Chapter Text
Jimin stands in front of the tall, imposing gates, feeling his insides turning to mush and that all too familiar dread creeping up on him as he slips a hand in his pocket to retrieve his phone.
He must’ve gotten the address wrong, somehow. This can’t possibly be the right house.
A particularly ferocious gust of wind makes him shiver, curling in on himself as he wraps his pink sweater tighter around him. Of course the weather would turn colder the moment he’s standing in front of the wrong house. It might be his fault for not bothering with anything warmer, considering that winter’s approaching but still , the universe has a disdain for him and nothing anyone says will make him think otherwise.
Heart full of worry, this is his last hope and if it does turn out to be the wrong house after all, he doesn’t know what he’ll do, he opens his gallery to check the screenshot he had taken for the room ad.
“Can I help you, sir?”
He jumps, phone clutched in his hand, and stares at the burly man who had seemingly appeared out of thin air.
“Um…”
“This is private property. Do you have a reason to be here?”
“Ye—Yes, um, wait…I’m here for…I’m looking for a room to rent and there’s this ad,”
“Room for rent? Sir-”
Finally finding the correct screenshot out of the hundreds of memes and incriminating photos of his friends in his gallery, Jimin frantically slides his hand between the steel bars of the gates, phone turned towards the man.
Fast as lightning, the man steps back and to the side, hand going inside his jacket before his face clears in realisation of what Jimin is trying to do.
“Um…” Jimin is faintly aware that the man is most likely a security guard and he can hazard a guess as to what the man was reaching for inside his jacket.
“Put your phone down on the ground and take ten steps back, sir. I’ll take a look at it once you’ve done so,”
“Right—okay—here,”
He quickly places his phone on the ground just outside the gates, easily reachable for the guard inside, and steps back as told.
He stands awkwardly, hugging his arms to his body, as the man stares at him closely. He must be a human, he doesn’t really give off ‘alpha’ vibes and it’s usually human men who tend to be mean to him. Not that the man had been that mean but Jimin’s a little self-conscious about his phone and he doesn’t like someone else holding it. Also, he’s being treated like some sort of criminal.
He gets even more anxious as he watches the man’s face show utter confusion as he looks at the ad on Jimin’s phone.
“What the hell…” the man turns over his shoulder to yell, “Dasom-ah!”
Soon, a lady steps out from somewhere to the left of the gates. Jimin is too scared to look anywhere but right in front of him but he can guess the guardpost is likely situated somewhere close from where the lady had come from.
She gives a cursory nod to Jimin before asking the man.
“What?”
“Look at this,”
The lady skims through the ad, wearing the same confused expression as the man.
“I’ll call Seokjin-ssi,” She says, walking back to the direction that she had come from.
Seokjin . That’s the name listed in the ad alongside a phone number for any interested parties to contact. Perhaps this is the right place, after all.
“I did try to call earlier but nobody answered,” Jimin says, still standing ten steps away.
“Seokjin-ssi doesn’t answer calls from strangers,” The man replies.
Jimin would very much like to know why Seokjin-ssi thought it wise to put out an ad with his phone number on it if he doesn’t want strangers calling him in the first place but he chews on his bottom lip instead, wanting his phone back but too nervous to ask for it.
His eyes stray to the grand mansion behind the guard, taking in the beauty of the place. Whoever this place belongs to, whoever Seokjin-ssi is, he must be one lucky man.
Or perhaps, not so lucky considering he’s putting out an ad for a room for rent. He doubts anyone wealthy enough to afford their own security guards and a stately mansion on acres of private land would rent out a room on their property unless they’re having some sort of financial crisis.
Well, whatever it is, Jimin hopes he’ll get the room. The rent listed on the ad is insanely cheap and he would not only be able to afford paying it but he’ll also have some leftover money every month from his part-time job at the bakery. It would be nice to buy a new book again. It’s been ages since he last held a new, never-before-read book in his hand. Digital ones that he’s been pirating off the internet just doesn’t feel the same.
They spend a good few minutes standing on opposite sides of the gate until the man’s phone rings and once he hangs up, he beckons Jimin over. The gates open with an elegant part and Jimin gets his phone back.
“Seokjin-ssi will see you,” The man still sounds confused but he leads Jimin up the cobblestone driveway that leads to the front door of the mansion.
The walk isn’t short by any means. It’s a long path meant to be travelled on by a car, not on foot, but since Jimin’s Uber dropped him off a good kilometre away from the gates, he has no other choice but to walk.
At least he has a chance to look around. He does it covertly, not wanting the guard to think he’s snooping and what he sees makes him question if coming here is a mistake. Could this be some sort of ruse to kidnap him? Is the ad meant to lure some desperate idiot (like him) to this secluded, gorgeous mansion with vast, sprawling lawns to be trafficked off to God knows where?
Despite his doubt increasing with every second he spends walking through the grounds, he still has some hope in his heart that maybe, just maybe, the universe is trying to make amends for all the shittiness that has been bestowed upon him prior to this day.
He has a light sheen on his forehead by the time they reach the door but at least he isn’t panting and struggling for breath like the guard is.
The other guard, Dasom, is standing beneath the porch, watching them approach with a disdainful look thrown at her colleague.
“Pathetic. You better not let Namjoon-ssi see you like that,”
“Shut up,” He wheezes, “I just ate. If not I’d be fine,”
To Jimin, Dasom urges him to take his shoes off and passes cute house-slippers for him, “Go right in. Seokjin-ssi’s waiting for you inside,”
Jimin bows to both of them before removing his white sneakers. The door itself is towering far above him, cracked open by a margin and as Jimin slips inside, he gasps at the high ceiling and glittering chandelier adorning the vestibule he’s in. He walks deeper, hoping he’s going the right way and opening a heavy door at the end of the passage. He is greeted by a large open space and a wide, marble staircase with beautiful, dark balustrades leading up to the upper floors of the residence.
“Oh my god,” He breathes out, jaw refusing to close as he takes in the luxury surrounding him.
“Hello,”
Someone is coming. Someone in white trousers, a lilac sweatshirt, and white slippers with alpacas on them, approaches him from somewhere behind the staircase.
The someone also happens to be one of the prettiest men Jimin has ever laid eyes on.
“Oh my god,”
“Are you alright?”
“Yes…are you Seokjin-ssi?”
“Yes. Dasom-ah told me you saw our ad. Shall we discuss in the study?”
The study . Of course there’s a study.
Jimin nods, feeling his throat running dry. He briefly wonders if the man’s an omega and right after he thinks it, he scolds himself for trying to place a label on the man barely five minutes into their first meeting.
But, he does hope the man’s an omega or at least a beta. It’s nicer renting from someone who shares the same subgender that he does. Jimin’s heard many stories from his friends and peers at university that makes him a little wary of renting from an alpha or a male human.
“Can I get you anything? A drink?” Seokjin asks, opening yet another door that leads to yet another nice room.
Jimin steps into the study and although this room doesn’t ooze luxury like the other parts of the mansion that he’s seen, it is undeniably elegant and he doesn’t need to be an interior designer to know that the wooden panelling and carpeted floor likely cost more than his entire study’s duration worth of tuition fees.
“Water please, iced, if you don’t mind,”
“Sure thing. Have a seat,”
Instead of going to the gigantic desk taking up a huge chunk of the study’s space, Seokjin opts for the couches placed to the side of the room. Jimin sits on one across from the man, nervously fiddling with the hem of his sweater and watching as Seokjin tucks his feet up on the couch.
“What’s your name?”
“Jimin. Park Jimin,”
“Jimin-ssi, why don’t you tell me a little bit about yourself and why you’re interested in the cottage,”
Cottage …that’s an odd thing to call a room but Jimin isn’t going to question it. Not when he needs to make a good first impression on his hopefully future landlord.
“Sure—um—I’m Jimin, my friends call me…Jimin…”
Seokjin starts giggling and Jimin wishes the floor would swallow him up. He doesn’t even know what made him say that, it’s not like he has any nicknames.
“You’re cute, go on,” Seokjin’s still laughing slightly and Jimin is a little bit dizzy now from being called cute and from his mind running a mile a minute trying to come up with something good enough so this beautiful, gorgeous man would take him in as a tenant.
Smiling to ease his own nerves, he goes on, “I’m a student at SNU, in the linguistics faculty. I’m in my last year of uni-”
“How old are you?”
“I’m turning twenty-four this October,”
“ Oh , you look so much younger,”
“Oh um, thanks…I think,”
“It’s a compliment,” Seokjin smiles, “You’re in your last year?”
“Yeah. I had to take a gap year but…but now I’m back and I’m going to finish my degree. I’m working part-time at a bakery on campus and my pay would be enough to pay for the room. I can show you a copy of my payslip if you need me to. My boss there has written a recommendation letter for me,” Jimin slips a hand inside his pocket, takes out the small envelope and passes it to Seokjin with shaking hands, “I hope you’ll read it and seriously consider me as a tenant for the room. I promise I’m a good tenant. I’m mostly very quiet, I pay my rents on time and-”
“Jimin, I’m sorry to cut you short but did you say room ?”
Seokjin places the envelope on the table between them and Jimin gulps, nodding, “Yes, I saw the ad you put out. You’re renting a room with an en-suite bathroom at this address,”
“ This address?”
“Yes,” The word is whispered and Jimin sees the effect it has on Seokjin. The man now looks a mixture of confused and angry.
“Can I see this ad?”
Reluctantly, Jimin turns his phone on and passes it to Seokjin. He can feel his heart sinking as he sees the man’s brows furrow and gone is the relaxed, cozy man all curled up on the couch. Seokjin jumps up from his seat, coiled tight as a spring, and with Jimin’s phone in his hand, excuses himself.
“Give me a second, Jimin,”
“My phone-”
“I’ll be right back. I need to talk to my-”
The door opens just then and in enters a young man with a tray balanced on his hand.
“Yeonjun! Please see to Jimin-ssi and make sure he’s comfortable. I need to find Taehyungie,”
And with that, fast as ever in his alpaca slippers, Seokjin leaves the room.
∴━━━✿━━━ ∴
Seokjin is going to kill Taehyung.
He walks to the younger’s room, his mind whirling from seeing that atrocious ad and his heart torn between anger for his boyfriend and pity towards the poor, sweet-looking boy who’s obviously desperate for a place to stay.
Seokjin won’t soon forget how the boy’s hands, Jimin’s hands, had shook when offering that recommendation letter to him. He wonders how on earth he’s going to break the news to Jimin that there’s no room to be rented in this house.
Taehyung isn’t in his room and Seokjin gets increasingly angrier as he walks through the mansion, opening door after door to find no trace of his boyfriend. It doesn’t help at all that he’s left his phone behind in the study. He is tempted to use Jimin’s phone but decides against it when he realises how outdated the phone is. It’s got to be a decade behind the current model and his heart is once more torn to shreds as he considers how the ad must look like to Jimin.
A pretty, non-sharing room with an en-suite going for less than half of the usual market-price. Quite significantly less than half, at that.
Seokjin sighs, chewing on his lip as he reaches for the door to his own room, knowing from the sounds coming from inside that Taehyung must be in there.
Sure enough, his gaming haven where he’s set up his playstation console and some cozy bean bags and couches is being desecrated by his boyfriend. He walks over to an unsuspecting Taehyung, seething with anger as he sees the crumbs of whatever snack Taehyung’s been having littering the floor, and snatches the headphones off of the other’s head.
“ Ow! What the hell, hyung?!”
“Turn that off right now,” Seokjin states, firm and unyielding to the other’s pout.
Taehyung does as he’s told, muttering, “You could’ve asked nicely,”
“Come over here,”
Taehyung looks at him warily. There’s a single couch separating them and he seems reluctant to lose the only shield he has.
“You look like you want to hit me,”
“Oh, trust me, my love,” Seokjin smiles, unknowingly giving off a manic gleam in his eye to Taehyung, “Being hit should be the least of your worries right now. You’re lucky I’m still letting you breathe,”
“Hyung-”
“Come here. I wanna show you something,”
Slowly, Taehyung walks over to stand beside him.
“Do you remember that cottage up in Daegu that we wanted to put up for rent?” Seokjin asks.
“What? No—wait—you mean our holiday home?”
“Yes,” Seokjin grits his teeth as he says it.
“We’re putting it up for rent?”
Seokjin takes a deep breath and counts to five before he answers, “If you remember, I was going through a very shitty time a couple months back, when we first decided to rent the cottage out since we’re not using that place anymore. You came in my room, saw me crying and offered to help with the adver-”
“Oh yeah! I made the ad for you, hyung. I put it out on the web already,”
“You did. But it wasn’t for the cottage, was it?”
“I didn’t know we’re renting out the cottage,” Taehyung replies slowly.
“So what on earth did you do?! Weren’t you listening properly when I was explaining?” Seokjin is trying his best to stay calm but it’s proving difficult with Taehyung seemingly unable to understand what he did wrong, “Look at this. There’s a very sweet young man who’s interested in the ad you put out and he came here today to see me about it. Look,”
He hands the phone over to his boyfriend and gives the other some time to read it. Taehyung doesn’t look at it for too long, though.
“Yeah, this looks about right,”
“Right? Right?! ”
“Hyung—don’t—stop shouting!”
“How can I not-” Seokjin closes his mouth and despite the raging anger inside him, he refuses to succumb to it. He continues once he’s sure he won’t yell, “Look. I told you we’re renting out the cottage in Daegu. That’s what you were supposed to be advertising but you did this instead. You listed out a room in our own house to be rented out and you’ve even got the price wrong. Do you know how weird this looks? I’m surprised someone hasn’t reported this ad for being misleading,”
“It’s not misleading!”
“It’s far too cheap—ridiculously so—for a room of this proportion and-”
“I was just trying to help you!”
“You didn’t think it’s weird for us to rent out a room in the house that we live in?”
“...No?”
“For God’s sake, Taehyung-ah-”
“People do it all the time! A lot of my actor friends are renting rooms-”
“If they’re in need of money, Taehyung! Look around! Does it look like we’re struggling?”
Silence, for a beat, and then, “That’s really humble of you, hyung,”
Seokjin wants to throttle Taehyung and scream into the nearest pillow but there are more pressing matters ahead.
“You put my phone number in this ad,”
“Yeah, obviously? How else would they contact you for the room?”
“Okay, for the last time, Taehyung-ah, we are not renting out a room. And I told you to put Yeonjun's number in here, not mine. No wonder I’ve been getting so many calls,”
Seokjin groans and lowers himself onto a beanbag, head in his hands, “There’s a student in Namjoon’s study right now, really wanting to be a tenant for a room that we’re not even renting and I don’t know how to tell him that this is all a mistake,”
“Hyung, it’s—it’s fine—he’ll understand if we tell him,” Taehyung at least looks a little guilty now, “I’m really sorry. I can go and tell him, if you want me to?”
“You don’t understand, Tae. I can tell he really wants that room and it’s likely the cheap rent that—you don’t—you’ll get it when you see him. I can tell he’s struggling,”
“...Are you calling him broke?”
“Do you have to make me sound so heartless?”
The door opens just as Seokjin stands and all intention of giving Taehyung an earful is forgotten as the light of Seokjin’s life walks inside the room.
“Which one of you wants to tell me why there’s an upset omega in my study?” Namjoon asks, eyeing the two of them like he knows exactly what they’ve been doing (fighting like unruly children).
“Upset? What—why?—what did you do?”
“Nothing,” Namjoon replies, “He was already upset when I went in there,”
“How do you know he’s an omega?” Taehyung asks.
Namjoon shrugs, “I looked at him. Also, he smells like a whole bakery. I’m surprised he doesn’t have blockers on,”
“No, that can’t be right,” Seokjin walks over to Namjoon, “I could smell baked goods on him too. His scent must be something else,”
Being a human, Seokjin can’t discern scents the way werewolves can. It’s something that he’s eternally jealous of some of his boyfriends for. He’s been told that Namjoon’s scent is woodsy, with some minty undertones to it and all he can smell is only a watered down version of it. Nothing like the refined aroma that Hoseok, Yoongi, or even Jungkook, could smell.
“He works in a bakery,” Seokjin says, suddenly remembering that detail and the memory brings forth another replay of the boy’s shaking hands, offering him a sealed letter and Seokjin simply can’t take it anymore.
He seeks out Namjoon and the alpha readily opens his arms for him, like that’s the sole purpose he had walked into the room in the first place.
“Sweetheart,” His husband says softly, “What’s going on? There’s a very distressed omega in my study, saying he came here to see you for a room,”
“Joon, I’ve fucked up so bad. I don’t even know what to do now,”
Seokjin doesn’t even know where to begin but just as he’s opening his mouth to talk again, he feels a hand on his shoulder and Taehyung starts explaining everything. He takes full responsibility for what’s done and although the young man still sounds confused and a little upset that they were actually planning to rent out the cottage in Daegu (which Taehyung loves), he’s quick to offer solutions.
“We’ll have to tell him the truth and I’ll take that ad down right away. No one’s going to call you anymore, hyung,”
Namjoon reaches out his other arm and beckons Taehyung to him, hugging the two of them close to his chest as he says, “Taehyung, I don’t think I need to tell you how serious this is. We’ve been telling you you need to be more careful and it’s precisely because we’re afraid of something like this happening,”
Taehyung seems as if he’s about to speak but Namjoon won’t let him.
“If this is something that only affects us, I wouldn’t mind so much but you’ve got some poor man involved in this. We’ve basically tricked him, Taehyung-ah. You don’t know how sad he looks—god—I would hate to think how he’d take this,”
“He was so nervous,” Seokjin mumbles, “He even gave me a letter that his employer wrote to recommend him as a good tenant,”
“I’m sorry,” Taehyung sounds truly chastised now, “Really, I am. I was honestly trying to help and it’s my fault for not listening properly. I won’t do it again, I swear. I probably couldn’t see how stupid that ad was cause I was sorta drunk when I was doing it-”
“You were drunk?!” Seokjin yells but Namjoon is quick to place some distance between him and Taehyung and to calm Seokjin.
“We’ll get back to this later but for now, we need to go back to my study and let that man-”
“His name’s Jimin,”
“Okay, we’ll let Jimin know the truth and I’ll ask Taehyun to give him a ride back. It’s the least we could do for him,”
“I…Joon-ah, I don’t know how to tell him,” Seokjin is close to crying by now just from thinking about Jimin.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll tell him. And Tae, you’ll come with us too and apologise to him. And I expect you to apologise to Seokjin hyung as well after this,”
“Okay, hyung,” Defeated, Taehyung looks glum and apologetic but Seokjin’s anger has just been riled up again from the other’s confession of being drunk while doing the ad and he isn’t feeling particularly forgiving just yet.
They walk to the study together, Seokjin clinging to Namjoon’s side and Taehyung a step behind them.
“You’re home early,” Seokjin peeks at Namjoon, trying to gauge the other’s mood.
Kim Namjoon being home early presents only one of two options. Either he’s happy because he managed to have a rare moment of reprieve from his ever-piling work to come home a little earlier or something really bad happened at the firm. Bad enough to make him seek out comfort at home and not tackle the problem head on like he most often would.
“I am,” Namjoon replies, a calmness in his voice that assures Seokjin that nothing is wrong, “I had a feeling you might need me here,”
Namjoon tends to say these sorts of things sometimes and Seokjin, even with more than a decade’s time of knowing the man, has no idea whether he is serious or simply pulling his leg. His husband likes to claim that his alpha could sense Seokjin’s mood, even when they’re apart, and all the reading Seokjin’s done does confirm that alphas and omegas tend to have some sort of sixth sense when it comes to their mates but he still finds it a little hard to believe.
“Thank you,” He says, and he means it. Namjoon being here means that he gets to let someone else take control of the situation.
“Anytime,”
Seokjin gets a kiss to the side of his cheek and then they’re in front of the study.
The door is left ajar and they walk inside. Jimin turns around immediately upon hearing their footsteps and the boy stands, hands clasped tightly in front of him.
“Oh, wow ,” Taehyung says softly and Seokjin turns to glare at him but to his annoyance, the man can’t take his eyes off of Jimin.
And look, he understands. He knows how gorgeous Jimin is and Taehyung has always had a soft spot for omegas but does he really have to make it so obvious? And they’re about to share some really bad news. Now is not the time to get distracted.
“Seokjin-ssi, can I have my phone back, please?”
Seokjin’s heart just about breaks at the sad look on Jimin’s face. They haven’t even broken the news yet and the other is already looking so lost.
He returns the phone, apologising as he does so, “I’m sorry for taking so long. Let’s all have a seat. Jimin, this is my husband, Kim Namjoon and this is…this is Taehyung,”
Seokjin notices the hurt look Taehyung sends his way but he ignores it in favour of sitting down. Since the start of their relationship, he has never introduced Taehyung as anything other than his boyfriend but he’s angry and he finds it hard to care how much Taehyung’s feelings are hurt.
They sit and despite himself, Seokjin can’t resist stealing another look at Jimin. The man is beautiful . It’s hard not to stare.
As he observes the other, Seokjin doesn’t at all fault Namjoon for immediately clocking Jimin as an omega. Even if Seokjin often fell victim to the stereotype and often misjudged as an omega himself, everything about Jimin just screams omega.
Maybe it’s the pleasant scent of the bakery he works at clinging to him, or his pink sweater, or the pretty bracelets he has on his dainty wrists, or his soft voice, gentle eyes, delicate manners—Seokjin can’t pinpoint it exactly—but he hasn’t ever met someone so perfectly portraying omegan nature. Even the way Jimin sits is sweet and pretty, his ankles locked together as his legs slant to one side.
“It’s nice to meet you, Jimin-ssi,” Namjoon smiles kindly, “I just wish it’s under better circumstances,”
Immediately, Jimin’s brow starts to furrow and his lips downturned in a slight pout, “What do you mean?”
He looks at Seokjin and Seokjin can’t bear to maintain eye contact. He looks down and hears the anguish in Jimin’s voice as he starts to beg.
“Please, I really need that room. Please don’t turn me down, I’m a really good tenant, I swear. I don’t have any other options,”
His voice breaks just then and Seokjin looks up to see the omega in tears, palm pressed tight to his lips as he no doubt tries to get himself calm.
“Jimin-ssi-” Seokjin gets up from his couch, frantically pulling out a couple tissues from the box on the table.
“If you w-won’t rent it to me—I’ll have to—have to—stay at a shelter,” Jimin cries, “ Please , give me a chance,”
“A shelter’s no place for an omega,” Namjoon says.
Seokjin looks over at Namjoon and he sees the look of concern on the man’s face.
“I don’t have a choice. I can’t keep staying with my friend—her landlord f-found out a-and she might get in trouble if I don’t leave and my uni’s dorms are full— please —I really need the room,”
Seokjin passes the tissues to Jimin, standing by the couch and patting softly on the man’s back. There’s absolutely no way that Jimin is leaving this house and going to a shelter but…what other choice do they have?
He looks at Namjoon again, hoping the man understands that they can’t possibly let Jimin leave like this.
His husband nods at the door and with one last pat to Jimin’s back, Seokjin leaves the room, telling the other softly that he’ll be back very soon.
Namjoon meets him outside and right after shutting the door, says, “We’ll have to give him the room, my love,”
“What? How?”
“We’ll rent it to him. Just like the ad says we would,”
“But…okay—I want to help him, Joon—but is it safe? I mean, Hoseok and Yoongi…and Taehyung, even…”
“I know, but I think he’s harmless. I’ll have Beomgyu do a background check on him anyway, just to be safe. It’s standard procedure for almost anything nowadays so we won’t be intruding on his privacy or anything,” Namjoon looks deep in thought, “We’ll have to come up with a contract quickly and tell the others too. He can’t know about us, at least not all of us. Tsk , this is going to be difficult,”
“It’s fine, it’ll just be for a few months. Just until he figures things out. We’ll be okay,” Seokjin tries to believe it as he says it.
Namjoon nods but then he seems to remember something, “Kookie has class today?”
“Yes,” Seokjin knows exactly what his husband is thinking and he bites his lip, “Kookie might be…a problem,”
Namjoon hums, “Our darling bunny can’t keep a secret to save his life. But we’ll figure it out, we’ll talk to him once he gets home. Are you ready?”
Seokjin finds it very easy to say yes, considering that they’re about to lie and possibly face some difficult months as a result but deep down, he believes he’s doing the right thing. He can’t possibly send Jimin away, off to God knows what sort of fate. They have more than enough room as it is to take the boy in for a few months.
Once again, they enter the room but this time, Jimin doesn’t stand to greet them.
He’s quite occupied as it is, Seokjin observes exasperatedly, with Taehyung’s unending attention and sympathy. The young actor has taken Seokjin’s prior spot, standing beside Jimin’s couch and whispering softly to him, no doubt reassuring words meant to avoid the pretty omega from crying again.
“Jimin-ssi, we have good news,” Namjoon doesn’t waste time. He walks in and sits immediately at his previous spot, beckoning Seokjin to sit beside him, “There’s a bit of a problem with the ad but we’ll still rent the room out for you, don’t worry,”
“I get to be a tenant here?” Jimin asks, eyes wide and hopeful, still tinged red from his tears.
“Yes,” Namjoon confirms.
“Thank you! Oh my god, thank you so much, Namjoon-ssi, Seokjin-ssi—I really—really, appreciate this,”
“It’s nothing, Jimin-ssi,” Seokjin says, can’t help smiling as he sees the immediate change in Jimin’s countenance. Happiness looks good on him.
“Just Jimin is fine,”
Unknown to Jimin, Taehyung is sending confused stares at Seokjin and Namjoon but both choose to ignore him for the time being. Seokjin is quickly trying to decide how much to tell Jimin (and how much to keep under wraps).
“So uh,” He chances a glance at Namjoon, “Namjoon will fill you in on some…some details. Important ones,”
Jimin looks at Namjoon attentively, “Yes?”
“Firstly, Jimin, you’ll need to sign a non-disclosure agreement if you agree to be our tenant. Some of us, the owners—that’ll be me, Seokjin here, and Hoseok who you’ll meet soon—and some of our tenants like Taehyung, are employed in areas that expose us to public scrutiny,”
Standing beside Jimin, Taehyung’s confusion is more pronounced than ever and it’s taking everything Seokjin has to not laugh.
“So we need you to keep a tight lid on everything that goes on in here. It’s nothing much, really. Only to ensure we get to keep our personal life private and to be able to be comfortable in our own home. Is signing an NDA alright with you, Jimin? You’ll have a chance to read it fully and to contact your own lawyer should you want to,”
“Yes—of course—I don’t have a problem with signing that at all,”
“Excellent. Then, for the rental contract, I have to apologise but it’s slipped all of our minds and we’re going to need a few days to get the contract and NDA available for you to sign,”
“Oh, um, but…are there going to be any changes from what’s stated in the ad? I…my friends, they were a bit worried about how low the pricing is but I…I’d like to know if you’re going to increase the rent because if so…I don’t think I could afford-”
“Jimin, we’re not changing anything in there, especially the pricing. Don’t worry,” Seokjin can’t bear seeing the little sweetheart so anguished.
“ Oh …okay, thank you. Really, thank you so much. Um, what about the deposit? How much are you taking?”
Talking to Jimin is bringing forth a lot of unpleasant memories from his own youth that Seokjin would much rather forget. Sometimes, it’s easy to lock those memories away now that he’s surrounded by luxuries every day but he used to be plagued by rental due-dates and grocery bills too.
“We aren’t taking any,” He decides, squeezing his husband’s hand softly as he does so, hoping the other would understand that they’re not going to take money from Jimin. The rental would be difficult to refuse point-blank but Seokjin’s going to store that money away somewhere and when Jimin leaves, he’ll return it to him.
“Not taking any? What do you mean?”
“We don’t take deposits from our tenants, Jimin. It’s just how we do things. Ask Taehyungie there if you don’t believe me. He wasn’t required to pay anything except for his monthly rental fee,” Seokjin stares pointedly at Taehyung until the other gives a meek hum of acknowledgement, “Yeah, that’s right,” The actor says softly.
“Come and sit, Tae,” Namjoon calls.
“Are you sure? I’ve never rented without paying deposits before,” Jimin is starting to sound a little suspicious and Seokjin figures they should quickly wrap things up.
“We’re very sure. Aren’t we, jagi?”
Namjoon nods and Seokjin’s happy he married such a self-assured, confident man. He’s sure the way Namjoon’s dressed, in a three-piece suit since he came from his firm, helps to make him seem even more trustworthy and he lets out a relieved breath once he sees Jimin starting to fall for the lie.
The omega looks much more calm now. No more hints of tears in his eyes or a furrowed brow. He’s going to be just fine, if Seokjin has a say.
“Let’s have you look at your room, Jimin. When are you thinking of moving in?” Namjoon stands, gently pulling Seokjin and Taehyung along with him. The latter still looks a little out of it and if Seokjin’s feeling kinder, he would have made some sort of excuse by now to pull the younger aside and explain everything to him but for now, he’ll happily let Taehyung stew in that confusion for a little while longer.
“As soon as possible,” Jimin answers, “I’m staying with a friend at the moment and her landlord recently found out about me and he wants me out by the end of the week. I was thinking…if you’re okay with it, I might move in tomorrow?”
“That’s perfectly fine,” Namjoon says and now it’s Seokjin’s turn to get a gentle squeeze to his hand from his husband.
He understands. The sooner Jimin stays here, the better. It’s obvious this whole situation is stressing the student out a lot and Seokjin can’t bear to imagine just how bad it’s been for Jimin before he came here.
“Thank you,” Jimin smiles at them, properly, none of the anguish or fear from before and Seokjin finds it hard to look away from that pretty smile. How it lights up the omega’s face, makes his eyes all soft and tiny, makes the apples of his cheeks bunch up adorably.
Oh no . They’re all going to be in trouble if they’re not careful. Seokjin can feel it, like a telepathic line, that both of his beloveds are just as enraptured as he is with Jimin.
And just then, like something sent from a divine being to cut them all out of it, the door to the study opens.
In walks Min Yoongi, likely coming home after an all-nighter at his studio, eyes honing straight in on Taehyung.
Oh, for God’s sake.
Like Namjoon, Yoongi often claims he can sense Taehyung’s moods too. And unlike Seokjin, Taehyung has no such doubts about the authenticity of that claim.
“Hyung,” Taehyung says, not even bothering to mask his sad tone.
“Taehyung-ah, what’s wrong? Oh, who’s this?” Yoongi is halfway across the room but stops once he sees Jimin.
Jimin, turned around to face the alpha, has his mouth open and eyes staring unblinkingly at Yoongi.
“A-Agust D?”
“Yeah,” Yoongi confirms, now a bit more closed off with a stranger in the room.
“Oh my god,” Jimin says softly.
“Yoongi’s one of our tenants too, Jimin,” Namjoon sounds a little panicked now, likely not expecting anyone else to be home before he has the situation a little sorted out.
“ What? ” Jimin sounds as if he’s about to have a nervous breakdown, “What do you mean?”
“He lives in this house too—hey, are you okay?—Jimin!” Namjoon springs forward just in time to catch the omega in his arms.
“Is he okay?!” Seokjin runs forward too, frantically checking on Jimin but finding the omega’s eyes closed and completely unresponsive.
“Ohmygod,” He sputters, urging Namjoon to lie Jimin down on the three-seater-sofa.
“I’ll call Soobin,” Yoongi mutters, “Who is this anyway?”
“It’s a long story,” Namjoon groans, gently lying Jimin’s unconscious form on the sofa, “Is it an episode, do you think?”
“You mean, like the ones Kookie gets sometimes?” Taehyung asks.
“Yes, but I’m not sure. It looks the same but we’ll have Soobin-ssi take a look. His vitals are okay for now,” Namjoon is kneeling by the bed, one of Jimin’s wrists in his hand and Seokjin hopes he’s right. If it is an episode, and Seokjin hopes to God it is one since they’re harmless, Jimin’s going to be fine once he wakes.
“Poor thing,” Seokjin mutters, eyeing Jimin worriedly.
“Soobin says he’ll be here in five,” Yoongi comes to stand by the sofa too, “Please fill me in,”
“Seokjin-ah, would you mind staying here with Jimin while I explain everything? I don’t think we should do it here and if Jimin wakes, there’s shouldn’t be too many of us around him,”
“Yes—sure—of course, Joon. I’ll take care of him,”
So he takes Namjoon’s spot beside Jimin, sitting cross-legged on the floor just by the sofa.
Jimin looks angelic. Lost to the world and his face free from any distress, Seokjin finds it even harder now to look away from him.
He smooths down Jimin’s bangs and adjusts the omega’s sweater so it’s not all bunched up beneath him, hoping their doctor will get here soon.
∴━━━✿━━━ ∴
When he wakes, Jimin is surprised to find himself on a bed. The fact that he is in a room he’s never seen before doesn’t even register as a shock as much as the bed does. He’s been sleeping on nothing but a thick quilt on his friend’s bedroom floor and waking up on something so warm and soft is a pleasant, if not confusing, surprise.
Another surprise comes when he glances to his left.
There, peeking just above the edge of the bed are a pair of round, dark eyes and black bunny ears. At first, Jimin thinks the person is wearing headbands with bunny ears attached but then the person starts to make himself sit straighter so that his shoulders and head are now visible and Jimin realises those are real ears and he is in the presence of a hybrid.
“Hi,” The hybrid says, a hesitant smile playing on his lips.
“Hi,” Jimin breathes back, “Who are you? Where am I?”
“I’m Jungkook. Um…you’re in my house. Seokjin hyung said you’ll be living here from now on,”
Seokjin hyung.
Jimin springs up from the bed, suddenly remembering exactly what had happened prior to him being in this room. He is mortified. Did he really faint? Right in front of all of them just like that? Embarrassing .
Just as quickly, Jungkook pushes him back so that Jimin is once again lying on his back.
“You can’t get up yet. You need to lie down for another few minutes,”
“What happened?”
Jimin knows exactly what happened but hearing Jungkook confirms it makes him want to leave this place and never return. Unfortunately for him, he’ll never be able to find another rental as cheap as this and so he doesn’t have much of a choice, really.
“...So then Namjoon hyung brought you in here cause you’d be more comfortable and I offered to be here cause hyung told me you’re an omega and I’m an omega too and I think you’d feel better if you wake up with me here instead of being alone,”
The bunny—no, oh my god what is wrong with him— Jungkook , starts staring at him closely, his bunny ears ramrod straight and tilted just slightly towards Jimin, then his lips curve up in the tiniest, sweetest of smiles.
“You’re pretty,”
“Oh—um—thanks, uh, you too. You’re-” Jimin gulps, feeling his cheeks warm up with the compliment and staring that Jungkook’s still doing, “You’re pretty too,”
Jimin then watches as the hybrid starts to blush and he realises how truly pretty Jungkook is. Like a painting.
“Are you renting here too?” Jimin asks, trying to distract himself from the way his heart is doing some weird somersaults with Jungkook’s proximity and beauty.
“Renting? Oh—yeah—um, yes. I am…renting,” Jungkook’s ears start to lower.
“Are they…are they nice? There’s t-two alphas and two humans-”
“Uh huh, and one omega. You haven’t met Hoseokie hyung yet, right? He’s on a business trip. They’re all really nice, I promise. You don’t have to worry,”
“Really?”
“Yeah, really really,” Jungkook nods enthusiastically (and adorably) and Jimin now has to look away. God, why does everyone in this goddamn mansion have to be so attractive?! How on earth is he going to survive?
“Um, is it okay if I ask how much you’re paying for your room? It’s just that…mine’s really cheap and it’s kinda weird because it’s so nice and non-sharing. The price is so…it doesn’t make sense to me,”
“Oh…um, m-my parents pay for me so…I’m not sure how much it is,” Jungkook stutters, ears going even lower than before.
Jimin now has a faint idea that perhaps the hybrid doesn’t like talking about his renting situation. Well, okay then, he’ll stop asking…for now, at least.
“Are you feeling alright?” Jungkook doesn’t wait for him to reply before saying, “You know, I didn’t know werewolves can go into episodes too. I thought it was just me! Maybe it’s an omega thing, huh? Sometimes, I’d faint when I’m too stressed or upset—the doctor said that’s why you fainted—but I’d feel better again once I’m awake,”
“A doctor came?!” Jimin shoots up from the bed but Jungkook pushes him back to lie down, “Don’t! You need to lie down for,” He checks his watch, “Three more minutes. Doctor’s orders. Then we can go down for lunch,”
Jimin is honestly panicking now. A doctor?! He can’t afford a doctor’s fees and now he’d have to fork out money from his already dwindling savings to pay back his new landlord who has obviously no idea just how much damage a medical intervention can cause to Jimin’s pockets.
“Hey, are you alright? I’m sorry, sometimes I talk too much. You can tell me to be quiet, I don’t mind,”
“Jungkook—the doctor—how much did he charge?”
“Charge? Like, money?”
“Yes,”
“Soobin-ssi’s our family doctor. I think we pay him monthly, like a fixed salary,”
“We? Who’s we?”
Jungkook is then quiet for a very long time as his bunny ears lie very low on his head. His mouth is parted slightly as he leans away from Jimin, sitting down fully on his cushion on the floor and eyes staring fixedly on the bed’s duvet.
“Jungkook-”
“I meant—um—Namjoon hyung and Hoseok hyung employ him for us. For everybody in the house,” The hybrid quietly says, voice so soft that Jimin has to concentrate very carefully to hear him.
“Are you saying we get his treatment for free? Namjoon-ssi and Hoseok-ssi pay for all of us?”
“I—yeah—I think so,”
Jungkook’s watch beeps just then and it makes them both jump. Jungkook springs out of his cushion, looking relieved, eager to gently pull Jimin out of bed and usher him outside.
“Lunch,” The hybrid says simply, still not meeting his eyes.
Jimin will have to ask Namjoon himself about the doctor’s fees. Something tells him that Jungkook is a little clueless on this whole arrangement. He did mention that his parents have been paying for his room and if that’s so, it could be possible that the hybrid isn’t aware that the doctor’s fees are charged and added on top of their monthly rent. He does look quite young, after all. It’s likely he doesn’t understand how these things work.
Jimin will have to be a good hyung and keep an eye on him.