Chapter Two
DISCLAIMER: Own nothing, just a fan.
Bum still was having difficulty accepting his father's confession, although a week had already passed. It hurt him to hear he was the product of a one night stand his father had with a Beta woman from a poor neighbourhood. She had told Gwang Soo about her pregnancy but refused to accept any help from him. It was only when she died in a car crash when Bum was two months old that Gwang Soo had taken custody of Bum. However, fearing the bad publicity and not wanting to cause a scandal he had conspired with Ah Sung to pretend she had given birth to Bum.
Now Bum knew why his mother hated him so much – because he was not her son. He was just a constant reminder that his father had cheated on her. A part of him wished he had never heard the truth, but he also felt like a weight had been lifted off of him. He knew now he was not to blame for his mother –no, his stepmother's cruelness towards him. It was confusing, he still loved his stepmother but he also hated her for taking out her wrath on the innocent child and not her husband who was the one to blame. Bum now had a tiny, creased and faded photo of his real mother – his father had kept it for years in his secret office safe. She looked a lot like he had pictured, and she had such a kind smile on her face. Bum wished he could have known her, but instead her life had been stolen and he had been forced to grow up with a uncaring stepmother and a detached father.
If Bum could go back in time, and prevent his mother from dying he would do it. He would rather struggle for money and be happy with her, free to live his own life than be like he was now, miserable with a rich family and having to mate with an Alpha who would never love him. Still, this was his life and he could not change it however much he wished he could. And he consoled himself with the thought of his sister, his smart beautiful sister who did not deserve to be unhappy because of their parent's mistakes. Bum feared Ji Eun finding out they were only half siblings. Nothing had changed in his heart for Ji Eun after finding out the truth, she was simply his sister he loved but he wondered if her feelings would change towards him if she ever found out the truth.
His father had not needed to tell Bum that it had to be kept a secret. The Kim family would have never agreed for Bum to be mates with Dongyu if they found out he was not a legitimate Min heir. Today was the day Bum would move into the Kim family's estate, although he would have his own room until Dongyu had mated with him. There were quite a few steps to take before that happened, and Bum had never been more thankful for the old traditions of Alpha and omega mate matching until now. It felt like a stay of execution for him. He was counting down his last days of freedom until he would he physically and mentally linked with Dongyu in a bond that would last until they died.
"Omega? Are you ready to go?" Dongyu asked, looking impatient as he strode up to Bum. "Everything is already packed, and I need to get back to my office soon."
Bum nodded in reply, having already taken the time to say goodbye to his family. He was reluctant to leave the home he had lived in for so long, just to move in with people who were practically strangers though they would soon become his 'family' in law.
Dongyu grabbed hold of Bum's arm tightly and dragged him along to the front doors of the house where a maid let them out. "Let's get moving. And, when I speak to you I expect a verbal reply. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes," Bum replied timidly. "I'm sorry."
A shiny black car with tinted windows pulled up close to the front entrance of the house. To Bum's surprise and pure delight, Sangwoo climbed out of the back door. Bum instinctively tried to move closer, forgetting he was still attached to Dongyu who angrily yanked him backwards. Dongyu's grip tightened on Bum's arm past the point of being painful. Dongyu's breath felt heavy on Bum's face he hissed in Bum's ear, "Did I say you could step away from me?" Dongyu suddenly shoved Bum away from him, a malicious sneer appearing on his face when Bum fell to the ground. "Get up, and be quick about it."
Bum had scraped the side of his hand on the hard paving stones. It stung a bit, a thin stripe of blood welling up in the scrape of the cut. His arm hurt as well, but he was not too worried about it – he was more shocked that Dongyu was being so cruel to him on just their second time meeting each other. Their parents had already arranged so much on their behalf, Dongyu being consulted but Bum in the dark about it all. It had only been yesterday he found out all his personal belongings had been moved to the Kim estate and he would be moving there the next day.
Sangwoo held out a hand to him, giving Bum a faint smile that comforted him. The sunlight behind Sangwoo almost looked like a halo on his head. Bum knew Sangwoo was not an angel, but at that moment it felt like he was. Bum reached out his hand but Dongyu stepped in front of Sangwoo, roughly pulling Bum up onto to his feet again. Bum felt like a ragdoll, with the way Dongyu kept manhandling him. It worried him, because he was helpless to stop it. Bum was too weak to defend himself and nobody would see what was happening as abuse – all they would see was an Alpha disciplining an unruly omega who needed to be put back into their place. Dongyu pushed Bum into the car, and followed after him, Bum quickly moving to make space for Dongyu.
Sangwoo sat in front next to the driver. As the car started moving, his eyes connected with Bum's through the mirror.
Bum could feel Dongyu watching him, so he averted his gaze to look out of the window. He felt Dongyu lean over him and flinched expecting violence but all Dongyu did was latch Bum's seatbealt in. "I have to keep my omega safe, don't I Sangwoo?" Dongyu laughed coldly as he gave Bum a brief, scornful look. "What would omegas do without us? Probably crawl somewhere to die, I expect."
"Think about what you just said. Without omegas, there would be no Alphas in the world. Omegas are important." Sangwoo stated firmly, as his hands clenched into fists that only the driver could see. "And you should be careful how you treat Bum. "
"I know what you're thinking, Sangwoo. You're concerned about my image. Don't worry, I'll play nice with him in front of the public eye and his family, but when we're alone it doesn't matter," Dongyu shrugged. "It's not as if he would be stupid enough to go talking about it to anyone. Isn't that right omega?"
"No, I wouldn't tell anyone," Bum replied, cringing internally when Dongyu rested a heavy hand on the back of his neck. "I just want us to get along."
"Of course you do," Dongyu patted the top of Bum's head condescendingly. "Omegas just want an easy ride through life with their Alpha, but that's not what you're going to get with me unless you take care to follow my rules."
"You haven't given me any rules, though," Bum protested mildly. "And I don't just want an easy ride through life. I've always wanted to work at my father's company but he didn't like the idea and my – my mother refused to let me work anywhere."
"Omegas shouldn't be allowed to work," Dongyu stated sternly. "The only work you'll be doing is looking after me and our family. " Dongyu chuckled then, a smug smile appearing on his face. "And a good omega shouldn't' need to be told the rules, you have to guess what they are."
It did not make sense to Bum, and it was not fair but he did understand that Dongyu was always going to try to make him feel miserable. He stayed silent, and the rest of the journey passed with Dongyu talking to Sangwoo about a business deal. Bum was not interested but he listened attentively anyway as he liked to hear Sangwoo talk. He noticed Dongyu gave obnoxious opinions while Sangwoo listened patiently and made smart suggestions. He knew it was not right to compare Sangwoo and Dongyu. Dongyu was going to be his Alpha, but Bum found it hard to show respect for Dongyu when he was treated with no respect. Also every time he compared the two Alphas, it only made his yearning to be with Sangwoo worse.
Bum sighed when he stepped out of the car and viewed the Kim family estate for the first time. He was used to luxurious homes, having grown up in one but the Kim family estate was an actual mansion. It seemed wasteful to Bum, when he thought about all the empty rooms the family likely did not use. Although Bum was glad that there would be lots of places he could escape from Dongyu's overbearing presence if he needed to in the future.
"Omega, I'm leaving now. Sangwoo has to pick up something from home so he'll take you inside." Dongyu spoke from inside the car, having not bothered to get out of it. Bum was relieved when the car drove away leaving him alone with Sangwoo.
"Do you live here too?" Bum asked,his curiosity getting the better of him.
"Yes, I do," Sangwoo draped his arm around Bum's thin shoulders. "Let's start walking, it's a long driveway. Tell me, are you happy, Bum?"
"I...I'm not unhappy," Bum eyed Sangwoo cautiously as they wealked, trying to keep his mind clear although it was hard when Sangwoo had practically enveloped Bum in his enticing scent. "I mean, like you said Dongyu and I make a good match."
"I never said that. I said Dongyu is a good catch for any omega, but I never said he was a good match for you." Sangwoo smirked. "I was lying," The smirk faded from his face to be replaced by a chilling gaze. "The idea of you mating with that moron disgusts me. I won't let him have you," Sangwoo's face softened. "That doesn't mean you have to belong to me, but that is what I want. For you to be my omega."
Bum stopped dead in his tracks, feeling his heart rate steadily climb as Sangwoo's tantalising, impetuous declaration sunk in. He shook his head, stepping away from Sangwoo. "No, that can't be true. It's not like I'm special. In fact, I'm a broken mess if you listen to my- my mother-" Bum gasped as a horrifying thought crept into his mind. "Did...did Dongyu ask you to do this? Even back when we met for the first time, were you pretending to like me?"
"Come with me, Bum," Sangwoo firmly grasped hold of Bum's hand, and gently pulled the reluctant Bum into the line of trees and dense shrubbery that surrounded the driveway. "The cameras can't see us here," He explained as he brushed some dirt and leaves off of his suit. "I've never been interested in omegas. That's not to say I dislike them, but I had no particular feelings of attraction to omegas until I met you. Your scent reminded me of my mother, it was her scent too. And I sensed something in you, Bum. Broken? Maybe you are, but I'm broken too. There's a darkness in me, and I sense something...strange in you but I like it." Sangwoo leant down and placed his mouth on Bum's lips, a mere ghostly brush of a kiss but it made Bum shiver and grasp hold of Sangwoo's jacket. "I'm placing my trust in you, that you won't say anything about this to Dongyu." He gently pried Bum's fingergs loose and held him at arms length. "Will you?"
"No," Bum replied, shaking his head slowly. "I won't."
Sangwoo grinned as he let go of Bum and pulled out a switchblade, quickly flicking it open and slicing into his palm lightly. "Would I really be willing to have a blood pact with you if I was making everything up?"
"No, I guess not..." Bum stretched out his arm, trembling as he offered Sangwoo his palm to cut. He watched with wide eyes as Sangwoo scored the skin of his palm and a thin line of crimson welled up. Bum was finding it hard to believe Sangwoo would really do it. Blood pacts were outdated, not really used any more. In the past they were used to create a faint link between Alpha and omegas who were courting but it was a serious commitment as the link, though not strong, was just as permanent as a bond. "Are you really going to do this? You won't ever get rid of this connection to me."
"I know," Sangwoo put his switchblade away and wrapped his hand around Bum's smaller one, squeezing their hands together to allow their blood to merge. "And the best part is that only you and me will know about it." A slow, contented smile spread over his face. "You made the right choice today, Bum. I don't know how I would have handled being rejected by you. "
All that mattered to Bum at that moment in time was that Sangwoo meant what he said. "Now I know you're serious about wanting us to be together, I couldn't say no to you although it's crazy because I hardly know you. But you showed me I can trust you. Although..." Bum hesitated, looking uncomfortable. "Why do you have a knife on you?"
Sangwoos smile disappeared, his dark eyes suddenly devoid of warmth. "Because I planned to stab you to death if you didn't agree to be mine." He stated, with an indifferent tone. "You don't weigh much. It would be easy to get rid of your body, and nobody would suspect me."
Bum stayed silent, closing his eyes and counting to ten. It had to be one of his delusions. When he opened them again, Sangwoo was giving him a concerned look. "Are you alright?"
"Yes, I'm fine." Bum tried to smile, but he failed. "I'm sorry about that. Did I space out on you? I...I've been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder. You were right about me being strange. I have to see a therapist because there's something wrong with my mind. I'm taking pills, and I promise I'm not dangerous."
Sangwoo looked stricken with guilt. "No, you didn't space out. It's my fault, I was just joking with you. I have a twisted sense of humour, that's all." He wrapped his arms around Bum's smaller form, rubbing his back gently. "I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"
Bum nodded, comforted as he rested his head against Sangwoo's chest and heard his heart beat. He hugged Sangwoo tightly. "It's ok, there's nothing to forgive. You're not to blame for the fact I sometimes see and hear things that aren't there."
"Bum, it doesn't matter to me that you're different, it just means that your mind is more unique than other people." Sangwoo released Bum from his embrace and took hold of his hands. "You're perfect just the way you are."
Bum smiled shyly, shaking his head. "No, I'm far from perfect. You know...nobody's ever described my condition like that. Thank you for being so understanding."
"It's my duty as your future Alpha to make you happy so I'm glad I was able to cheer you up," Sangwoo gently squeezed Bum's hands. "With you by my side I can do anything I set my mind too. Nothing will stop me from becoming your mate. It's not going to be easy, and we're both going to suffer before it happens –every time I see you with Dongyu I want to kill-"He paused abruptly, then continued. "-myself. I just hate that I can't protect you from him."
"I've dealt with worse than him. I can handle it, and I'll do anything I can to help us be together," Bum felt a surge of admiration thrumming through his body, from the link he shared with Sangwoo and he was delighted. "Sangwoo...the you sense something from me too?"
"Determination. And I don't need our bond to tell me you have a lot of courage in you, Bum. But tell me, what do you mean when you say you've dealt with worse than Dongyu?" Sangwoo's face darkened. "Has anyone been mistreating you?"
"It's nothing, really." Bum replied, sounding uneasy. "I can handle it by myself. It's just that...I feel like my whole childhood was a lie."
Thanks for reading :)
