Chapter Text
Growing up, Yoongi had to pass through many tests in his life. Coming from a noble family as an alpha, he had to fulfill the duties and responsibilities the city passed on him.
To fulfill, he had to prove himself first. Which required many, many hardships and rough dealings. He didn't like any of them.
But it was duty, it was nature. At least in the city he grew up in.
The city of Nunbawi Seom had a rhythm of its own- quiet, cruel, and horrifying in its methods. Yoongi learned it the hard way. But that thought didn't bother him anymore, because he knows it could've been much much worse.
He agreed that being privileged saved him from facing such horror sometimes.
The man walked through the narrow streets, his head held high. The atmosphere around him was alive in subtle, quiet movements- omegas were covered in silk, their eyes darting beneath the folds of the scarf with their alphas walking beside them, exuding authority with every step.
The city had breathed with unspoken rules and regulations meant for every citizen out there.
The Doctrine dictated everything.
Veils were mandatory for all omegas. As the hierarchy remained unquestioned, the city council didn't abolish it. In theory, it was to create harmony, to act as a symbol for an omega's nature,
but reality had always been rough, cruel.
Yoongi did notice the whispers of doubts about the Doctrine slipping between citizens’ lips. He observed each one, but remained cool. Careful not to intervene because questioning the Council’s decisions was not his place, and acting without orders could be dangerous.
The man had learned that much.
He passed through the market, where merchants sold different kinds of silk veils and other omega necessities. Even trade was controlled here, orchestrated by rules. Every street, every corner had a purpose, and every citizen- alphas and betas, had a role.
Stepping out of line could mean banishment or worse.
So most people preferred to maintain the rules and laws that the Council provided. That was, perhaps, one of the hundred things about the residents of Nunbawi Seom Yoongi found amusing.
The fact that they always chose peace and belief first, before doubts and logic.
Maybe life was really that easy in front of their eyes, maybe being blinded by faith was good sometimes.
Yoongi doesn't know. He wouldn't.
His own life was of dutiful obedience and careful scrutiny. As a higher-rank Councillor, he was bound by words and obligations he did not always agree with. He was to maintain order, ensure that the Doctrine was followed.
Yet, in moments like this, walking amid the subtle whispers of people around him, he could not ignore the faint itch of doubt in the small part of his mind.
Even the infrastructure of the city seemed to reflect its duality- majestic towers and bridges were contrasted with narrow alleys and dark routes, creating a tension between order, chaos and fear.
The air smelled faintly of salt and dense fog as Yoongi walked, carried from where the sea met the city. Nunbawi Seom was surrounded by water, an island of control that often seemed unpredictable.
The name ‘Nunbawi’ came from its snowy rock mountains in the east, which rose high as a mystery of its own.
The scenery of the city told people much about its own secrets, about how deep the truth had laid inside.
Yet, nobody dared to speak up about it. Not even the higher-ups in the Council.
Here, everyone knew their place, afraid to speak up.
Here, chaos was punished before the crime could even manifest.
And here, Yoongi walked- duty-bound, silent, and calculating without a worry about having to bow to commoners. Because he was a member of the Council, a higher ranked one, at that.
He was privileged, to say the very least.
As the alpha moved around streets, the crowd shifted. Alphas and betas who noticed his presence paused, lowering their heads in subtle bows. The gesture was not exaggerated- just a small dip of respect, a silent acknowledgment of his rank.
Yoongi accepted it without expression. It was expected, after all.
Protocols ordered that lower-ranked alphas must offer gratitude when crossing paths with one above them. Some even lingered longer in their bows, cautious not to appear dismissive. On occasion, even his subordinates- other members of the Council, did the same.
Perhaps it was out of mockery for their sunbae, or it was out of true, deep respect.
Yoongi had few ideas that it was probably the former, but never corrected them.
Rather, he wore the recognition like layers of his attire. Today, it was the deep grey hanbok issued to members in his rank- its fabric lined with embroidery that shimmered faintly beneath the morning light. The crest of the Council- an abstracted mark resembling a moon- rested over his chest.
It was enough for anyone to identify him even at a distance.
Respect followed him like a shadow. Even omegas behind their veils tilted their heads ever so slightly when he passed, though their eyes remained lowered. It wasn’t out of reverence- it was out of survival.
To break custom in the open streets, before the eyes of the Council’s representatives, was to invite suspicion.
Omegas wouldn't dare cross that red line in this city, if they cared enough for what's to come in the future.
Yoongi sometimes wondered whether they bowed to him as a man, or merely because of the symbol he carried on his chest.
A young alpha, broad-shouldered, halted as he approached the crossing near the Council hall’s outer street. His head dipped low, voice steady but soft.
“Councilor Min.”
Yoongi regarded him briefly, noting the formal posture, the controlled breath. Recognition flickered through his eyes- Kim Sehun, a lower-ranked member- an Adjunct.
Yoongi nodded, urging the younger alpha to continue.
His sleeves brushed against the air as he walked on, his presence parting the crowd immediately. People obeyed instinctively- not because they feared him as an individual, but because the Council had demanded respect from its representatives.
“Councillor Min, I've received news that the Council has asked for you. They ordered us to bring you to the Council hall.” Sehun bowed as he explained his reason to visit.
Yoongi frowned. He hadn't made a visit to the Council in weeks. He hadn't been called there. It was, in fact, forbidden to roam around the hall without any important event.
Even higher ups like him didn't cross the threshold without being told to.
But if he was called by the Council, it must be something serious.
So, Yoongi didn’t argue further. Orders were orders, he learned.
“If the Council asked for me, I’ll come with” he simply said.
The exchange was brief between them but the silence that followed carried some weight. The Adjunct did not straighten until Yoongi had already passed. Anything less would have been seen as arrogance.
Sehun bowed in acknowledgment, leading the way out of the streets.
The Council hall rose before them soon after- pillars of black stone reaching into the mist, draped in red banners marked with the Doctrine’s sigil.
The place always had this atmosphere around it, that made it seem more dangerous and mysterious than Yoongi knew about. As if it had centuries of hidden secrets and mysteries locked up in it.
He didn't doubt it, but he didn't ask questions either.
It wasn't why he was there.
Inside, the air was cooler, heavy with silence. Sehun stopped at the chamber doors, bowing low before stepping outside.
Yoongi passed through the empty hallway, into the Advisors’ hall. The Supreme Councilors were absent, as expected. Only the Supreme Advisors were sat in their seats, their expressions fixed into masks of authority.
Very unusual, but not surprising.
The higher-ups had rarely made appearances in the Council, only the Advisors came in once in a while when the matter was worth discussing.
But something that Yoongi did not expect was to see two familiar figures already waiting inside.
Kim Seokjin- his equal, a fellow Councilor and Kim Namjoon- a Delegate, one rank lower than both of them.
Yoongi’s brow furrowed. Namjoon had no reason to be here. His work dealt with trade, disputes, and civic matters. No affairs urgent enough to summon Advisors, much less Yoongi himself.
But what unsettled the alpha more was their appearances. Seokjin’s face- usually calm and collected, looked drained and Namjoon’s eyes carried a heaviness that he hadn't seen in a while.
Yoongi felt the faintest tug in his chest, though his face betrayed nothing. He stood straighter, letting the silence settle before the Advisors spoke,
“Councilor Min,” Advisor Kang greeted him with a measured nod. “You’ve come.”
Yoongi inclined his head slightly. His frown did not leave. “You asked. I came.”
Formality, stripped of excess. That's how one in his rank ought to behave with higher-ups.
The two advisors exchanged brief glances, a ripple of unease running through their stillness. It was not common for them to summon a mid-tier Councilor in private matters, especially one with only two of his subordinates.
Something here pressed against the usual order, Yoongi guesses.
“There has been… a discovery,” Advisor Kang continued, careful with his words. “An anomaly, if I wanted to term it.”
Other Advisor, Seo Hana, leaned forward, her voice softer but not less firm. “One that touches the Doctrine itself.”
The word lingered, deliberate.
Yoongi listened without any reaction. To flinch, to press for answers before they were offered, would have been improper. So, he waited for them to continue.
Kang spoke again. “An omega has returned. From Tenebris.”
The chamber fell into silence so heavy that it clung into the beams carved with stone. But neither of Yoongi's subordinates flinched, as if they had already heard about it.
From Tenebris- the land of no-return?
No one- no omega has ever returned from there. Not alive. Not unchanged.
Yoongi did not show surprise. His face remained composed, voice even. “And the Council calls me because…?”
Seo's gaze lingered on him, too steady, too cautious. “Because this return is no ordinary occurrence. You are to be informed first- before others. And you will be assigned to… observe, Councillor Min.”
The word felt heavy, layered.
Something in their tone itched faintly at the back of Yoongi’s mind, but he did not allow it to show. Whatever this omega was, whatever Tenebris had shaped them into, it was not for him to question.
But the tremble- the hesitation in their voices birthed doubts in Yoongi's mind.
Doubts that he's uncertain about.
Either way, duty meant duty- Yoongi had to carry it like a shadow.
His eyes flicked once, briefly, to the two across the table. Seokjin met his gaze steadily, though his shoulders carried an unusual stiffness. Namjoon, however, seemed strained, jaw locked, his face slightly ashy.
It was enough to confirm Yoongi’s suspicion- they had known. Perhaps not everything, but enough to be unsettled.
The older alpha gave nothing away in return, only a slight shift of breath before he returned his attention to the advisors.
Kang folded his hands behind his back. “The omega is being held in a chamber set apart from the usual cells. It is not a prisoner to interrogate nor a criminal to condemn. This is… an unprecedented case. For now, the Council terms it ‘diplomatic observation.’”
Hana added, “People have already seen glimpses of the omega. It's no surprise if news spreads faster, so we'll need to take action immediately. You are not to treat the subject as ordinary. Any detail, any change, no matter how small- will be recorded. You will be the Council’s eyes and voice in this matter, Councillor Min.”
The instructions carried weight. Yoongi inclined his head once. “Understood.”
Kang’s voice lowered. “You will not work alone. Councillor Kim has been chosen to stand beside you. His steadiness is necessary in the project.”
Yoongi did not react, though in the corner of his vision, he caught the faint frown in Seokjin’s forehead.
“And,” he continued, after a pause, “Delegate Kim will serve as your secondary. He is the most capable among his ranks. For the subject’s privacy, and for certain civic matters, his role will be indispensable.”
There it was again, that itch- privacy. Not protection, not confinement but privacy. Yoongi disliked how they talked about the omega so freely- subject, as if they were some lab experiment.
The higher ups always talked about omegas as if they were some curse, as if they were a burden in the circle. The people in this city acted like secondary genders mattered more than lives, more than humanity itself.
Most alphas treated their omega like slaves and others didn't comment on it. Despite the obvious inhumane treatment and strong impose on the gender dynamics, most citizens chose to remain impassive on it.
They never cared about omegas either way.
They just let it be. Let the omegas get treated like shit, like they were a curse in the hierarchy.
Yoongi’s face remained as it always did: unreadable, carved into patience. “If these are the Council’s orders, then they will be carried out.”
Advisor Seo leaned back, relief faintly visible at the corner of her eyes. “Very well. The subject is being transferred as we speak. By dawn, you will see him.”
Silence pressed down again in the hall, when Advisor Kang spoke once more. “Do not mistake this task, Councillor Min. You are not merely observing a survivor, you are observing what should not exist. I suggest you don't take things lightly, if you care about your rank, that is.”
Yoongi did not answer, he felt the hidden threat in their voices. Threats of stripping him out of his role, throwing him out of the Council, painting his name as a fraud in the papers- he knew about it.
That was how members in the Council worked, pinned with the threats of nonexistence.
He bowed his head, marking every word, while his mind quietly stored away the faces of Seokjin and Namjoon, and the questions their silence had already asked of him.
The alpha had realised then that things were serious, as it always had been with the Council's orders but this time-
It felt like something was dying to get revealed, something that was starting uncover itself from the veil of lies.
He knows he should prepare himself for it, for anything that'll come in his way. He was trained for it, built for it. It- secrets that weren't meant to be revealed- he was used to those.
This omega- whoever he was- won't make exceptions.
Yoongi must keep that in mind.