645. 

646.

647.

648.

649. 

[Someone in the comments wondered if they can see each other's tweets. No, they cannot. Their tweets are just arranged in a way to make sense just how movie editors edit two parallel scenes to offer viewers a clear cut sense of what's happening on both sides.]

650.

[TIME SKIP]

651.

Hoseok was nervous as hell when he stepped into that restaurant that evening. To be honest, he wasn't expecting Jungkook to bring him here out of all places. Was it purposeful?

The situation could have been avoided if Jungkook had sent the location a bit earlier. But the omega chose to send it just five minutes ago, claiming he was already in the restaurant.

"Why did you ask me to meet here?" Hoseok hissed as soon as he took a seat opposite to Jungkook in that private room. He leaned forward with his elbows on the table. "Why are we even here?"

Jungkook blinked at him innocently, lifting his head to peer at him over the menu. His bambi eyes were wide and round. "Um...I just wanted to have dinner with you," he murmured. "You said you'd like to spend more time with me when we met at the club."

Hoseok blew out a breath, rubbing his temples. "Yeah, I get that. It's just...why this restaurant? There are several other places we could have gone to."

"Oh." Jungkook frowned, lowering the menu. "This place had rave reviews and was close to your office. We can go elsewhere if you want." He put the menu down and grabbed his bag. "I'm sorry I should have asked you first."

"It's not that—"

But right then a waitress entered with her notepad. "Good day to you, si—" She looked at Hoseok and blinked.

"H-Hi." Hoseok cleared his throat. He tried to mask his discomfort as his heart pounded in his chest. He glanced around the private room, taking in the elegant decor and the dim lighting as he tried to come up with something.

"This is my hyung I was telling you about!" Jungkook told her enthusiastically. "He's treating me today." He grinned widely.

Hoseok sat tongue-tied as his eyes darted between the beta waitress, Jeongseon and Jungkook. Sneaky omega. It dawned on him that Jungkook knew exactly what he was doing.

The waitress smiled with a nod, recovering quickly from her surprise. "Alright. Have you decided what you would like to eat today?" she asked in a gentle, yet professional tone.

Hoseok couldn't stop but stare at her like he always did. Today maybe more than other days. She looked like she had lost weight and the dark circles under her eyes were more prominent. His first instinct was to ask her if he was alright but he bit his tongue to hold back. There was just so much in his mind.

"Um...about that..." Jungkook glanced at Hoseok. "Seems like my hyung has a change of heart." He pouted. "Hobi hyung, you were saying something before this noona came in."

Hoseok blinked. "Huh? What?"

"Oh." The waitress glanced at him. "I can come back a little later then."

Hoseok shook his head. "No, it's nothing. I was saying something else. The food here is the best." He forced a smile. "We will order now. Jungkook first." He pointed at the omega to buy some time.

"Okay," Jungkook said and continued to list the items he wanted to try. "I read these are the must try items in your restaurant. Hyung, what about you?"

She jotted down Jungkook's order and looked at Hoseok expectantly.

Hoseok blinked as if he was just pulled out of his thoughts. "Um...just the usual, please."

The smile she gave at the end was radiant. Her eyes softened even further as Jungkook asked her shyly if she could bring only half a plate of the items he ordered because he ordered too much. "Sure. I'll be right back with your orders."

Hoseok exhaled once she was out of the door. Then he lowered his voice, "Jungkook, what the hell are you doing?"

"Um...hanging out with you," he answered innocently.

Hoseok narrowed his eyes. "Who is it? Taehyung or Jimin?" He clenched his jaw. "I know someone put you up for this."

"None." The omega shrugged. "You agreed to me having dinner with you at the restaurant your crush worked at but never reached out. So I asked around for her details and took the initiative to give you the push you needed."

Hoseok closed his eyes, dropping his head onto his hands. "It's not that simple."

"She seems like a sweet person to me," Jungkook said. "Everyone looked at me weirdly but she didn't judge me when I asked if she could serve our table tonight. She's been treating me with utmost respect and she didn't even know you were my hyung."

Hoseok exhaled louder. "There's no doubt she's a good one. It's just—" He glanced away. "She's a mother."

"Oh." Jungkook frowned.

Hoseok smiled sadly. "Looks like I got way ahead without knowing everything about her."

There was a gentle knock on the door before she entered the room again. She silently put the dishes on the table, the gentle smile in place.

"What would you like to drink?" she asked.

"Just water," Jungkook said.

"Same for me."

"Okay." She turned to leave but Jungkook stopped her.

"Noona..."

She glanced over her shoulder.

"Um...Is it okay if I call you that? I'm twenty-one and still in college."

She smiled fondly. "Sure. Just inside this room, please."

"Ah, yes, understood." Jungkook smiled. "Can I ask you a personal question?"

This caused her to blink. "A-A personal question?"

Hoseok blinked, his heart lurching in his throat as he watched the scene unfold in front of him. He knew the omega had good intentions but the directness of it all surprised him.

Jungkook nodded. "I can't help but notice the pup's scent on you. Are you a single mother? Please don't take me wrong. There's nothing wrong with that. It's just I'm trying to understand something. My dad was a single parent too."

Her smile was tight, but she nodded. Her back was stiff as she spoke, "Yes, I'm a single parent." She tried to leave again but Jungkook jumped to his feet.

The omega looked genuinely apologetic. "I'm sorry if I overstepped, noona. Can I talk to you for a minute then? I promise I'll be quick and you can stop me if I make you uncomfortable but I really need to ask you this. Only you can help me with this."

"What are you doing?" Hoseok whisper-yelled.

Jeongseon turned around with a puzzled look on her face. Her gaze darted to Jungkook's belly.

"Oh, no, I'm not pregnant." He waved both his hands vigorously before scratching the back of his neck with a hand. "It's just..." He took a deep breath. "You may not know me but you're all my hyung talks about when he's with us. He only has good things to say of course, but you know how things are between purebreds and regular wolves like us. So he never built enough courage to approach you."

She blinked. "Ah..."

"My hyung has something to talk to you about. Please..." Jungkook pointed at Hoseok who glared at him and looked like a deer caught in the headlights.

His mouth opened and closed with only air coming out. This is a bad idea.

Jeongseon looked at him with an unreadable expression. He felt his panic rising in his chest. This wasn't how he imagined things to go. In fact, he'd have never approached her at all. Not in the near future. But now he was in a well orchestrated ambush by this sneaky omega, he didn't know how to do damage control.

"I wish I could give you both some privacy but ah...restaurants don't like it when we spend more time with the customer unless necessary." Jungkook took a seat. "I'll just put on my headphones. Taehyung hyung bought me this and it's noise canceling. I won't hear a thing." He put on his headphones and soon began to bop his head as he dug into his food.

"I-It's....I..." Hoseok blinked, feeling helpless as he stared between Jungkook and Jeongseon.

Jeongseon took a deep breath. "I'm sorry he put you on a spot." She smiled tightly, glancing at Jungkook. "I can tell his intentions are good, but this is making you uncomfortable." She inclined her head. "I'll leave you to dine comfortably."

"Wait!" Hoseok jumped to his feet, suddenly feeling alarmed. If now or never. "I like you," he blurted out, earning a sharp gasp from the beta.

She stared at him with wide eyes.

"I've liked you for a long time, but I knew I stood no chance with my status as a purebred." He sighed, running a hand through his hair. "Then my best friend met him." He jabbed a thumb toward Jungkook, who was eating with his eyes trained on food. "We all had our doubts and didn't believe it could work out. But they soon imprinted on each other and...my best friend is happier than ever. After seeing Jungkook getting used to our friend circle and fitting right in...I-I'm hopeful too." He paused to take a deep breath and noticed, her eyes were still wide and shock coated her features.

"I-I'm a single mother," she whispered. "My mate passed away in an industrial accident when I was pregnant." She glanced away. "I apologize if I gave you any wrong idea. It was never my intention." She bowed. "Please forgive me."

Hoseok's heart sank but his features softened. He expected this but not they were this far, he suddenly wasn't ready to lose. "You didn't give me any wrong idea," he clarified. "Guess I was just attracted to your kindness and your strength. It's true I was discouraged after finding out you already had a pup. That's because I believed you already had a mate." He bit his lip, carefully thinking through his next words. "I'm aware it's complicated, but if you and your pup can allow me in your lives, I'd like to court you with marriage in our future whenever we are ready."

Her jaw dropped.

"You may not have even thought about it and this might come as a shock." Hoseok fumbled with his pockets and found his card before grabbing his pen and scribbling his number behind the card. "Here's my card. I won't bother you about this much. This is entirely your call. I don't want to disrupt your peace. That's not my intention, but if you can give me a chance, I'd be very happy."

She was silent for a long minute, eyes welling with tears. "No one has ever..." She took a shuddering breath. "I don't know what to say. Wolves don't easily accept the other wolf's offspring as theirs. You're a purebred wolf and my son is a regular wolf. I must apologize that I have to decline this." She gently pushed his card away. "You're a kind man. I only wish good things for you."

She turned to leave but Hoseok stopped her one more time.

"Jeongseon, wait. Hear me out, please..." Desperation clawed at his chest. "W-What about you? If you were a single beta with no child in the equation, would you have agreed?"

Her smile was sad. "I don't know," she answered. "It doesn't matter, does it? I have a pup and that's that."

He felt the weight of her words and sensed the finality in them. "I'm not giving up." He took a deep breath. "It matters to me. I'm willing to try. I'm tired of these societal norms that have been drilled into our heads for ages. Learning about your pup hasn't deterred me from pursuing you. It didn't change how I view you. I want to try this. I want to see where it takes us and I want to be there for you both."

"What?" Her eyes widened.

"That's not a no." He took a deep breath. "If I proved that my wolf is compatible with your pup, would you accept me?"

"Mr. Jung I—"

"I know you cannot risk it and that your pup is your priority. I don't intend to disrupt the stability you have right now. I'm aware how this could affect you, especially if your pup if this didn't work out. What if we start being friends?" Hoseok asked hopefully. "Your pup is allowed to meet his mother's friend, right? That way he won't be prejudiced against me and it'll give us both time to see if we can accept each other as family."

Jeongseon blinked. "Why? Why are you doing this?"

"Because I like you," he confessed. "I've developed feelings for you and how I feel about you is not something I can control. It's almost a year and nothing has changed."

"You're rich and successful. There are so many capable omegas for you out there," she said exasperatedly.

Hoseok shrugged. "My wolf wants nothing to do with any of them. I haven't been on a date in two years. I'm just not interested in any other wolf who isn't you."

Her jaw dropped once again. "Y-You—"

Hoseok took a step back. "This is sudden. You need time to process all this. I'll wait. Take your time."

She was silent, confusion clouding her features, but she nodded once and exited the room hurriedly.

"That wasn't bad." Jungkook lowered his headphones.

"You were listening." Hoseok grimaced.

"Had to make sure you didn't screw up." The omega grinned. "If you were anything like Taehyung hyung, who likes to make a mess out of everything, I had to do damage control." He leaned forward to support and hook his hands under his chin. "But you did great. Taehyung hyung should take lessons from you."

Hoseok chuckled, his shoulders slumping and he stood there for a moment before taking a seat. "She's shocked."

"Obviously," the omega stated as if it was a given. "You're a purebred. Not to mention one of the elite bachelors of Korea. She knows now and that's a start. I didn't even understand why Mr. Park would want me as his son-in-law when he first approached me. It was hard to come to terms with everything. She probably didn't even think there was a second chance until now."

Hoseok nodded. "Now she knows everything. I don't know what will happen now."

"You have nothing to lose," Jungkook assured. "Sometimes the best things take the longest to come. Now that it's out in the open, at least you can hope for something to come out of it. Otherwise, you'd keep wondering if there was ever a chance. The worst that could happen is her turning you down, but think what would happen if she were to say yes?"

Hoseok's shoulders slumped further and he laid his head on the table. "I don't know."

"I know just the thing," Jungkook announced.

"What?"

"You need to come and have a drink with my alpha."

"Huh?" Hoseok lifted his head and blinked.

"Come on, hyung. You're in no mood for food. You can have some drinks instead."

Jungkook was up on his feet, ringing for the waitress and asking Jeongseon to pack the remaining food. Just before they were about to leave, he pulled her aside to talk and told Hoseok to head out.

Hoseok didn't know what the other omega had in his mind but he didn't question his intentions. He walked out, his thoughts and heart racing with uncertainty looming over him.

***

"It must be so hard to raise the pup all by yourself," Jungkook said, taking Jeongseon by surprise.

He had requested her to take her break and pulled her aside so they could talk. She looked taken back by his sudden statement. Her eyes widened slightly but he continued steadily, his voice sincere.

"You never met me before but I'm going to tell you something my dad told me before he passed away." He took a deep breath. "After my mom died when I was a pup, my dad struggled so hard to raise me. It wasn't easy and we didn't have much to go with. But he tried his best until he fell sick. I had to start working when I was still in school. We didn't have a good place to call home and he couldn't even afford heat motels." He smiled sadly. "Before he died, he told me it was okay to be selfish for once."

He took her hands in his with a sad smile. "It's your life and hence your choices. But don't let anyone tell you that you don't deserve the good things in life. It's okay to want a good life for you and your pup. It's okay to want a life where you don't have to sacrifice your meals so your pup can eat another meal. It's okay to want your pup to get a better education and buy him nice clothes so his friends wouldn't make fun of him. It's okay to pray that your pup doesn't get sick because you simply can't afford his medical bills and the people at SNH don't care. It's okay to wish to move into a better place that doesn't leak and has better locks."

She sniffled silently, looking away. Her fingers curled around his as she fought to control her emotions.

Jungkook looked down at their hands, his expression earnest. "It's okay to move on and date another man if you think he can give you and your pup a better life. I'm not saying that because my hyung is rich. I'm saying this because I know he's a good man and I know how hard it is to be a single parent. It's because I understand your fear for the future. Most nights you might lay awake thinking what would happen to your pup if something happened to you."

Tears streamed down her cheeks and her shoulders shook. She bit her lips to suppress her sobs. Jungkook could understand. She had been fighting alone to survive for so long that she might not have even considered her own needs and desires. His father never did and that was unfair.

"Can I hug you?" he asked and she nodded. Her vulnerability deeply resonated within him and for a moment, his father's helpless face surfaced in his mind.

Jungkook pulled her into his embrace and held her until she calmed down. "You won't lose anything if you give this a try. Forget about this society. After my dad died, they didn't give two fucks as to what happened to me. I was evicted from the only home I knew within ten days of his passing because the government chose to develop that place. I didn't have enough to rent a new place." He took a deep breath. "I took my father's advice to be selfish. When my alpha asked me out, I said yes because I didn't wanna go hungry another day. It's okay to be selfish, noona. It's your choice, of course. But don't walk away without giving it a try. Who knows? Maybe this is a change you have always prayed for."

He pulled back slightly and offered her a reassuring smile. "Here's my number." He put a card in her palm. "You can talk to me anytime you're in doubt or need someone to listen."

Jeongseon stared at the card for a long time before accepting it with trembling fingers. "Thank you." She nodded, wiping her eyes without meeting his gaze.

Jungkook pulled a stuffed toy from his backpack. "Hyung mentioned you have a pup. So I brought a gift. This is famous among kids these days."

She shakily took the toy from his hands, eyes wide with shock and disbelief. "Who are you?" she whispered. "Why are you doing this? Why are you being nice?"

"Just a regular omega who used to be in your shoes." He smiled sadly. "I used to wait tables up until a week ago. Then my future mom-in-law found out and said I have to find something better to do." He grinned.

She looked at him from top to bottom, taking a moment to regard him. "These clothes are expensive."

"They're a gift. My alpha is rich."

She nodded.

"I'm certainly not trying to brainwash you." Jungkook put both hands in the air. "I ran a background check on you to determine if hyung was right about you or if he's blindsided with your appearance. He's family, you know." He smiled apologetically. "And I found out, your situation isn't that different from that of mine. You have to leave your pup alone on most nights because you have work and cannot afford to hire a babysitter. You don't have friends or family to rely on and that you're a good person. And it should go without saying. You try to mess with my hyung's feelings, I'll make your life twice as hard as it is now. I'll be watching. And I promise you that I'll also keep an eye on him so he doesn't hurt you or your pup even unintentionally."

That earned a scoff from her.

"I have to go now but I'll stop by to check in on you later." He grinned. "Whatever your decision is, I'll support you."

Jungkook bid farewell and tipped everyone on his way back so they won't trouble Jeongseon for spending her break with him. The manager was all smiles as he opened the car door for him.

"Thank you, sir," Jungkook chirped and waved at the manager.

"What did you tell her?" Hoseok asked.

"The truth."

"Huh?"

"Just omega talk." Jungkook waved a hand. "I just made sure she gives this a thought without rejecting you outright."

"Oh and how did you do that?"

Jungkook grinned mischievously. "I can't reveal my trade secrets, hyung. I already got Taehyung hyung to go out on a date with Yoongi hyung. Have some belief, will you?"

"And what happens when she rejects me later?" Hoseok questioned.

"I'll take you to have drinks with my alpha," Jungkook replied nonchalantly. "If she thinks she can't do this even after all the assurance then there's nothing we can do about it. After all, it's not an easy choice. She doesn't know what this entails and her pup's future relies on this. She is gonna put her pup first and think as a mother. You have to understand that."

Hoseok nodded understandingly.

"Regardless, an effort has been made and we can only wish that it pays off," he said and Hoseok sighed.

"Yeah, you're right."

The car whirred past several other cars, easily navigating through the traffic as Hoseok sank into the seat, seemingly lost to his thoughts. And Jungkook could only hope that his words resonated with her and that she made the right choice.

***

A/N: Another week gone and I survived. So here u go. I'm trying to write this every day so I can finish it but this keeps stretching out. I managed to write ahead and those who want spoilers and early access along with some extra chapters, you can go to my Patreon. It's not mandatory and only for interested readers. 

Healthwise, I'm ok. It's always up and down. My mental health is improving but the recent issues with the boys is making my heart heavy. Let's stay strong for him and the boys. Drop you love to him on Weverse. This too will pass.