dokja’s face was a little above standard, but it was also undeniable that he was quite handsome. After seeing this photo, they clearly looked like identical twins.
Was Yoo Jonghyun’s attention last night distracted because he was too shocked not to realize about the omega he was helping?
“It seemed I lost a score of 2-0.”
Yoo Jonghyun felt uneasy. His hand deftly typed the name ‘Lee’ then called his assistant. “Hyunsung, can you find me information about Lee Dokja?”
While Lee Hyunsung was looking for information, he called Kyrgios Rodgraim. This middle-aged man was taking his place in leading the family company. His teacher didn’t choose a wrong person because his company was now the number one company in the financial sector, both in banking and insurance. This also made the black wolf clan more respected by other clans.
Before he had time to greet him with respect, Kyrgios Rodgraim immediately cut in, “When did you take over my position?”
Twitch. “Tomorrow I’m going to the investor meeting.”
“Just coming? Won’t immediately announce the takeover of position?”
Twitch twitch. “I need time to adjust—”
“—bullshit. After the meeting, I will submit a resignation letter.”
He knew that this man had wanted to retire early, but not this fast. His teacher left a message to persuade Kyrgios Rodgraim to become Deputy Director under the leadership of Namgung Minyoung. He let out a tired sigh, not understanding what this middle-aged man was thinking. “Do you seriously want to resign, Kyrgios-nim? Teacher offers a high position in her company,” he persuaded.
“That giant woman? How could it be.”
“I can get a formal letter from Teacher if you don’t believe me.”
It seemed he was thinking before he heard an irritated squeak. “Tell her to send a proposal tonight to my email. Remember, it must be tonight.”
“Yes, I understand, Kyrgios-nim.”
“Good.”
The call was cut off. Yoo Jonghyun tried to be calm even though his mind cursed at the old man. But he probably wouldn't be able to refuse his teacher’s offer. He sent a message to his teacher then busied himself with all the documents that Kyrgios Rodgraim had given via email. About an hour later, his attention was drawn to the email sent by Lee Hyunsung.
‘Are you asking this because he looks like Kim Dokja?’
‘I just wanted to make sure. Thanks, Hyunsung,’ he replied.
* * *
Lee Dokja was awakened by the TV being turned off. Slowly he sat up while rubbing his eyes, trying not to sleep again. He saw Yoo Mia's brother covering Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung with a large blanket before their eyes finally met each other. “Jonghyun-hyung, may I know what time it is?” he asked, trying to be as polite and quiet as possible so as not to wake the others.
The man named Yoo Jonghyun checked his watch. “Six in the afternoon.”
“Thank you.” His head felt dizzy and almost fell over if he wasn’t restrained.
“Do you have a part-time work schedule today?”
This question made Lee Dokja fully awake. He couldn’t recall saying he was a part-time worker. Was it because of last night? But it was amazing to immediately guess it right. “Ah, that... I have a day off today,” he replied softly. Lee Dokja stood up assisted by Yoo Mia’s brother. “About last night, thank you for helping me, Jonghyun-hyung. Sorry because I called Hyung ‘Ahjussi’ before,” he added.
From the start he didn’t expect to see this man again. But it turned out that the fate said differently. If he looked closely, Yoo Jonghyun’s face didn’t look that old even though there wasalong scratch on of his eyes and a large stitch on his left cheek that cover his good looks.
Ahem, Lee Dokja couldn’t help but be captivated by his charms. After all he was just an ordinary teenager who was still growing up. But he was also self-conscious, it was impossible for this man to glance at him because most adults thought of teenagers in his age as children who didn’t know anything. Even though as an omega, Lee Dokja had been taught many things, including guarding himself from bad people, especially from alpha who looked down on omega and thought of them as just to satisfy their lust.
Learning from experience, Yoo Jonghyun was not just anyone. Yoo Mia was a good girl. It must be thanks to her brothers’ teachings because he knew that the Yoo siblings had lost their parents since Yoo Mia was little. That was why Lee Dokja was able to conclude that Yoo Jonghyun was a good alpha even though he realized it was a little biased.
“Can you help me in the kitchen?”
The man’s question struck him. “Uum, I can.”
They moved to the other place. He was asked to cut vegetables while Yoo Jonghyun was busy with chicken meat. Lee Dokja complied. Luckily, he often helped the caregivers when they were cooking for dinner and for breakfast, so he had become accustomed to knives. Every now and then Lee Dokja caught the shadow of the man looking at him, perhaps afraid that his finger would be cut by the sharp side of the knife.
“Do you guys come here often?” Yoo Jonghyun was standing right beside him.
Lee Dokja held his breath for a moment. “Yes. Jonghyuk-hyung asked us to accompany Mia-ya.”
“Oh, it turns out that bastard is aware too.”
“Sorry?”
“It is nothing.”
Yoo Mia often told him that her twin brothers didn’t get along well. When the eldest brother left, they never communicated to each other directly, even not exchanging messages. Looked like what Yoo Mia told him was true.
If he looked closely, their faces were similar. Lee Dokja had thought he was familiar with the man who helped him last night but didn’t really think about it. If there were no wound, it might be difficult to tell them apart. But somehow he liked Yoo Jonghyun’s voice. Even though it sounded monotonous, but it was better than Yoo Jonghyuk’s voice, which often reminded him of people who held back their anger and wanted to beat him up.
Jonghyun-hyung is better than Jonghyuk-hyung, concluded Lee Dokja.
“Is there something on my face?” asked Yoo Jonghyun as he turned to look at him.
Flinched, he shook his head. “Sorry.” Lee Dokja returned to focus on cutting the salad leaves which the man said they would make a mayonnaise salad.
Bathump. Bathump.
His heart was beating fast. This was the first time he felt this reaction. The omega in him should have gotten used to being this close to alpha, especially after becoming Yoo Mia’s friend. When he met Yoo Jonghyuk it was also normal, then what was the difference?
They were alpha siblings. Their pheromones must be the same.
Focus, Lee Dokja. Focus.
It didn’t take long for them to cook a menu for dinner. Lee Dokja was told to wake the others. His eyebrows frown when he knew Yoo Mia already had awaked and showed him a mysterious smile. He had a bad feeling about this.
“Guys, wake up! Let’s have dinner!” exclaimed the girl then.
Lee Gilyoung and Shin Yoosung immediately woke up.
Yoo Mia pulled his arm toward the dining room while humming happily, without waiting for their other two friends. He had a really bad feeling. “It turned out that my guess was right, hehe,” the girl said mysteriously.
Lee Dokja’s mouth closed tightly. The figure of the oldest brother Yoo came out of the dining room as well as the kitchen. It looked like he had no intention of joining dinner with them. Too bad, maybe Yoo Jonghyun felt bad about being surrounded by teenagers like them. But before the man could actually leave the room, Yoo Mia’s left hand was wrapped around his arm. The younger sister forcibly asked him to come to eat with them because Lee Gilyoung said he was curious about his life abroad.
He wasn’t sure that Yoo Jonghyun would comply with her request. He wasn’t the kind of talkative person, same as his twin maybe. Then... of the many chairs, why was Hyung sitting next to him!?
His eyes couldn’t help but glare at Yoo Mia when he saw her nodding with a satisfied expression on her face. What was this girl planning again? Whatever the plan was, it would end up badly. But why did she have to carry around him and Yoo Jonghyun?
Did she intend to be...?
...eeey, no way.
.
.
.
In the end Lee Dokja had dinner with an unsettled feeling. Not once or twice did he catch himself being watched from the side. In front of him, Yoo Mia was still smiling as she invited her older brother to talk even though he only replied briefly. Lee Gilyoung, who was amazed by the Yoo family from the start, was even more amazed after listening to Yoo Jonghyun’s story. Shin Yoosung was silent a lot but her eyes that were looking at the man beside him were sparkling.
When the three of them were leaving, Yoo Mia pushed him to sit beside the driver’s seat. Lee Dokja wanted to protest but his mouth immediately closed after being stared by Yoo Jonghyun. His rabbit’s instinct had also shouted out the word of danger every now and then.
Tomorrow I have to talk privately with Mia, he said to himself.
Yoo Jonghyun escorted Shin Yoosung and Lee Gilyoung who were living in the same apartment building first. Unfortunately, the directions of their houses and where he was living were the opposite. They had to turn around and got him trapped with the oldest brother Yoo in the car a bit longer. Just the two of them.
He shook his head, getting rid of the thought. Calm down, Lee Dokja.
“Is your head still dizzy?” asked Yoo Jonghyun suddenly.
He shook his head again. “It’s okay, just a little sleepy.”
“I don’t know your house, hang on till we get there.”
Lee Dokja nodded and whispered, “Thank you, Jonghyun-hyung.”
About fifteen minutes later, the car stopped right in front of the fence of an orphanage, where he had been living since childhood. At first Lee Dokja didn’t want to be escorted here but the man insisted, worried thatthe yesterday’s incident would happen again. He then gave up.
“Once again, thank you. I’m sorry for always bothering Jonghyun-hyung,” he said before removing the seat belt.
“Tomorrow.”
Lee Dokja looked over. “Yes?”
The man stared back at him. His gaze was intense, suddenly making his body tremble. Yoo Jonghyun was just like Yoo Mia, they had the black wolf gene. Naturally, the herbivore-type like Lee Dokja (especially from the rabbit gene) couldn’t do anything with just this gaze.
Yoo Jonghyun broke eye contact. Maybe he realized that he was scared. “What time will you finish your part time tomorrow?”
...huh? His ears didn’t hear wrong, right?
“Maybe I can pick you up.”
“Ah, ugh, thank you, but I don’t want to bother Hyung anymore.”
“Does it bother you?”
Lee Dokja was confused about what to answer. Rather than being bother, he felt uncomfortable. Yoo Jonghyun must be a busy person. “If, if Hyung feels anxious about yesterday, it wasn’t my real shift. Usually I finish at seven in the evening,” he explained.
“Okay, seven o’clock.”
“No, I mean—”
“—hm?”
Again, his mouth immediately shut up. It meant he didn’t accept rejection, right? Lee Dokja was forced to raise his hand, giving up. “If it’s not troubling you, Hyung.”
Why did it feel like he had lost in a war before even it was started?
Yoo Jonghyun briefly seemed to smile with satisfaction before unlocking the car door.
Not wanting to linger in the carany longer, he opened the door. For the last time, Lee Dokja thanked him and then ran into the orphanage. His ears pretended not to hear a question from one of the nannies who opened the door.
...Yoo Mia, what’s wrong with your brother!?
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
OMAKE #1 (The night after that...)
“Oppa, you have to thank me.” Yoo Mia glanced at her brother.
Yoo Jonghyun frowned. “Go to sleep.”
Even though he sounded unconcerned, Yoo Mia seemed to be able to see her brother’s tail moving swiftly. Making them meet each other sooner was the right decision. Lee Dokja must be starting to freak out now.
OMAKE #2 (He changed...)
It was nice evening with the sound of cheering teenagers playing Mario Cart. Yoo Jonghyun, stopping his hands from kneading the dumpling dough for their dinner together, looked to the direction of his living room. He saw Lee Dokja was struggling to get an upperhand on the game he was playing. With an exasperated sigh, he lost, together with a victory shout from Lee Gilyoung.
Unconsciously Lee Dokja turned his head to his direction too, and their eyes met. In shock, a pair of white rabbit ears came out, and he looked away with red blush spreading on the back of his neck. Yoo Jonghyun let out a small chuckle, his lips bent a bit with amusement.
“Seems like you knew him already.”
Yoo Jonghyun took a glance to his insolent brother, who uninvitedly came without notice and ruined his nice evening. Instead of answering Yoo Jonghyuk’s question, he continued kneading the dough, “You should prepare more fillings, you will bring some for Kim Dokja, won’t you?”
Yoo Jonghyuk went to the fridge, took some more ingredients, and started preparing for more dumpling fillings, “So, what do you think?”
Actually Yoo Jonghyun wanted to ignore him as before. However, hearing his brother’s question make him recall these couple of weeks he spent with the rabbit-boy. Like the first time they spent one day in a date. Though, Lee Dokja didn’t aware about it first before he said it. He blushed and for the first time Yoo Jonghyun saw him transformed. The boy was so shocked it seemed. He asked the boy’s permission to touch his rabbit ears. Yoo Jonghyun didn’t know that the rabbit ears were softer than he thought. Then he got addicted with it.
He would be lying if he said he didn’t feel attracted to Lee Dokja because of the boy’s similarities with his to-be-brother-in-law. However, they were also different like how shy he was, how fast he got flustered when someone poked his weakness, and he was too honest.
“I don’t know yet.” Then, without stopping his hands’ movements, Yoo Jonghyun was smiling, “Right now I’m just trying to know him better. I want him to know me better and let the fate takes the lead.”
The sound of Yoo Jonghyuk chopping some vegetables beside him stopped.
“I didn’t know after years away from Korea, my brother became less robotic.”
OMAKE # 3 (When the cupid noticed it...)
“It’s coooooooooold!”
Yoo Mia, walking alone from the gate to the school building, crossed her arms to keep her body temperature. “Why this winter is so cold? It’s even snowing nonstop.”
She sighed loudly. It had been two days her oldest brother went back to complete his training. After several months being in Korea, she thought Jonghyun-oppa wouldn’t go back to Norway anymore. However, his teacher called him and asked him to return soon. Now she was living in her huge mansion alone once again. Though he promised it wouldn’t take as long as before, she still felt so sad and annoyed.
With that in mind, she planned to crash into her other brother’s new house to annoy him. And of course, to touch Dokja-oppa’s belly, it had become big and so soft now. She always felt happy seeing the belly moved sometimes, and couldn’t wait to see her baby nephew in a few months (she was sure the baby must be a boy).
From a far, she saw a figure of one of her best friends, approaching the school building before her. Running, she shouted his name, “Dokja-ya!”
The boy turned his head and looked back to her. “Mia-ya, good morning.”
The teenagers chatted for quite a bit before Yoo Mia remembered something. “Oh, because it’s snowing, can you show me your ears as usual?”
Startled a bit, Lee Dokja seemed to not want to comply to his friend’s wish. But, “O-okay, but please don’t squeeze them too hard this time.”
“Kyaaaaa, they’re so pretty!”Tthe girl screamed a little when he let his pure white rabbit ears out. She then stroked one of them gently. “It’s so soft. I always look forward to see your ears every winter.”
Snif snif. Yoo Mia stopped, smelling something. She stepped back a few steps, looking at her best friend from head to toe.
Feeling confused, Lee Dokja turned his expression to a concerned look. “Mia-ya, what’s wrong?”
Still looking intently, the wolf-girl was thinking. Why Jonghyun-oppa’s smell is emitting strongly around Lee Dokja?
Then she realized something, a piece of pure white fluffy brand new scarf around the boy’s neck. Yoo Mia remembered, several days before her brother went back abroad, he asked her what was Lee Dokja’s favourite color.
I see, courting huh, Yoo Mia’s grin was widening in happiness. Of course her stoic oldest brother wouldn’t lay a hand on an underage before he was mature enough. But he wouldn’t let other predators touch his prey as well when hewas away.
“Nothing.” She grabbed his wrist and continued walking to their classroom together, still smiling. “Seems I have to call you ‘Oppa’ in the future.”
Gasp. Lee Dokja’s whole skin turned red immediately.