***

Jieun frowned as she saw Yejun’s message. It wasn’t like him to be so formal. 

She set her phone face down on her desk, trying to focus on the budget report spread out in front of her. But the columns of figures blurred together, numbers crawling like ants across the paper. With a frustrated sigh, she pushed the folder aside. She was never good at this kind of thing; she was always better working with words, not numbers.

She glanced to see a few cubicles down. Woojin was sitting at his desk, dutifully focused on whatever was on his screen. Jieun stood, walking over as she leaned in the empty desk next to his. 

“Manuscript that interesting?”

“Better than the last one. The translator did a good job with the author’s sense of humor,” Woojin shrugged, his hazel eyes not looking up to meet hers. She loved that her fathers wanted to choose him as her omega; if the children all had his eyes, he was going to give her and Yejun wonderful babies. “Guess budget reports are boring?”

“Yeah, I’ll just scan and send them to Jun.”

“He’s on vacation.”

“Work trip, and besides, he told me too,” Jieun rolled her eyes, sighing heavily. “Hopefully we’ll at least hang out when he gets back.”

“Yeah, yeah.” Woojin warned, but the alpha rolled her eyes. She knew Yejun would forgive whatever it was when he got back. It was her favorite thing about him; how devoted and attentive Yejun was and how thoughtful he could be when he wasn’t distracted. She wasn’t sure why he had chosen her, but now, she couldn’t wait to marry him once Woojin was finally chosen and paired with her. “Is the decision made yet?”

“Soon,” she waved off, standing up straighter. “As long as you keep meeting me in the booth.”

“Don’t know why it has to be me. You keep the glass frosted anyway,” Woojin shrugged, but Jieun could see he was starting to get annoyed. She knew he didn’t quite believe everything she said, but his loyalty only went so far. Woojin was desperate to be chosen as Jieun’s pairing partner, enough that he was willing to meet her at the booths in exchange for her pushing her fathers to subtly choose him. 

“Because no one else will do,” Jieun purred, leaning down to whisper as she walked by. “It has to be you..”

Jieun ignored Woojin’s scoff as she continued down the row of cubicles. She didn’t bother to look back. She knew he would sit there, quiet and conflicted, the way he always was. He never protested enough to actually walk away; after all, he needed to be chosen. He was Yejun’s best friend, understood what Yejun needed. To her, all that mattered was he kept saying yes.

When she returned to her desk, she picked up her phone again and scrolled back through her messages with Yejun. Usually he would send her pictures when he was abroad, little pieces of his trip to make her feel like she was with him. Jieun sighed, turning her phone screen down again. It was fine. Once he returned, she would smooth over whatever was wrong. 

After all, she loved him and she didn’t want to lose someone she loved.

***

Minjae smiled as he finished eating, stacking everything neatly on the tray. Nothing beat an american cheeseburger and he fell back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. It was nice to be out of the pairing suite, but he couldn’t help but worry about Yejun. The beta had seemed more put together after their talk, and his messages didn’t indicate anything worrying, but Minjae couldn’t help his concern. 

He sat up, cradling his head in his hands. He was supposed to be better than this, watching closer than this. How had he been so blind? How had he not noticed what Jieun was doing? 

“<Fuck, I should have tried harder.>”Minjae cursed, not thinking as he reverted to English.

“<Tried harder at what?>”

Minjae jumped as he watched Seulgi walk through his door, groaning as she materialized in his room. She had a mischievous smile on her face, crossing her arms as she learned against the wall. “<Been waiting to do that since we got here.>”

“Did you at least–”

“Make myself invisible to the cameras? Duh, I’m not the one who only uses magic for ‘practical reasons’.” Seulgi rolled her eyes and Minjae mimicked the motion. “I know how to get away with a prank. So what are you brooding about?”

“Nothing,” Minjae muttered, looking away as Seulgi flopped on the bed next to him and laid her head in his lap. 

“Yeah, right, and I’m a corgi,” she scoffed, earning a  soft huff of reluctant amusement from Minjae. Seulgi tilted her head back, peering up at him, her blond hair spilling over his thigh. “You’re worrying about Lim-ssi again, aren’t you? Anyone can see he’s not okay.”

“More than you realize,” Minjae muttered, taking a deep breath as he stared over at the window. “I promised I wouldn’t tell.”

“Then don’t. I’m just here as support for you. Whatever happens between you and him is up to you, Min,” Seulgi shrugged, closing her eyes as if she could just turn the entire situation into something simpler. For a moment, Minjae didn’t say anything. He reached down and smoothed a stray strand of her hair away from her cheek, the familiar weight of her presence easing something that had been coiled tight inside his chest since they’d landed.

“I told him.” Minjae whispered, and Seulgi opened her eyes. 

“Told him what? That we’re twins?”

“Well that too,” Minjae added, watching as Seulgi sat up quickly. She had an incredulous look on her face, as if Minjae had suddenly decided he wanted to be a two-headed minotaur. “I told him I’m an ifrit.”

“What the fuck for?”

“To help him with the thing I can’t tell you about,” Minjae answered, watching as Seulgi’s expression slid into her familiar pout. He knew she wouldn’t demand to know. She respected his privacy as much as he respected hers, but he knew she would want to say at least one thing about it before she let it drop. Sure enough, she huffed and leaned back against the headboard, arms crossed over her chest.

“So much for keeping distance.”

“Not now please and I am still keeping distance.” Minjae breathed, glancing over at his phone on the table. “I don’t intend to do more. You know I–”

“I know. You just want him to be happy.” Seulgi finished, sighing heavily. “He could be happy with you, you know.”

“I know, but he doesn’t know me. I never tried to close the distance between us and now is not the time for that,” Minjae admitted, this time laying his head in Seulgi’s lap. He hated her pushing, but he didn’t have the energy to argue. “What he’s dealing with… is life-changing.”

“Sounds bad.”

“It is.”

“Then do what you think is right, Min, but if he wants you, don’t push him away.” Seulgi grinned, running her fingers through his hair as Minjae closed his eyes. It felt nice to have her nails gently scrape his scalp and Minjae hummed deep in his chest. “You know what Mom says.”

“You never forget your first love,” Minjae repeated, nodding his head slightly as the words trailed off, leaving only the hush of the hotel’s air-conditioning and the dull thrum of traffic far below. “I know and I would consider it, but for now, please stop. I don’t need him. I just want his life to be happy. That’s enough.”

Seulgi didn’t say anything else. She just kept stroking his hair, her hand warm against his scalp in that quiet, unpretentious way that reminded him of when they were kids, listening to their mothers cook and tease each other in the kitchen. The way their father would visit and it would feel like their family was whole again. No one knew about their parents’ arrangement and they both knew it would ruin them if it was found out.

He exhaled slowly, feeling the tension in his shoulders loosen by degrees. “Thanks, sis.”

“Anytime, Min. You know I’m here.” Seulgi grinned, gently flicking Minjae’s nose. “Tomorrow is my turn to present, but we should take Lim-ssi out over the weekend. Lee and Shin want to explore on their own.”

“I’ll ask if he’s feeling up to it.” Minjae agreed, considering if he should ask about the omegas. He decided against it, knowing if he asked now, Seulgi would put two and two together. If he asked tomorrow, she wouldn’t make the connection immediately. “Now go back to your room, I’m tired.”

“Ugh fine,” Seulgi rolled her eyes and Minjae laughed as she teleported, causing his head to quickly fall onto the bed. Despite having weaker magic, Seulgi was always more willing to use hers, especially to tease or prank Minjae. She never put herself at risk, however, and that was all Minjae cared about.

He laid there a moment longer, closing his eyes as he took another deep breath. He couldn’t deny a small part of him hoped they would discover something concrete, something that would remove Jieun from the picture. Even if she wasn’t cheating, it was clear she had destroyed Yejun, and Minjae could not forgive that. He didn’t need to be Yejun’s husband, but he would not allow someone to destroy the person he loved. 

Minjae rolled onto his side, remembering the faint scent he had noticed when he caught Yejun. Almond and Vanilla… it was faint enough he could have imagined it, but Minjae was certain he didn’t. Was it possible… that Yejun wasn’t a normal beta? Was he somehow also an omega?

Minjae took a deep breath, staring at the night sky beyond the window. One thing at a time. 

***