It happened exactly at 3:38PM on a Friday, fall afternoon. 

The surrounding buildings shook and the skies turned a dark gray broken by red streaks reminiscent of rapidly falling sunlight.

All the nearby people, suddenly impartially weak, from old women and children to executive men in suits scrambled in all directions to avoid the falling debris and the collapse of the towering structures that they knew were soon to come.

Those of sound enough mind wondered if they were going to be hit by an earthquake or another comparable natural phenomenon that would spell out their inevitable end.

The end-of-the-wo ”

Abruptly he stopped and took a step toward the startled face of the alpha, the neat bills pressing into the carpeted floor beneath his feet. He let out another humorless laugh that mimicked the alpha’s previous one as he grabbed the alpha’s collar once again, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“What else would I do?” he said, answering the alpha’s earlier question, one he had likely forgotten by now but no matter. He was tired, not fully aware of what he was doing but adrenaline was pumping through him like water. He grinned as he pulled back his arm, his hand clenched into a fist, twisting his torso so that his punch, once it landed, would be a magical one.

The alpha’s eyes widened slightly in surprise and YooJin’s grin turned into a genuine one. He would show this alpha. rld religious cult members stared up at the skies. Those who were serious began to sing up to the heavens, certain that the second coming was upon them. Those who suddenly began to question their devotion went running into the throngs of the godless, suddenly woken from the verbal drugs they had been fed, scared at the possibility of their creator’s existence.

To these suddenly insignificant people, the world seemed like it was about to end. 

Except…

The sky returned to its clear, cloudless blue. The buildings stopped shaking. Not a single piece of debris was found on the initially trashless, immaculate streets of the high end, luxurious neighborhood. No life was lost.

For a moment, the population that gathered collectively wondered if they had imagined the fear and impending doom before shrugging it off and resuming their significantly important tasks for the day.

Not a single structure was out of place, not a single thing touched.

Except…

For a tiny hole on the penthouse floor of a club called 'Omega'.

~

“Wizard.”

That was the first word ever spoken to him by a high-level alpha. And it just happened to occur when said alpha was on the floor before him, staring up at him in surprise. Most people of his caliber wouldn’t even spit in his direction, let alone make some senseless comment.

Perhaps the shock had rattled his brain. After all, he did nearly punch the guy hard enough for the wall to crack.

…

The wall cracked?

His head swiveled in the direction of the impact point. A tiny fist sized hole stared back at him, cracks flowing from the center like delicate strands of spider webs. The bright blue of the sky peeked through, mocking him with its improbability.

How the hell…

He turned back to the man and the gravity of the scenario suddenly struck him as a large gash appeared on the face of the youngest son of the most prominent alpha family in the country and began to leak a bright red liquid. He had dodged his punch but evidently a piece of the concrete had struck him.

The youngest son of the most prominent alpha family… What had he done? 

YooJin’s eyes darted around frantically, looking for the exit. It was there, only a measly twenty feet away, but between him and his escape was the sprawled form of Mara, the omega that was supposed to be this alpha’s partner.

He looked back at the man. His gaze was now calm as he stood. He was tall, like all the other alphas, broad of shoulder, and irrefutably handsome.

“You’re a wizard?” he said, brushing off the dust from his suit. “I thought only omegas were allowed to work here.”

Wizard? Wizard? Why did he keep talking about wizards?

YooJin stared at him blankly, his mind torn between making a rapid escape and getting Mara the attention she needed. “They are,” he responded thoughtlessly.

Another look of surprise came over the alpha’s face. “You’re an omega?” he said softly. The alpha assessed YooJin for a long moment before taking a step toward him.

YooJin’s eyes widened and he took a step back. What was this alpha planning to do? Hit him? Imprison him? Or worse? Not that it mattered, his life was over now. Marring the face of the most sought after alpha bachelor in the country, he was going to be skinned alive. 

He hadn’t meant to charge at him. The situation had simply gotten out of hand. He was only there to do a job. To be the bodyguard of a famous omega singer Mara, who was attending a meeting with the youngest son of the most prominent alpha family in all of the country.

And she was to be his fiancee.

It had been pure luck that YooJin had even gotten the job in the first place. Normally, omegas, being weak and small, would have never been hired to be a bodyguard. But the meeting was to take place in an elite club on top of the most exclusive shopping mall in the country and true to its name, the club 'Omega', only hired omegas.

And to maintain that claim, for one day only they were looking to hire a particular omega, a tall, broad, and plain looking omega, one who would not take away any attention from Mara but one who would be able to react in the case of an emergency. YooJin wouldn’t have even considered taking this job, being around a group of rich folks was the last thing he wanted, but the position offered a little more than one year’s worth of his previous salary.

But now the very person he was supposed to protect, the very reason for his job was sprawled on the ground, having been rendered unconscious by the pheromones her fiancee had flooded into the room only a moment ago.

He didn’t understand why the alpha had acted in such a way. All she had said was that when they were married, she wanted him to travel with her on her tours and that he would have to give up on that thing.

He had no idea what that thing was and he hadn’t cared, still didn’t. All he knew was that the alpha’s response had been disproportionately severe.

It had only taken Mara two minutes before her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she had fallen, ungraciously to the carpeted floor. YooJin’s arms had been stupidly at his side, his eyes dumbly watching the whole spectacle.

He realized belatedly that he probably should have caught her.

YooJin shook his head, no, it was too late to waste any more thought on it. He would just lie when she came to and say that he did.

Damn. He cursed. There was no way they’d pay him now anyway.

YooJin growled, turning to the alpha, about to ask what his problem was when—the pheromones hit. They were far stronger than what he’d originally expected. Startled, he grabbed the man by his collar and demanded that he cease.

But the alpha simply looked at him. Then turning back to his glass, he dismissed him, as though YooJin was not deserving of an explanation, as though the consequence of what he would now have to face, consequences brought about by the alpha’s actions, had nothing to do with him.

Irritated and worn out from barely having any sleep the past few weeks, YooJin grabbed his shoulder and forced the alpha to meet his gaze once more.

“What?” the alpha said, finally meeting his eyes directly.

He then stopped and looked YooJin up and down before letting out a humorless laugh. “I didn’t realize how funny it was. An omega bodyguard.” He scoffed. “All because they wanted to stay true to their worthless moniker.” He then pulled his shoulder back and returned to refilling his drink. "Leave me."

YooJin’s gaze roamed the back of the alpha’s head as though his mind was going a mile a minute but in reality, it was growing blank. The alpha’s words were slowly getting to him and the most grating part was that he hadn’t said it to prod him, he had said it as though he simply believed his words to be true.

And, just as irritatingly or perhaps even more to his tired mind, the alpha had cost him a year’s worth of money, money he desperately needed.

YooJin grabbed at his shoulder again, forcing him to turn around. “You just cost me my job.”

For a long moment, the alpha merely stared at him in surprise, as though he couldn’t believe an omega would grab him twice. 

Then without a word, he reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a stack of crisp 100 dollar bills. “It's money you want? Then pick it up if you’re so desperate for it,” he said casually before scattering the bills on the ground beside their feet. 

YooJin’s eyes quickly scanned the bills on the floor.

He sighed before turning back to the alpha. “These bills barely make 20 thousand. I was offered 60 for this job.”

The alpha met his gaze, surprise clear in his eyes. "How did you—"

“Make it 60 and I’ll bend," YooJin said, quite seriously. "In fact, I’ll even lick your boots clean.”

The startled expression on the alpha’s face quickly disappeared. He suddenly laughed, looking at him as though he couldn’t quite believe what he was seeing. “I guess you really are desperate. How about another 20 in addition to the 60?” he said, reaching into his pocket for three more stacks. 

He then held YooJin’s gaze as he scattered the bills on the ground with the others. “I don't need my boots cleaned but will you crawl for it?”

YooJin stared at him, his tired eyes vaguely losing focus.

The alpha tsk’d derisively as though he had known that YooJin would not respond. "What else would you do? I'd like to see."

When YooJin still did not answer, he then let out another humorless laugh before turning back around to his drink. “Even if you are an omega, do not forget that you’re still a man.”

That brought him back to the moment. YooJin blinked, standing still for a long moment, staring at the back of the man’s head, the scattered bills at his feet. His entire body tensed and his hands suddenly clenched into fists at his side.

He had been ready to crawl for the money, that's how desparate he had been. He was an omega and that meant that money was hard to come by but that didn't eliminate the fact that money was a necessary element to simply survive especially with all that had plagued him of late. But now, after hearing the alpha's words... he wasn't quite sure it was worth it. What had he been doing all this time? Had he really been about to kneel at this arrogant man's feet? To a coward that had used his pheromones on a helpless omega woman?

YooJin suddenly began to laugh softly, mimicking the alpha's previous laugh.

The alpha’s shoulder stiffened.

“Hahaha. Ha. Ha. Ha.”

Then the alpha froze and slowly began to turn himself back around.

“Ha… ha. Ha… ha... Ha! HA. HA. HA!”

YooJin threw his head back and laughed loudly into the room. “HAHAHA, that’s right, you hilarious... hysterical... jerk,” he said suddenly, meeting the alpha's gaze once more. “That's right! I'll crawl.... I’ll even lick your father’s wrinkly toes for that 20 thousand. That’s a total of 80 thousand, right? Throw in another 20, and I’ll serve you hand and foot, just like a good omega oughta. As an alpha, you’d love that, wouldn’t you?...Caring about no one, expecting everyone to bow down to your every whim. How smart you are, alpha! How righteous when the world works in your favor. You got it right on the damn nose. I'm a prideless man. I'd crawl for that little bit of money. HAHAHAHAHA.”

Abruptly he stopped and took a step toward the startled face of the alpha, the neat bills pressing into the carpeted floor beneath his feet. YooJin let out another humorless laugh that mimicked the alpha’s previous one as he grabbed the alpha’s collar once again, forcing him to meet his eyes.

“What else would I do?” he said thoughtfully, answering the alpha’s earlier question, one he had likely forgotten by now but no matter. He was tired, not fully aware of what he was doing but adrenaline was pumping through him like water. He grinned as he pulled back his arm, his hand clenched into a fist, twisting his torso so that his punch, once it landed, would be a magical one.

The alpha’s eyes widened slightly in surprise and YooJin’s grin turned into a genuine one. He would show this alpha.

This would ensure that he wouldn't get paid that day despite desperately needing the money, the police might even be called upon him, he might even go to jail or even be kicked out of the country but at least, at the very least, he would show this one annoyingly arrogant brat that an omega he believed was so weak was responsible for rearranging his stupidly handsome face.

“What else would I do?” His knuckle cracked in a remembered act, his fingers, arms, and legs itching with a buzzing, uncontrollable will. He made sure to smile, his prettiest one for he wanted this alpha to remember this moment, the moment when an omega overpowered him.

“Let me show you,” he said.

And released his fist.