488.

489.

Hye-Jin might depend on Jaehyun for several things but she had her resources. It didn't take long to find out where Jungkook lived and what his schedule was. Security Head Kang scrambled to open her car door when she arrived, looking stunned and torn between reaching for his phone and assisting her.

"You can call him first," she said before going into the building.

If things had gone normally, she wouldn't have to meet him like this. Out of everyone, it had to be the Shins who found them first. It meant the news of her son sleeping with a regular omega was already spreading like a wildfire in their circle and outside. It was only a matter of time, Jimin became a hot topic of their discussion.

Hye-Jin didn't even want to think about all the lies they would start spewing. Myeong-suk already thought the omega was pregnant and that he was sleeping with Jimin for money. Jaehyun claimed they were imprinted. But Hye-Jin had to see it for herself.

She believed her son wouldn't be an irresponsible alpha. As much as Jimin defied everything, she knew he was a good one in the heart. She would have preferred to have heard this from her son instead of the Shins. But it was her mate and son's fault to keep her in the dark.

She knocked at his dorm room in the morning. She didn't know what to expect since she never met Jungkook after he grew up. Maybe the omega would surprise her.

She trusted Jaehyun's judgment. He wouldn't push Jimin to pursue the omega if he thought otherwise. It was why she entrusted Jimin's marriage with her mate. Still, it hurt that her mate didn't give her a benefit of doubt and let her have a say in this matter.

Hye-Jin checked her watch and noticed it was seven-thirty and as per the reports, today he would leave around eight for his morning classes. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be attending college today. She had already taken care of his schedule.

There was a rustling sound inside and then she heard a pair of soft feet approaching the door. It cracked open a little, revealing one big, round eye peeking through the gap. The said eye scanned her face and then her attire before the door cracked a little more.

A wave of maraschino cherry interwoven with evergreen pine, thyme and sage hit her first. Is Jimin still here? Didn't he have an early morning meeting with a foreign investor?

The omega pushed his face through the crack, eyes wide and curious. Straight nose and petal like lips rosy without a drop of lip tint. His skin was soft and dewy, hair fluffy and slightly wet from the shower.

"Jeon Jungkook," she greeted. "I'm Park Hye-Jin, Jimin's mother. We need to talk."

The omega's eyes widened and the door opened wide immediately, revealing his entire form dressed in a baggy worn out t-shirt that was too big on him and washed jeans. The t-shirt color had faded and the letters on his chest were barely visible.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realize. Please come in." Jungkook stepped back to allow her inside. Once she was inside, he bowed deep at her before pulling a chair for her to sit.

The room was clean, well-organized and everything was in its place. The bed was made up and a worn out bunny plush sat on one of the pillows, smelling heavily of her son. She could tell her son was here not so long ago given how heavy his scent was inside the room.

This wasn't what she expected when she came here. Facing the reality was the hardest part and knowing her son could have slept here last night wasn't a pleasant feeling. Well, if they were dating it was a given but...

She clenched her jaw and turned to face the omega, taken back momentarily by the air of innocence surrounding him and the curious round eyes peering at her. The little pup had now grown into a beautiful man.

Jeon Jungkook might be a regular omega but with a little polishing he'd be the finest, even giving a tough competition for the purebred omegas out there. His poor upbringing or the lifestyle he led before did not put a single dent on his beauty.

Hye-Jin could see why her son was smitten. The photos did no justice to his beauty. "Dress up. We're going out," she said.

Jungkook's eyes once again widened but he scrambled to obey. He opened the closet and pulled out a hoodie that undoubtedly belonged to her son and even smelled like him. He shrugged it on hurriedly and grabbed his bag, checking its contents swiftly before hitching it over his shoulder.

She narrowed her eyes at him, jaw clenching again. "You're gonna step out with me like this?" she asked, waving a finger at his attire. "I'd rather have you dressed in something that isn't a rag."

Jungkook blinked and then looked down at his t-shirt. "Oh...I..." He shifted from one foot to the other. "I-I'll change." But his scent soured a little.

He eyed her again, dropping the bag on the floor and going back to his closet. He grabbed something else and hugged it to his chest. Then he silently padded to the only other door in the room which she presumed was the bathroom. When he surfaced he was in a t-shirt and pants from a brand owned by Kim Taehyung.

He pulled her son's hoodie tight. Jungkook didn't meet her gaze as he walked past her to put the neatly folded clothes on the bed.

"You should probably get rid of those," she chided. "I won't have you parade in those rags when you're dating my son."

Jungkook needed to pull himself together if he wished to survive in their cut-throat world and dressing up to look the part was one such thing. She wasn't going to take it easy on him in this regard. There were certain expectations to fulfill and she'd see to that he filled all the boxes.

However, what she wasn't prepared for was for the omega to break into tears as he clutched the clothes to his chest, knuckles turning white.

He shook his head. "No," he whispered. "T-This belonged to my dad. W-Won't get rid of it." He hugged them. "I-I was missing him and couldn't stop thinking about him this morning. I-I won't wear them again in public but I won't get rid of them."

Hye-Jin stared at the omega, speaking to her in a calm voice despite the distress in his scent. Her features softened a bit and something akin to pride flooded her chest—an omega who values relationships and family.

"I apologize," she said. "I didn't know it belonged to Jeong-Ho. I shouldn't have said that."

Jungkook sniffled, discreetly wiping the corners of his eyes. "I-It's okay."

She approached him and extended her hand. "Give me your hand."

Jungkook blinked in confusion but offered a delicate hand. When she took it, feeling how calloused his palms were and wondered how much this one had to go through in this age. He tilted his head to look at her curiously.

She brought his wrist to her nose, closing her eyes and inhaling deep. Familiarizing with the other's scent was a common practice among wolves but was only done between members of a close circle.

Bursts after bursts of maraschino cherry flooded her nostrils. There was a hint of evergreen pine but it didn't seep into his skin like those mated couples. Most of all, there was no hint of milk and his scent was normal, lacking the additional sweet notes that came from a pregnant omega.

He wasn't pregnant. If she didn't know better she'd think they weren't physically intimate at all. That was a huge relief.

Her son was known as a player among the elite circle. People laughed about him for not being able to keep it in his pants. It wasn't a compliment from a mother's point of view but to see it was a possibility that this could be a genuine relationship was definitely surprising. Or she just wasn't prepared for this day to come sooner.

Hye-Jin said nothing as she dropped his hand. "I've taken care of your classes for the day. There are a lot of things we need to discuss."

Jungkook nodded, putting the clothes neatly on the bed, glancing at it a moment longer before moving to follow her out. He suddenly backtracked and grabbed the bunny plush, stuffing it inside his bag.

"You can wear it once you're back," she said in a gentler tone this time. As much as she wasn't pleased about this situation she understood he missed his only parent. The urge to tell him it was okay to wear his father's t-shirt was great. "This might not be appropriate attire for the place we are going to."

Jungkook nodded in understanding. He went out first, waiting for her to go out before locking the door. "Am I in trouble?" he asked softly. "If you want to yell at me you can do it here."

"Do you want me to yell at you?" she asked.

Jungkook shook his head, his hands clasped in front of him. His shoulders were slightly hunched but she could tell it was because of respect and not fear.

"Why would you allow me to yell at you?"

"Because you're Mrs. Park," the answer was immediate. "You're my alpha's mother and I believe you're a reasonable person. You might be furious that my alpha hasn't spoken to you yet about us and it's valid."

Hye-Jin chuckled wryly. "Your alpha, hmm. Is that what he's to you now?" She began to walk toward the elevator.

Jungkook nodded. Once again there was no hesitation.

She stopped and turned to face him. "So how does this work? Are you gonna leave him if I tell you I don't like your relationship?" she shot at him. Her voice rang higher than she intended, but the omega didn't even flinch.

"No," he said. "I won't leave him."

"Then?" She cocked a brow, amused by his answer and resilience. This one wasn't cowering like many others did. "What do I have to do for you to leave him?"

The omega's scent surged with a hint of anger. This time he glanced up, his eyes slightly narrowing as he stared at her. His nostrils flared a little. "My death," he replied while looking into her eyes intently. "Nothing else in this world is going to make me leave me."

He has fire. She stared at him and the omega refused to look away, meeting her gaze head on. That brought a smile to her face for the first time that morning. "I see," she said. "It's like that, huh?"

Jungkook averted his gaze. "He's all I have."

Hye-Jin sighed and pivoted on her heel. "Come." Her heels clicked on the floor and she sensed the omega following her wordlessly. "I can't even get my son to listen to me. What made you think I'd come here with an intention to make you back off?" she asked as the elevator doors closed.

Jungkook blinked owlishly as if he didn't expect her to ask him that.

She scoffed. "Did my mate put you up for this?"

He shook his head.

"Are you in this relationship without your consent?"

"No, ma'am. I fully consent."

"You'd be put through a lot if you do this. Are you ready for that?"

Jungkook's smile for forlorn. "I've been through a lot my entire life. What could be possibly worse than what I've been through?" he questioned her, once again looking directly at her in the eye. "I don't think anything can hurt me worse than helplessly watching my dad work through his ailment just so he could put food on our plates."

Hye-Jin nodded. "What's my mate's role in this? Do you think this is something you have to do because he helped your ailing father?"

"No, ma'am." Jungkook shook his head. "Mr. Park only introduced us and told me he'd support me regardless of my decision to give his son a chance."

"Oh." She frowned. "A chance you say."

"He believed Jimin hyung would change his mind about marriage and commitment once we met." He chuckled softly. "I thought it was the most ridiculous thing until our first meeting. Things changed when we realized there was a connection we didn't understand. Jimin hyung wanted to see where it would lead us."

"Why do you like my son?"

Jungkook glanced down, a soft smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. "He's a good and kind alpha," he replied.

She stared at him until the ding of the elevator door pulled her out. Her son had a gentle heart but she didn't know what happened that turned him into the person he was today. So to hear that from this omega was surprising yet very pleasing to her wolf.

"Is it because he helped you once?"

Jungkook shook his head, once again following her out. "No. It's because I've seen a side where he hides it from the others. Mr. Park said he takes after his mother and I don't doubt him."

That made her step falter but she recovered immediately and cleared her throat. "What is my son's promise to you?"

"Family and pups," Jungkook's replies were crystal clear and came without hesitation or a doubt.

Once again her steps faltered and Jungkook caught her elbow, steadying her. "Thank you," she said, squaring her shoulders. The car driver straightened and immediately rushed to open the door for them. "Get in."

Hye-Jin took a moment to calm down. For years, she'd been waiting to hear her son offer those two things to an omega and commit to a family life. Whatever his reputation was, she believed Jimin would never give out empty promises to anyone.

Perhaps her husband was right. They were imprinted on each other. He should have told her sooner. Her anger rose and she sensed Jungkook glancing at her nervously from beside her.

"We're going to the hospital first," she said. "We will get you a full health check done first and then proceed with other plans."

"Okay," he replied in a low voice.

"When did you know about the imprint?" she asked. "How did you find out?"

"Jimin hyung told me he's imprinted on me a while ago but it was recently I learned we have met before as pups. He was the one who bought me this bunny plush when I was young." He hugged his bag to his chest. "We didn't know until a few days ago."

"He bought you that plush?" It was worn out and easily a decade old. Jimin was unconscious most of the time and never left the hospital wing when he was seven. So he couldn't have bought it then.

"I was five." Jungkook smiled warmly. "Hyung saved me from the bullies and bought it as a comfort. At that time he called me cherry blossom because of my scent and used to speak about me to Taehyung hyung at school. So Taehyung hyung had a doubt we could be the same person and he was right."

"Oh." She nodded thoughtfully. A lot has happened that she didn't know of. She didn't think Jaehyun would have known about it either. She leaned on her seat, her thoughts racing. The omega's scent was calm beside her as he gazed outside the window.

The car ride was mostly silent with her stewing in her own thoughts. She couldn't erase the image of the tiny pup peering at her while suckling on the baby bottle she used to feed him. Several nights, she'd still think about the pup, wondering how he was doing now. And that pup was right beside her.

She didn't think their first meeting after years would be like this. After all, she has been planning to meet him for a long time now as the son of the omega who sacrificed her life to protect her pup, but not as her future son-in-law.

At the hospital, she led him to Dr. Jia, who was also the wife of her son's best friend Kim Seokjin. Jia greeted her with a smile and a hug before turning to Jungkook. "Hi, Jungkook." She waved at him.

"Hi." Jungkook smiled, voice soft and meek.

"Is everything ready?" Hye-Jin asked.

"Yes," she said. "Jungkook, I'd need a few blood samples first. After that you can change into the hospital gown I left on the bed and lie down on that table behind the screen."

The procedure was carried out meticulously while she waited patiently. A half an hour later, Jia came out, wiping her hands in a towel. She smiled at Hye-Jin while taking a seat.

"He's healthy and everything is as it should be. There's nothing to be worried about. The blood reports should be in by the end of the day, so I'll let you know the results by then."

Hye-Jin nodded. "Is he on a suppressor?" she asked. "I don't want him to use that cheap heat suppressor in the market that poses a lot of health risks."

"He is, actually. Most of the omegas don't have a choice but to suppress their heat because they would get fired if they took a heat break every quarter," Jia stated as a matter of fact. "The effects of these medicines are often serious. Jungkook hasn't been using them for that long so he's fine. We are slowly weaning him off after his last heat was triggered by Jimin's pheromones."

Hye-Jin frowned. "What?"

Jimin's pheromones triggered his heat? When did this happen? She moved to the edge of her seat. Does this mean Myeong-suk was right? It can't be.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Park. He's perfectly fine. Purebred pheromones can sometimes override the effects of a heat suppressor." Jia offered a smile in assurance. "Especially since they're imprinted on each other, it was natural."

"Is he then?" she asked worriedly.

Did she misread the signs? He didn't smell like a pregnant omega. Her senses wouldn't lie.

"Oh, no. He's not." Jia grinned, understanding her concern.

Jungkook came out then and Jia gestured to the seat next to Hye-Jin. He sat at the edge, looking nervous.

"Good. Put him on birth control." Hye-Jin notched her chin. "He still has a year to graduate. And I'll not let him carry the blame of getting pregnant in order to lock my son in a marriage for the rest of his life." Her voice was stern and her eyes narrowed as she spoke. She then turned to face the omega. "Jungkook, your father entrusted you as a pup to me. He believed I'm his last resort to keep you alive when you refused to feed after losing your mom. I swore to become a maternal figure in your life and protect you. That gives me the right to speak on your behalf. You're young and I hope you get to achieve your ambition and become independent as an omega before you take that step with my son."

Jungkook stared at her wide eyed.

"Marrying him is a shortcut to all your troubles, I agree, but respect among the elites is earned. Prove yourself to me and the others, Jungkook. I won't let Jeong-Ho's son be coined as a social climber by the others. Do you understand?"

The bewildered omega nodded, still looking wide eyed.

"What is my son's thoughts on this?" she asked. "If he does not understand, then I'll talk to him."

Jungkook blushed faintly. "Oh, no. Um...h-he said it's my wish."

Hye-Jin relaxed, pride surging in her chest. "Good." She turned to the doctor. "Jia, put him on birth control without any delay. You know how our society is. I don't wish to give them any reasons to look down on him."

"I'm afraid we cannot do that immediately," Jia said.

"Why?"

"The heat suppressors he used to take are naturally a form of birth control but also have some side effects on his body and putting him on another form of birth control right away might have consequences. So we need to complete this course of treatment before proceeding with that. But I'm sure it'll be alright, considering he's a virgin and they're taking things slow," Jia explained.

Oh.

Beside her, Jungkook blushed furiously, face turning red and biting his lower lip. Hye-Jin exhaled, the respect for her son grew in her mind and she felt the rush of relief more than ever. If Jimin had waited this long, it only served as a testament for his dedication. He was serious about this one. In that moment, any remnant of doubt she had in her mind had wiped off itself.

"That's good," she said. "Then I'll trust you proceed with the best course of action." She stood, nodding curtly at Jia. "Jungkook, let's go." She glanced at her watch. "We have somewhere to be."

Jungkook followed her silently. She could tell she wanted to ask her questions but was holding back. She wasn't in the mood to talk with her mind racing like a racehorse. This was definitely not the way she expected things to go. But she shouldn't be surprised considering who his parents were.

They stopped at her most trusted agency next. "If you wish to marry Jimin, then there are things you need to know," she said to Jungkook. "The elite world is shameless, heartless, judgmental and highly prejudiced against your kind. But my son has chosen you. As his mother and your well-wisher, it's my duty to prepare you to face the worst. A college degree will teach you nothing about this. First, you will learn about the elite society and everything else that has to do with them. I have arranged for you to attend the etiquette classes here. They will work on your appearance, speech, behavior and fashion. This is not a request. Do you understand? If you wish to be a part of Jimin's world, then better prepare for it."

Jungkook nodded, looking perplexed as he eyed the looming agency in front of them.

"I have also signed you up for some self-defense sessions," she said casually. "Jun-Myeon isn't the only bastard alpha out there."

It wasn't pre-planned per se. Well, she had to determine if the omega was worth it first but the moment Jungkook had met her glare, standing rooted to his spot, she decided he was worth the fighting chance.

While Jungkook had a long way to go, her opinion on him only continued to grow. He might be a regular omega, but there was something about him that made him stand out from the others. Jeong-Ho's son definitely took after him.

Half an hour later, she exited the room where she just met the staff. "Don't let me down, pup. I don't give chances easily. My son is breathing because of your mother and he's smiling because of you. So I have decided to place my trust in you. You cannot be a lamb in a group of predators. You must become a predator. Understood."

"I won't let you down, ma'am."

"Good. I have already spoken to your college and arranged for your classes to be rescheduled or shifted online to include your new schedule. My assistant will get in touch with you with more details." She glanced at her watch. "I'll see you this evening after my meetings."

Jungkook shifted from one foot to the other.

"What is it?" She quirked a brow in question.

"Um...I-I have a date." His cheeks tinted pink.

She rolled her eyes. "Alright. Tomorrow then." Hye-Jin exhaled. "Tell that pup of mine to check his texts, will you? He still hasn't responded to my texts."

Jungkook nodded sheepishly. Then he bowed deeply. "See you tomorrow, Mrs. Park."

She nodded, walking away with a lighter heart than the previous night.   

***

That's it for today. See ya!