Chapter Text
☆☆☆
Yoongi isn’t hiding, exactly. The music is too loud and the people are all the usual self-important assholes, so he simply tucks himself into a corner of the large room where he can escape the chaos for a second. He can still see Namjoon working his way around the room, easily chatting and shaking hands with all of the industry people that welcome him home with too much enthusiasm.
Yoongi’s heart softens as he watches Namjoon’s dimples make an appearance. He can’t believe that Namjoon is here, finally, after years and years of waiting. After years of living on opposite sides of the world, after texts and video calls and emails that grew their reluctant agreement to marry each other into a deep friendship. Finally Namjoon has made the move back to Korea, and they can finally start their life together.
Yoongi carefully sips his drink and tries to talk himself into rejoining the party. He needs to make an effort to come across as approachable and likable. Namjoon’s parents are here, the party an excuse to show off their son as he steps into his role as CEO of a Hybe sub-label, poised to one day take over the entire company. And Yoongi, second omega son of an entertainment and mass media company CEO, had been the perfect person for him to marry — provided he could keep up appearances, of course. As long as he behaved in all of the ways their backwards thinking social circle expected him to and did it with a smile.
Yoongi knows exactly what he is up against. He’s had to deal with it all his life, of course he knows. He’d been reminded just a while ago when he overheard a group of drunk alphas loudly comparing notes on fucking male omegas. Most men are alphas, most women omegas, but oh, if you’re lucky enough to find a male omega? Insatiable creatures, they claim. They can fuck and be fucked. They’re always up for it, but be careful because they get too clingy too quickly. Female alphas? Too aggressive, think too highly of themselves — no, best fuck of your life will be a male omega who can bounce on your cock for hours.
Yoongi had nearly seen red just listening to them, and honestly now all he wants is to go home and be as far away from this place as possible. But it’s Namjoon’s party and Yoongi is his fiancé, even though that news has technically not been announced to the public yet. He has to be here, on his very best behavior. No telling idiot alphas off for being disgusting pigs.
It's something Yoongi has had to hear a lot, growing up as a male omega that didn't fit into the box society created for him. He played basketball, he listened to rap, he hung out with mostly alphas — people just assumed he was an alpha too and were loose with their tongue and idiotic opinions. He's not like Park Jimin, he thinks sourly, Namjoon's pretty new assistant. Yoongi doesn't know for a fact that he's an omega, has only briefly met him once, but he's willing to bet money on it. Park Jimin has dyed blond hair, wears bright colors, seems the type to embrace every single embarrassing stereotype for their kind.
“Ah, future brother-in-law,” a very annoying voice says right next to him. “Admiring your future mate, huh?”
Yoongi tears his eyes away from Namjoon to look at Seokjin, willing himself not to glare. “Seokjin-ssi. Hello.”
Seokjin gives him a big, fake smile. “Always so formal. I keep telling you to call me hyung. Listen, I was hoping to find you here. Did Taehyung come too? He loves parties.”
Yoongi’s insides twist with annoyance. He’d been very glad when his cousin Taehyung ended his brief fling with Seokjin two years ago. “He didn’t come tonight.”
And good thing too. Yoongi wouldn’t be able to stand watching the two of them rekindle things now. It’s bad enough that Yoongi is going to have Seokjin as part of his family after he and Namjoon become mates. At least Seokjin and Namjoon aren’t close. But Taehyung is always around Yoongi, and if they start dating, he would have to stand Seokjin’s presence for more than just a few family gatherings here and there.
“What a shame,” Seokjin says with a dramatic sigh. His hair has been dyed brown since the last time Yoongi saw him. It’s wavy, slightly fluffy. Yoongi briefly wonders if he’s filming another drama, but he would rather eat glass than hear Seokjin prattle on about himself.
Seokjin studies Yoongi’s face, and in return Yoongi ignores him. The silence that stretches between them is awkward. Yoongi finds Namjoon in the crowd again, silently begging him to look up and notice, to come rescue him from his half-brother, but Namjoon continues his discussion with the men that have formed a small circle around him.
“You don’t like me very much, huh?” Seokjin states, crossing his arms and leaning against the wall. Settling in for this awful conversation, it seems.
“I like you just fine, Seokjin-ssi,” Yoongi lies.
No one actually really likes Seokjin much. The rumor is that Kim Youngchul had a fling with a pretty shop girl, resulting in his firstborn son Seokjin. Namjoon, born a couple of years later in a legitimate marriage, is the real heir, but Seokjin has it pretty good for a bastard. He refused to get involved in the family company and instead went into acting. Now he pops up at family parties whenever he wants, free from any real responsibility, glib and arrogant and hell bent on annoying Yoongi, it seems.
“I sure hope so,” Seokjin says, “otherwise our yearly trips to Jeju for father’s birthday will be awkward.”
Yoongi doesn’t say anything. Look up, Namjoon. Look at me, Kim Namjoon. Please. No luck.
“You know, you’re very cute. I’ve always thought so, at least. Namjoon is lucky you actually waited around for him. How many years was he gone? Four? Five? Another alpha could have come and stolen your heart during that time. Was it hard, having him study abroad all those years? I hear you two are good friends, which must be nice. At least you’re not marrying a complete stranger, right?”
“It’s nice, yes,” Yoongi forces out. “If you’ll excuse—”
“So about Taehyung,” Seokjin rushes to say, turning so that he’s facing Yoongi. Of course his real aim was this. “I’ve messaged him a couple of times, and he hasn’t replied. That’s not very like him, so I was just wondering if something was going on. He’s not seeing anyone new, is he?”
“I don’t really think that’s any of your business anymore,” Yoongi says, trying to ignore the way his stomach sinks.
Taehyung has been acting strange. Secretive, cryptic, evasive — not words Yoongi has ever associated with Taehyung, and yet he’s nowhere to be found these days. As much as Yoongi wants Taehyung to avoid Seokjin, it is definitely out of character for him to do so.
“Well it was never really my business, but we’re still friends. If you could tell him to send me a text, I’d owe you one.”
“Sure,” Yoongi agrees with no real intention to do so.
“Always so kind, our Yoongi,” Seokjin says, a hand coming up to clutch at his own chest, as if his heart is too full. It’s physically painful for Yoongi to not roll his eyes. “It’s going to be great having you in the family. I always tell Joonie he got really lucky to be matched with you. I really do.”
“Thank you. I should probably rejoin Namjoon. Excuse me.” Yoongi gives a half assed bow and hightails it as quickly as he can without breaking into a run.
God, Seokjin is always exhausting. Yoongi has been a supportive ear every time Namjoon wanted to rant about his lazy older brother, so he knows all of the family drama. How he refuses to be matched up, how their father lets him get away with everything, how he treats Namjoon with contempt, how he could give Narcissus a run for his money. Seokjin might be in commercials and dramas, but Yoongi has never been impressed with him.
Taehyung, though… Taehyung has always defended Seokjin, saying he’s funny and sweet once you get to know him. Taehyung always replies to his friends. He definitely always replies to Yoongi. Except now he never drops by, never picks up the phone, always claims to be busy when Yoongi invites him somewhere. It’s worrying.
Namjoon smiles at Yoongi as he steps next to him. The world stops for a second, the music fades, and it’s just the two of them. Namjoon is here, finally. He’s here to stay, and they’re going to be mates. Yoongi’s heart melts into goo and expands, filling his whole body with pleasant warmth. Namjoon turns back to the man he was talking to and carries on the conversation, breaking the spell, but that happy feeling carries Yoongi through the rest of the boring night.
☆☆☆
[Kim Namjoon]
Kim Namjoon:
Good morning, hyung. Do you think you could come by this morning? I’ve got something important to talk about.
Yoongi:
I can be there in two hours
Kim Namjoon:
Sounds good, see you here.
Yoongi:
👍
☆☆☆
Excitement fills Yoongi as he hurries to get ready. He hums to himself as he looks through his closet and tries to find something that is casual but not sloppy. He takes a moment to make sure the front pieces of his hair properly frame his face. He thinks he looks pretty okay by the time he gives himself an encouraging nod in the mirror and heads out.
Namjoon has been back in Korea for two weeks now, having arrived near the end of January, but they haven’t been able to spend much time together. Hell, Yoongi feels as if they talked more when Namjoon was still in New York. Now in the same city, Namjoon has been busy getting adjusted to his new job and moving into his new apartment. Yoongi has done his best to be patient, but it’s been hard to wait for their life to start.
Namjoon’s apartment is on the top floor of a luxury highrise. Yoongi hums in the elevator on the way up, a smile on his lips. Namjoon bought it the last time he was in Korea. He’d shown Yoongi around and asked for his opinion before signing the paperwork. “This is going to be our first home,” Namjoon had said. “I want to make sure you like it too.”
When their parents sat them down and said the two of them would be a good match, both Yoongi and Namjoon had known what it really meant. They were nineteen and eighteen, two complete strangers. Their match was introduced as a suggestion, but they knew that a marriage between them was going to happen whether they liked it or not. So they’d worked on it together, slowly but steadily building a friendship over the years. Namjoon studied abroad for a long time, first in New Zealand and then in New York City. They talked every day. Yoongi got to know Namjoon, his passion, his strength, his insane amount of talent. How could Yoongi not fall for him? Slowly, his heart began to yearn.
During these years apart, they’ve talked a lot about their upcoming marriage. Practical matters, such as what they expect from a mate, what their shared family values will be, what they’ll name their kids. The only thing they have never really talked about is how exactly to transition from friends to mates, which Yoongi is pretty sure is what Namjoon wants to talk about today. It makes sense: they’ve been friends for so long, neither of them exactly good at talking about feelings. It’d been difficult and embarrassing enough calling Namjoon his best friend out loud for the first time a couple of years back.
So they have kept their relationship frozen in the bounds of friendship up until now, but it’s time to sit down and talk things out. It’s time to set a date for the wedding, preferably something soon to get it out of the way before mating season. Yoongi is well aware, thanks to the many lunches he has shared with Namjoon’s mother, that the Kim family is anxious for them to have children as quickly as possible.
It’s a little overwhelming, sure, but Yoongi is more than ready. He knocks a happy little beat on Namjoon’s door. It’s time to set things in motion. Maybe, if Yoongi can get himself to be very brave, it’s time to tell Namjoon how he really feels. That he’s stupidly, incredibly, undyingly in love with him. That he can’t wait to be the best mate possible. It’s time.
The door opens, and—
“Taehyung?” Yoongi frowns, confused. For a second he wonders if he came to the wrong apartment, but no, this is definitely Namjoon’s place.
“Hi, hyung.” Taehyung opens the door wider and says, “Come in.”
“What’s going on?” Yoongi asks as he steps inside and takes his shoes off.
Taehyung is wearing brown slippers with little bears on them. He hands Yoongi a plain white pair, ones meant for guests. Unease crawls into Yoongi’s stomach.
Namjoon walks over and gives Yoongi a forced looking smile. “Yoongi-hyung, hey. Uh, come sit down, please. We have something to tell you.”
Yoongi looks at Taehyung again, but his cousin avoids eye contact. The unease turns into fear. “Okay,” Yoongi says as he walks over and takes a seat on a chair in the living room.
Namjoon and Taehyung sit on the couch. Yoongi had helped pick it out. It’s a huge couch — wide, deep, perfect for naps — and easily seats at least seven people. Namjoon and Taehyung sit close together.
There must be a reasonable explanation for this. Yoongi clasps his hands together and waits for it. He keeps his face neutral, telling himself to stay calm despite the way his heart is hammering away in his chest.
Namjoon clears his throat. “Hyung…” The words don’t seem to come easily. He looks at Taehyung, seeking some sort of reassurance, before looking back to Yoongi. “We wanted to talk with you because we’ve come to a decision, and we know it’s going to affect you.”
“Is it something bad?”
“No,” Namjoon says quickly, and at least that lets Yoongi breathe a tiny bit. “It’s definitely not bad. It’s really good, actually.”
“Just spit it out then.”
“Right. Sorry. See, I know that our parents always hoped that you and I would get engaged—”
“And we are engaged,” Yoongi says, not really understanding where Namjoon is going with this, why Taehyung still won’t look at him.
Namjoon winces and says, “Right, but… hyung…”
“Namjoon-hyung and I are in love,” Taehyung says, his eyes finally meeting Yoongi’s. He looks just as queasy as Namjoon does, clearly bracing themselves.
The words don’t make sense at first. They swirl in the air, circling Yoongi, taking their time as they gently glide down. When they land, they explode.
“What?” Yoongi says with what little air is left in his lungs. It doesn’t make sense, it can’t be, this cannot be fucking happening—
“I know this is sudden,” Namjoon says, taking over as Taehyung once again looks down at the floor. “It’s sudden for us too, but we’re sure about how we feel. We want to get married.”
This doesn’t make sense. Yoongi tries to breathe, but air isn’t making it in. This can’t be fucking happening right now. Yoongi shakes his head and forces out, “I don’t understand.”
Namjoon puts his arm around Taehyung, the touch familiar. Yoongi’s eyes lock onto the hand that curves around Taehyung’s shoulder until Namjoon speaks. “Last time I was here, when Taehyung and I went to the play — do you remember? We stayed in touch afterwards and well, we realized we liked each other. It’s taken a lot to reach this decision. I know it’s going to upset our parents, but Taehyung and I are really in love. I wouldn’t break our agreement if we weren’t sure. If you and I tell our parents together, I think they might come around and agree to a new arrangement.”
The play. Just a few days after Namjoon finalized the paperwork for this apartment, Yoongi had come down with a fever, and he’d told Namjoon to take Taehyung to the play so the ticket wouldn't go to waste. That was only four months ago.
It all clicks into place. Taehyung’s strange behavior. Why Namjoon has been so busy. And Yoongi’s heart shatters.
☆☆☆
The burning humiliation that clogs Yoongi’s throat keeps him composed as he listens to Namjoon talk through how they should break the news to their parents. He stays still and silent as Taehyung holds Namjoon’s hand and says, “We both really want kids as soon as possible. We want a family.”
Namjoon looks guilty as he says, “I know this messes up all of our plans, hyung, and I really hope you’ll forgive us for springing it on you like this.”
Yoongi swallows hard and manages a pathetic smile. “There’s nothing to forgive. I’m… I’m happy for you two.”
Somehow, he makes it out of the apartment and to his car. He drives back home in silence.
It’s not until he’s back in the safety of his room that he finally breaks. A hand comes up to cover his mouth as sobs shake him. Tears stream down his face, and the crack in his heart fully tears open. It’s a pain he has never felt before, not this deep.
He feels stupid and lost and scared. What is he supposed to do now? Namjoon doesn’t want him. His entire future, their life — it’s all gone, just like that. In four small months, all of their plans for the future have been thrown in the trash and Yoongi’s heart along with it.
The tears won’t stop, just like the hurt doesn’t stop, and Yoongi thinks he might throw up.
Just last month he had lunch with Namjoon’s mother, and she’d grabbed his hands, squeezed them tight, and said, “Oh Yoongi, it soothes my heart to know that you will be my son’s mate. I know you’ll treat him right.” He had mentioned that to Namjoon in a text, hadn’t he? What had Namjoon replied to that? Yoongi can’t remember, but Namjoon hadn’t said anything suspicious, hadn’t mentioned the fact that he was already in love with Taehyung.
Perhaps that’s the thing that hurts the most. Why did it have to be Taehyung? Why couldn’t he have lost Namjoon to his pretty new assistant or to literally anybody else in the entire fucking world?
At thirteen, Taehyung came to live with them after his parents unexpectedly passed away. It had been an awful, rough time, but Yoongi and Taehyung grew even closer. Yoongi always watched out for him, always offered support. Hell, Yoongi is closer to Taehyung than he is to his actual older brother Sunghyun. Beautiful, charming, funny Taehyung — of course Namjoon would fall in love with him. Yoongi never stood a chance.
He should’ve seen this coming. He should have never dared to hope that things would actually work out for him. Because see, Yoongi is usually not a naive idiot. No, he’s careful. He had learned from a small age that people don’t keep their promises, that life is often lonely, that the only person you can really depend on is yourself. He had always hated the easy way words cut him so deeply. He had worked hard to build up tough walls to protect himself from life’s disappointments. And yet, despite all of his precautions, he had been stupid enough to hope. He had opened the door to Namjoon and dared to think that this one time, this one person could be trusted with his soft, defenseless heart. For years now, he had allowed himself to love Namjoon unselfishly, blindly, putting all of his trust in the person who was supposed to be his forever.
Crumpled up on the floor of his bedroom, he realizes that he has nothing now. He was stupid and careless, and he has no one to blame but himself.
♡♡♡
Seokjin doesn’t really know what this stupid party is for. There are paparazzi and fans outside the Hybe building snapping pictures of the high profile guests walking through the door, so it must be something glitzy. Who really cares? Seokjin is just here because his father’s assistant called him to say that his presence is required. He didn’t really have much choice, and if it were up to him, he would much rather be on the couch playing video games with Jungkook.
His phone buzzes in his pocket, and he quickly reaches for it, desperate for something to alleviate the boredom.
[Group Chat: Team Kim Seokjin]
Jimin:
take pictures for us hyung!!
i wish i could’ve gone too ㅜㅜ
Seokjin wishes Jimin was here too — or literally any friendly face, to be honest. These industry things he’s always forced to go to are always a test on his endurance: how long can he keep a fake smile on his face until his cheeks start to hurt?
He’s about to reply when a familiar laugh reaches his ears. He doesn’t fully turn, doesn’t want to be obvious. He only lets his eyes slide to the left to confirm, and yup. There’s Taehyung and Namjoon giggling and staring into each other’s eyes. It’s sickening, honestly.
The engagement hadn’t been a complete shock. Jimin had mentioned to Seokjin that his new boss talked a lot on the phone with a Taehyung and had innocently asked if that was the name of Namjoon’s fiancé. It was an easy thing to put together.
Seokjin rolls his eyes and walks away from the happy couple. He was never in love with Taehyung, had never considered picking up their old fling again, and yet it still feels as if Namjoon stole his favorite toy and is refusing to give it back. It’s a typical Namjoon thing to do, really. The golden boy who has everything gets to refuse the match his parents carefully picked out for him and marry Seokjin’s ex instead.
Well, perhaps ex is too strong a word for the few months they spent fucking in Taehyung’s apartment, but still. The point stands. It’s the principle of the thing.
Seokjin snaps a couple pictures of the party and five different selfies, sends them to the group chat, and then heads to the bathroom to try to literally piss time away.
He is washing his hands extra slowly afterwards when the bathroom door opens. In steps Min Yoongi wearing an expensive looking sequin blazer. It’s an eye-catching dark green, glimmering as he stomps his way in and then halts as soon as his eyes land on Seokjin.
He looks miserable, and Seokjin’s heart gives a sympathetic little tug. Yoongi straightens up, crosses his arms, and immediately his face is back to its normal blank boredom. Seokjin takes his time shaking the water from his hands and reaches for a towel.
“Hello, dear Yoongi,” he says at last, giving him a little sympathetic smile. He gets nothing in return. Seokjin leans against the sink and motions to the row of empty stalls. “Please, take your pick. They’re all empty. Go with whichever delights your heart more.”
“Are you in charge of the toilets or something?”
Seokjin laughs. It only seems to pinch Yoongi’s face with annoyance, so Seokjin tosses his head back and milks it for a few extra seconds. “Ah, you’re always so funny. Are you enjoying the party? I didn’t see you out on the dance floor earlier. You’re not coming in here to hide, are you?”
“No.” It’s too defensive, which means that he definitely is.
“Don’t worry, I am too. You can hardly hear yourself think out there.”
Yoongi refuses to say anything, and Seokjin is close to throwing his hands up and giving up. It was obvious that Yoongi hated him from the moment they met, no doubt poisoned by Namjoon. Seokjin never had a chance. And it’s a shame, honestly, because Seokjin has always found Yoongi funny, the few instances he has gotten to witness the man in a good mood. Funny and very, very cute.
Even now, glaring at Seokjin, he looks like an angry little kitten. Adorable.
Seokjin is bored and Yoongi already hates him, so he thinks fuck it and asks, “Are you really okay with it?”
“Okay with what?”
“Namjoon ditching you like that. And with your cousin, no less. If it was me, I wouldn’t be taking it very well.”
Yoongi has never looked more murderous as he says, “I’m very happy for them.”
“Seems shitty and selfish of them, if you ask me.”
“Well no one did.”
“Yeah, you’re clearly so unbothered by all of this. Me, personally, I find it strange to have my ex as a brother-in-law. It feels a bit incestuous, doesn’t it? In a way. Family dinners will be weird for a while, that’s for sure. Do you know if Taehyung has told his precious fiancé that he slept with me? I’ve been wondering about that but haven’t wanted to ask.”
“Do you ever shut up?” Yoongi looks furious, and honestly Seokjin is a little taken aback. He’s never quite gotten this reaction out of him before. It’s intriguing.
“Sometimes,” Seokjin says, which just seems to make Yoongi angrier.
“It’s amazing how you always manage to make everything about you. Just because you’re a famous actor doesn’t actually make you interesting. People would like you more if you didn’t go around saying all of your thoughts out loud.”
Well, ouch. “That’s actually quite hurtful, dear Yoongi. You shouldn’t take it out on me just because Namjoon abandoned you. I was actually really rooting for you, you know.”
Whatever attack Yoongi was about to launch at him next dies as the bathroom door swings open again. Taehyung strides in dabbing at his crisp white button down. A huge wine stain paints the middle of his chest a purpley-red. He looks up and seems very surprised to see them.
“Hyung,” he says to Yoongi before turning to Seokjin. “Seokjin-hyung. What are you two doing in here?”
“Just chatting,” Seokjin says easily. He had almost forgotten just how handsome Taehyung is up close like this. “Congratulations on your engagement, by the way.”
Taehyung grins and demurely looks down. “Thank you.”
“When’s the wedding?”
“Hopefully next month. We’ve been trying to decide on a venue.”
“Your heat is usually in May, isn’t it? That’s just in a couple of months. You’ll want to be married well before then, I bet.”
“Ah, hyung, you remember? That’s embarrassing.” But Taehyung doesn’t look embarrassed. No, he laughs and looks pleased to have the attention on him.
Yoongi has schooled his face back into blank emotionlessness, which is honestly disappointing. Seokjin had never seen Yoongi be openly rude before, and it had been fascinating to witness.
“Do you think there’s any hope of getting this stain out?” Taehyung asks Yoongi, showing him the giant splotch.
“No. Just put your jacket on,” Yoongi replies.
“I didn’t bring one.” He sighs before his eyes drop down to Yoongi’s pretty blazer. He takes a step towards him. “Let me borrow yours.”
“What? No.”
“Come on, please? I can’t walk around like this.”
“No,” Yoongi says, but Taehyung is already unbuttoning it and pulling it off of him.
Taehyung grins happily as he puts on the blazer and buttons it closed. He looks in the mirror and turns to the left and then to the right. Only a bit of the stain is visible, and the jacket is too distracting for anyone to even pay attention to it.
“It looks beautiful on you, Taehyungie,” Seokjin says, watching the way Yoongi scowls.
Without another word Yoongi turns and barges out of the bathroom.
Taehyung frowns. “What’s going on with Yoongi-hyung?”
“Who knows,” Seokjin replies distractedly, an idea slowly forming in his mind. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something. Do you think we could find a private place to talk?”
☆☆☆
Yoongi startles awake as someone pounds on his bedroom door before it's thrown open. Sunghyun looks furious as he steps inside and shoves his phone in Yoongi's face and all but yells, "What the hell were you thinking?"
Yoongi blinks, the bright screen hurting his eyes. He'd spent the night crying — again — and they still feel swollen. He's not sure what he's looking at. The photo is blurry, two figures close together. "What's this?"
"Don't play dumb!"
"I'm not, I have no clue what you're yelling about. Why are you mad at me?"
Sunghyun points a finger at the screen and says, "They caught you kissing Kim Seokjin."
"Huh?" Yoongi looks at the photo again, squinting. Yes, that's Seokjin's face in the photo, although blurry and pixelated. But the man in his arms has his back to the camera. "That's not me."
Sunghyun scoffs. "There's pictures of you from the event! That's you, that's your jacket! Why the fuck would you go around kissing him in alleys like a common whore, huh? This is going to fucking ruin your reputation. Father is going to have a fucking heart attack! He could disown you for this!"
Dread fills Yoongi as he zooms in on the other man. A man wearing a green blazer. Yoongi's green blazer.
"Fuck," Yoongi says, getting out of bed, nearly tripping in his haste. "Is this out? Has it hit the media yet?"
"No, but it will. My connection sent me this as a warning, but it's going to go out today. Do you realize what you've done? How are we going to explain this?"
"Hyung, that's not me." Yoongi throws open his closet and quickly grabs the first clothes he sees. "That's Taehyung."
"Taehyung?" Sunghyun's eyes widen, mouth dropping open. "Oh fuck."
☆☆☆
A cold fury grips Yoongi tight and holds him together as he stands in the middle of Sunghyun's large office. In front of him sits a crying Taehyung on one chair, a silent Kim Seokjin on another. That's one small blessing at least. He would not be able to handle Seokjin's blabbering in a moment like this.
Sunghyun sounds furious as he says, "How could you do this to us, Taehyung? Our family took you in, cared for you, and this is how you repay my parents?"
"It was a mistake," Taehyung chokes out. "It was just a kiss, that's it. Nothing more."
"You think that's going to matter?" Sunghyun scoffs. "The Kims will be humiliated. They won't want anything to do with us after this."
Yoongi closes his eyes, a stabbing pain filling him as he thinks of Namjoon. He's going to be devastated. Yoongi had stood with him as he bowed to Yoongi's parents and apologized for being in love with Taehyung. He'd asked for their forgiveness and understanding, had promised to uphold all of the original agreements, and asked for Taehyung's hand. Yoongi's father had been angry and reluctant but ultimately agreed. It had hurt but Yoongi had endured it with a brave face — and all of that pain and humiliation was going to be for nothing.
"I'm sorry," Taehyung says, wiping his cheeks. "I was stupid. We were outside for just a few minutes. We didn't really do anything—"
"You did," Yoongi says. "You can't kiss other people when you're engaged, Taehyung. Maybe you weren't sucking his dick, but don't pretend like you did nothing wrong."
"It was a mistake!"
Yoongi knows very well no one will buy that. The world sees male omegas as sex hungry, prone to cheating, always trying to fuck or get fucked. Everyone will assume they fucked no matter what is said, and with Seokjin being a fairly popular actor, the headlines are going to run wild with this.
Perhaps normal people can get away with kissing in public, with cheating, with messy human emotions, but not in their world. The rich upper class they belong to detests any sort of impropriety in omegas. Alphas can have bastard children and cheat on their mates and they all politely look away, but an omega even seeming morally loose is unforgivable.
"You have to marry him," Sunghyun says to Seokjin, leaving no room to argue.
"No," Taehyung says, tears falling down his cheeks again, but Seokjin only clenches his fists and nods.
"It's not like it's something any of us want," Sunghyun snaps. "You could have married the man you claim to love, but now you have to set this right."
"Hyung," Taehyung pleads, his eyes on Yoongi. "Please. I do love Namjoon-hyung. It was just a mistake. Please."
Seokjin's phone starts ringing, a happy cheering pop song that feels absurd right now. He scrambles to pull it out of his pocket and quickly silences it, Yoongi just barely managing to see that the screen reads Hobi followed by a string of emojis.
Ignoring the interruption, Yoongi says, "What do you want me to do about this? Hyung’s right. You kissed Namjoon's brother. His famous brother. There's no good way out of this."
Taehyung shakes his head. "I don't want to marry him. He doesn't want to marry me either."
"Sure he does," Sunghyun says. "You think his fans are going to like him kissing an engaged man? At least if you get married he can claim it was because of love and we can try to come to an agreement with the Kims."
"Hyung," Taehyung says again before he breaks into a sob, hands coming up to cover his face as his shoulders shake.
Some of the ice around Yoongi's heart melts at the sight. He remembers when Taehyung used to crawl into his bed at night, plagued with nightmares of his parents' death. He'd hold onto Yoongi tight and sob until he tired himself out. And Namjoon… He doesn't deserve to suffer this public humiliation, to see the man he loves marry his brother.
If there's one thing Yoongi wants most in the world, it's for Namjoon to be happy. Yoongi is now well acquainted with what it feels like to be brokenhearted, the ache that never eases, the tears that never stop. He can't let Namjoon suffer through that, not when he can prevent it.
When he looks at it like that, it's an easy choice to make.
Yoongi says, "I have a solution."
Seokjin looks up, his eyes meeting Yoongi's. In that moment, Yoongi has never hated anyone more.
"That's my jacket," Yoongi says. "Everyone thinks it's me."
Sunghyun catches on, his eyes widening for a second before he glares. "No. You can't keep cleaning up his messes, Yoongi. I will not let you throw away your good name—"
"We'll get married, me and Seokjin-ssi. It'll be a minor scandal, nothing that will affect the company's stock. Taehyung and Namjoon get married, and there too this company benefits from the union. It fixes everything."
Taehyung looks miserable as he wipes his nose on his sleeve like a little kid. "That's not fair to you," he mumbles.
"Got any better ideas?" Yoongi asks, his anger rising again.
Taehyung shakes his head no.
"Good. Seokjin-ssi? Do you agree?"
"I don't really have much of a choice, do I?"
"Sure you do. If you want to explain to your father why you ruined your brother's engagement, go right ahead."
Seokjin lets out a humorless laugh. "Fine. Let's get married, dear Yoongi."