Chapter Text
The night was still very cold at the beginning of spring, and Jimin was glad he could finally close his family’s flower shop for the day. He couldn’t wait to take a warm shower and get in bed after a day of arranging bouquets for White Day with his mother and brother while his dad delivered their orders. They were all already upstairs, back at home and waiting for him to have dinner, so Jimin put on his coat and gathered his things before turning off the lights.
He heard some sort of racket outside as he closed the door, but it was Friday, so it was probably just people on their way out of work, ready to party the night away. Nothing that would indicate what was going to happen next.
The strident sound of glass breaking came out of nowhere.
“The Sansuyu clan doesn’t forget!” A man shouted a few shops away, holding something in his raised hand.
Jimin got startled and dropped his keys. There were other men scattered around the street who shouted in agreement. Jimin realised with a hollow feeling in his stomach that some of them were standing across the street, their eyes set on him.
No, not on him.
Their flower shop.
“The Mugunghwa clan will fall! We fight back!” The man continued, lighting up whatever he was holding in his hand. A bottle? “We are immortal!” He shouted once more before he threw the object inside the bakery down the street through the broken window.
Jimin’s eyes widened, and he stumbled back as a gasp left his lips when an explosion was heard and flames erupted from inside the shop. The men hollered once more and with a pang of terror, Jimin saw others already lightning up similar objects.
His body grew rigid, and he slapped a hand to his mouth in shock when understanding dawned on him.
This was a fight between clans. A retaliation. The Gwan family had sent their people to enemy territory to make a statement. But their enemy, the Mugunghwa clan, wouldn’t suffer the consequences. Jimin’s small neighbourhood would, instead.
Their flower shop.
Their home.
He spun around only to see the men across the street lighting up another bottle, and Jimin finally realised what they were: Molotov cocktails.
No.
Oh, no.
Jimin didn’t have time to move, too shocked to force his body to do so. He only got to scream when one of those men threw a big rock against the glass window next to him to break it. He closed his eyes and raised his arms to protect himself as the glass burst into pieces. Right after, another man threw the bottle inside, not at all caring about Jimin standing right there.
And just like that, their livelihood caught on fire right before his very eyes.
His hands stung. His cheek too. But he was too shaken up to register that he had been cut. As the flames illuminated his face, he snapped out of that paralysing fear that was consuming him.
His family.
His family was inside.
He stood in the middle of the street to look up at their house, light coming out from one of the windows. “Mom! Dad! Jihyun! Come down right now! There’s a fire!” They must have heard the ruckus, but he still screamed to alert them of the danger, feeling hopeless.
It was his mother who opened a window to look down at him with panic written all over her face. “Jimin-ah!”
“You need to come down right now!” Jimin screamed at his family. “There’s a fire! Quickly!”
When she went back inside, Jimin glanced at the fire and saw how their flowers and hard work slowly disappeared. He snatched his keys from the ground and turned to the door right next to the untouched glass window that led to their little apartment upstairs. He opened the door and looked up the stairs, relieved to see his family already coming down hurriedly.
The men who had done this were still screaming as they destroyed other establishments around the neighbourhood. The affected families slowly filled the street, trying to save themselves, and they all watched in horror how the Sansuyu clan destroyed their homes. Luckily, those criminals didn’t care about them. About the people whose lives they were ruining.
Jimin pulled his family away from their house, and the four of them stood in the middle of the street. Jimin and Jihyun tried to calm down their crying mother while their father watched helplessly how the flames consumed everything as they heard fire trucks sirens in the distance.
They had done nothing wrong. All the people in this neighbourhood only worked hard day after day to bring food to their table. Their only sin was living in a territory owned by the Mugunghwa clan. The Min family.
Once more, the powerful fought amongst themselves, and the poor paid the price.
***
The Min family relocated everyone affected by the attack the next day.
The people in this district worked for them in exchange for protection and to have a roof over their heads, and the Min family hadn’t held up their end of the bargain yesterday. If the people from his neighbourhood had been the ones to break the pact, the Mugunghwa clan would have spilt blood. But Jimin and all those affected could only thank them for assigning them temporary housing.
This used to infuriate Jimin when he was growing up. But at twenty-two, he knew how unfair the world was. There was no point in getting frustrated over how the world worked, because there was nothing he could do to change it. Instead, he focused on his life, his family, and finding happiness in the little things. If his loved ones were okay, nothing else mattered.
His family had never gotten in trouble with the clan, but they were in debt. That was why his parents had to ask for help from the Mugunghwa clan years ago. And now, they had gotten embroiled in this mess and lost their house and means to earn money. Back to square one.
But when fear and uncertainty gripped Jimin’s heart, he looked at his family and reminded himself that they were still alive and unharmed after a fire. They had gotten so lucky.
Others hadn’t.
There was nothing extraordinary about the Park family. They were just another family living here, trying their best to stay out of old grudges between gangs that didn’t concern them. That was why Jimin was utterly stunned when Min Doyun himself, the Mugunghwa’s kingpin, came to the district to see the damages with his own eyes and asked to meet up with his father. It didn’t help his shock that his dad wasn’t surprised by it.
“Be on your best behaviour,” their mother told him and his brother while they waited for the man.
They nodded their heads while she stood between them with a hand on their shoulder. Jimin glanced at his father. He was standing closer to the door with a serious expression on his face and arms crossed over his chest. He had his eyes fixed on the open door where a bodyguard was making sure it was safe and who stepped aside when his boss arrived.
“Park Namkyu,” Min Doyun said when he entered their hostel’s room, his gunpowder and hibiscus scent filling the room slowly.
Min Doyun was an alpha man in his fifties. The signs of age did not obscure his handsome features, and his pristine and expensive suit contrasted heavily with the hostel's cheap wallpaper. The man was not very tall, but his aura, scent, and good posture were enough to make anyone cower. Not his father, though. But he still treated the man with the utmost respect as he bowed deeply, and so did the rest of his family, himself included.
“That’s enough.” Doyun put his hand on his dad’s shoulder for him to straighten up. “It’s been a while, Namkyu.”
But despite their strange familiarity, his father didn’t relax one bit. “Yes. A few years already.”
Jimin still couldn’t quite believe this. His mother was tense, her grip on her two sons strong, but Seoyun didn’t look surprised in the slightest. At least his younger brother shared his astonishment.
“It’s a shame we have to meet under such unfortunate circumstances,” Doyun said, way too casually for what had happened.
Unfortunate? Yeah, that was one way to put it.
He didn’t ask for forgiveness. Not even a simple "sorry" left his lips. For putting them in danger. For getting them involved in their messy business that had nothing to do with them. Because they were just mere pawns in the grand scheme of things. Unimportant. Jimin hadn’t expected an apology, anyway. Neither had his father.
“I heard you lost both your house and shop. Is that right?”
“It is, sir."
But Doyun waved him off. “We've known each other since we were kids. You can call me Doyun when we're alone.”
Namkyu pursed his lips faintly, his scent momentarily spiking, but he only nodded his head curtly. Min Doyun didn't seem to mind it.
"May I ask what's the motive of your visit then, Doyun?” his father asked his ‘friend’.
“I wanted to personally tend to what happened yesterday,” he replied easily, but Namkyu frowned at his answer, and Doyun's lips twitched up the tiniest bit. “What? You don't believe me?”
“I just thought your two sons were the ones in charge of taking care of these… circumstances."
A brief silence stretched between both alphas after that. The tension was palpable. Jimin felt suffocated, and he worried about his father.
Yet a smile stretched Doyun’s lips in the end. “Some things don't change. I still can't lie to my childhood friend,” the man patted his father’s shoulder as he said so. “I guess I was feeling nostalgic,” Doyun answered his previous question cryptically. That's when he finally turned to look at the rest of the Park family, who had remained out of their conversation until now. “It's good to see you, Seoyun.”
Their mother bowed once more in greeting, and they exchanged a few pleasantries. Jimin was once more surprised by this man and how his parents seemed to know him well. After a few minutes of polite conversation, the man set his gaze on the Park brothers. Jimin hoped he was imagining the way his eyes lingered on him.
“Last time I saw your kids, they were still pups,” he turned to Namkyu to say so before looking back at them. “They are all grown up now.”
Jimin held the man’s eyes for a second before he had the urge to lower his head, and so he did. His heart picked up its pace, his nerves spiking at the intensity of his gaze.
"So," Doyun clapped his hands once before he stood in front of Namkyu again. “Repairs around the district will start soon. But, although we're friends, business is business.” Their father squared his shoulders, and Doyun’s lips curved up briefly. “Are you aware of how behind you are on your payments, Namkyu?”
Their father lowered his head a little. "I am, sir." Doyun didn't correct him this time when he addressed him politely again. “We were hoping to get on top of that this month thanks to White Day.”
“And I believe you, my friend. But your flower shop is burned down, so how is that going to happen?”
Jimin could see the way his father was clenching his hands behind his back, still not making eye contact with Min Doyun. “Given the circumstances, I was hoping you would give us some time.”
The man sighed, looking up at the ceiling before focusing on him once more. “In this situation, I don't know how time could help any of us.”
Was he for real? Of course he was. All pretences were dropped, and he was finally showing his true colours.
"It's not our fault this happened,” his brother interrupted the tense silence that had settled over the room, startling them all. Jihyun was scowling at the man, and his mother’s grip on his shoulder tightened to stop him. But he didn’t. “Those men from last night screamed your family's name before setting fire to our neighbourhood. We were just caught in the middle of your feud.”
“Park Jihyun!” Their father barked out in his alpha voice, commanding Jihyun to stop and making him lower his head with a single glare. Jimin could tell that his father was more scared for Jihyun's safety than angry at his outburst. "Apologise right this moment."
Immediately, Jihyun bowed and did as told, but with his hands and teeth clenched tightly. Jimin’s heart was about to give out. He just wanted this to end already. For this man to walk away with them unscathed.
The fact that Doyun was smiling once more as he studied Jihyun did little to calm his nerves. “I see you've got a young hot-headed alpha just like you to deal with, Namkyu.”
“Please, excuse his poor manners,” Seoyun also bowed on her son's behalf, trying to hide her distress, but her scent gave her away. “It's been a long night, and we just lost everything.”
“Don't worry, dear Seoyun,” Doyun told her calmly, clasping his hands behind his back as he regarded Jihyun. “It's good to know that we have such hot blood working for us. Strong alphas that will ensure our family’s prosperity for years to come,” he pointed out with a pleased look on his face. “However," he continued, speaking to Jihyun, "what happened last night doesn’t erase your previous debt. On the contrary, it will only inflate it. Am I right, my friend?” he asked Namkyu after turning back to him.
Their father lowered his head once more. “Yes, sir.”
It wasn’t the first time Jimin had seen his father swallow his pride in front of the Min family. He was used to the monthly visits from members of their gang to check on them and collect their money. His dad knew how to deal with them to avoid trouble, even though they could be rough in their ways. But Jimin was more scared now. He kept praying inwardly for this exchange to end already so they could go back to their simple life. That’s all he wanted for his family.
Maybe it wasn’t an ideal life, but sometimes you don’t get to choose the life you live. Sometimes you just have to make the most of your given circumstances.
Doyun was observing his father with his chin tilted up the slightest bit, hands still laced behind his back. For some reason, Jimin’s stomach flipped when the man smirked.
“It’s no secret that I’ve always had a soft spot for my childhood friend, so I propose a deal, Namkyu.” His father glanced up at him. He was trying to mask his scepticism, but Jimin could see it in how tense his shoulders were, in the tightness at the corner of his eyes. “I'm going to pay for your house and shop repairs. I will even get rid of your debt,” Doyun added with an enthusiasm that rubbed Jimin the wrong way. “What do you say to that? Sounds good, right?” He asked, taking turns to look at Namkyu and Jihyun.
It sounded too good to be true. It sounded like a trap. Nobody built an empire like the Mugunghwa clan by gifting houses and getting rid of people’s debts out of the goodness of their hearts. Because there was no goodness in their hearts to begin with.
As Jimin glanced at his family, he saw they were all thinking the same thing: What’s the catch?
“It’s a… very generous proposal,” Namkyu decided to say, choosing his words very carefully. “May I ask what we’d have to give in exchange for that?”
The mirth in Min Doyun’s eyes at his question made Jimin nauseous.
“Well, as you mentioned before, I’ve got two sons who will continue my legacy once I’m gone from this world,” he started explaining. “My eldest is a strong and intelligent alpha who will inherit the throne. And he has already given me a precious grandchild to carry our bloodline.” The man looked proud as he talked about his family, but that dangerous glint in his eyes was back when he turned his head to look directly at Jimin. “However, my youngest son is still unmarried…” he trailed off intentionally.
Jimin stopped breathing.
His whole family did.
It couldn’t be.
“You have a beautiful omega son, my friend,” Doyun continued despite their astonishment. “Healthy, and what’s more important, still pure. Am I wrong?” He cocked his head in his direction, and Jimin was paralysed once more, just like during last night’s attack. Doyun smiled. “Your scent gives it away.”
He couldn’t utter a single word right now, but the man wasn’t expecting an answer.
“It would be nice to join both of our families, don't you think?” Doyun asked a stunned Namkyu. “My past here in Busan—the territory my father conquered—and my present and future in Seoul; the city I secured. Coexisting." He raised both hands in front of himself and laced his fingers together. "Sealing and strengthening the connection between both my territories.”
Another stunned silence followed.
“How?” Namkyu asked incredulously when he regained his ability to speak. “You married your eldest son to the granddaughter of one of the richest men in the country. How would this union benefit you in any way? We don’t have any status.”
“Exactly,” Doyun replied, very much aware of it. “You have lived here all your life, Namkyu. You must have noticed that the powerful people of Busan are already on our side. The only rebels are those from the slums, which the Sansuyu clan uses against us. People like you, Namkyu," he told him after putting his hand on his shoulder. "A union between a Min, one of my sons, and a kid from one of their districts will give a message. A message of hope and equality. The other half of Busan will be mine after that.”
His father's expression turned grim when the Mugunghwa's kingpin let go of him to approach Jimin. The omega had been listening attentively to their every word as he tried to understand; to grasp what this man was proposing.
He felt his knees go weak under Min Doyun’s scrutiny once he stood in front of him. “Are you hurt?” the man asked him as he eyed his left cheek, currently covered with gauze.
Jimin didn't know how he did it, but he managed to speak. “Just a cut. From last night,” he added pointedly.
“I'm saddened to hear that.” Again, no apology. “So, what do you say, Jimin? Do you want to help your family?”
“Jimin, you don’t have to—” his dad started.
“I’m talking to your son, Namkyu,” Doyun cut him off sternly, his voice as sharp as a whip.
It was time to talk business, and he had dropped all pleasantries.
His father clenched his jaw, knowing that speaking out of turn would only complicate things. Jimin swallowed, lowering his eyes to the floor as he willed his brain to catch up while Doyun waited for an answer.
He was asking for too much. Marrying his son–a complete stranger to him–implied so many things Jimin couldn't even begin to grasp right now.
Becoming part of the Min family. Be linked to them forever.
A nightmare.
But also a chance.
A chance to save his family. To ensure their wellbeing. To guarantee they wouldn't have to go through any calamities ever again.
A chance to choose how his life would be from now on. A chance he had never had before.
Feeling a pang in his heart, Jimin realised that the pros far outweighed the cons, and that the choice wasn't easy to make, but the answer to his question was clear as day.
"I want to help them," Jimin said quietly.
Doyun couldn’t hide his delight at hearing just what he wanted to hear, but his smile sent shivers down Jimin’s spine. "I see you're not only beautiful but also as smart as your father. You'll give me the perfect grandchildren."
Jimin had to suppress the wave of nausea his words provoked in him. He hadn't thought about that part. He hadn't had the time to give any of this proper thought.
Before the alpha could turn back around, Jimin reached out and held onto the man’s jacket. "But you have to promise,” the omega told him once Doyun stopped to look at him once more. “Promise me you'll get rid of our debt. That you'll repair our home and shop for free, and that you'll protect them. That they won't ever have to worry about money or security ever again if I marry your son."
Doyun regarded him silently for a moment before his eyes drifted down and up again. The alpha shot him a pointed look, and Jimin realised his mistake. In his desperation, Jimin hadn’t noticed he was still holding onto his suit jacket, so he promptly let go. He clasped his hands in front of himself and lowered his head, hoping the man wouldn’t punish him for his audacity.
"You're asking for more than I offered, dear Jimin,” Doyun told him, sounding amused for some reason. Jimin waited with bated breath for his rejection. “But I'm feeling generous, and if the Min family gets you in exchange, it won't be a high price to pay."
Jimin snapped his head up towards him with evident surprise in his eyes.
He had accepted. Doyun was going to take care of his family. Really? That easy?
It didn't occur to him with everything that was going on at the moment, but Jimin had completely underestimated just how desperate Min Doyun was to extend his territory.
His power.
“I still have to tend to some matters around here.” Doyun looked back at his bodyguards still waiting by the door, and he shared a nod with them before turning back to Jimin. “But I’ll come back for you tonight, and we’ll go to Seoul together.”
“Wait. Tonight? Already?” Jimin asked, incapable of masking his sudden panic.
Doyun’s lips quirked up. “There’s no time to lose. There’s a wedding to officiate.”
It was real. He was doing this. Jimin had sentenced himself with those simple words. There was no backing down now. He was going to marry a stranger. The son of a gang leader. It took everything in him to stop his legs from giving out under him.
Luckily, Doyun’s attention wasn’t on him any longer. Instead, the man stopped in front of his father on his way out. “Our fathers would be happy to see their families uniting, don’t you think?” he asked him, way too pleased about this. Namkyu, however, was biting his tongue to hold himself back. “They couldn’t get married because of their different backgrounds, but their grandchildren will make their dream come true.”
Before Doyun left the room with a questionably clean conscience, Namkyu stopped him with his next words. "This is truly why you came, didn't you? Have you had this planned for years?"
He stopped to look at him over his shoulder with a scowl. "Don't be ridiculous. I didn't know your son would turn out to be an omega."
But Namkyu couldn’t stop himself now. "I'm just saying that this all seems like too much of a coincidence. Last night's incidents, and now this."
With his hands in the pockets of his dress pants, Doyun turned to look at him properly by the door. "It offends me that you think so lowly of me. No, I didn't orchestrate last night's events,” he let him know. Jimin didn’t know whether to believe him or not, though. “And today I just made the most out of an awful situation. That's how you run a business and how you keep your empire from crumbling down. Persuasion.” Jimin almost flinched when Doyun sent him a long look. "Good things come for those who wait," he stated before meeting Namkyu’s eyes once more. "Looks like it's finally your turn, my friend."
He left the door open, not bothering to close it behind himself, and the Park family stood very still in their hostel room after Min Doyun left. It was Namkyu who walked over to the door and slammed it close, and they finally snapped out of their momentary shock.
In a second, Jimin had his mother clinging to him and asking him why he had agreed to something like this. The omega asked himself the same thing. But the truth was that, despite his fear and uncertainty, he didn’t regret his decision. If Min Doyun stood in front of him again and asked him the same question, his answer would be the same.
They had been living in debt for so long, worrying about making ends meet and in fear of angering the Mugunghwa clan, that Jimin had latched onto the first and only way to change things for the better. There was just no other way.
As Jimin tried to soothe his mother, rubbing her back as he held her in his arms, Jimin met his dad’s gaze from across the room. He could see the pain in his eyes, but the man didn’t ask him why he had done that. He didn’t scold him, question his sanity, or scream at him for the crazy thing he had agreed to. Despite how much he hated having to see his son sacrificing himself for his family, he knew there was no use in saying none of those things.
Because they wouldn’t change a thing. Because he understood Jimin’s feelings. If Doyun had made him an offer to get rid of their debts and ensure their protection, his father would have agreed to anything for his family’s sake.
That was why, instead of spending their last hours together arguing, his father only enveloped them in a hug and didn’t let go for what felt like forever.
Resignation was bitter, but it was a familiar taste to them.
“Listen to me, Jimin,” Namkyu told him when they finally separated, grabbing his face in between his hands to ensure he had his utmost attention. “The Min family is full of cruel and violent bastards who won’t hesitate to do what needs to be done to protect their empire. But Min Doyun has a twisted sense of honour. I know him well, and he won't break his promise. If not for me, then for our fathers and their wishes to unite both families.”
“But what is all that about? How do you know Min Doyun so well?” Jihyun intervened while he hugged their mother, looking just as bewildered as Jimin. “This is my first time hearing about any of this.”
Jimin nodded as he looked at his brother, sharing his confusion. He couldn’t articulate a word right now, though. His limbs felt all numb, and his thoughts were muddled. He was going to need a moment or two to recover sensitivity again and get a grip on himself.
“Years ago, the Min family used to live here in Busan. That’s how your grandfather met Min Doyun’s father,” their mother was the one to explain it all. “They fell in love when they were young, but they came from very different backgrounds and had different goals in life. For the Min family, marriages are a business deal, and your grandfather had no status or money, so they couldn’t get married. Still, your father and Min Doyun became friends when they were kids because they lived close by.”
Jimin had a hard time picturing Min Doyun as a kid, running around with his father, but he didn’t say it.
“Before he secured his half of Seoul, Doyun used to come and visit from time to time, but you were both too young to remember that,” she continued before heaving out a sigh. “Power changed him. His father changed him, too. The clan was the most important thing, but Doyun’s father died wishing he had married his one true love in the end.”
Namkyu nodded at her before turning back to Jimin. “That’s why I’m certain they will do you no harm. Because a union between the Min and Park family was his father’s last wish.” His father said it with such conviction that it was hard not to believe him. It also managed to soothe Jimin a little. “But I’m still going to ask you to be on your best behaviour, and as much as you can, stay away from that family’s business. Just because you marry a Min doesn’t mean you have to become one.”
“Wait. He’s going for real?” Jihyun asked with eyes wide open.
Their father let go of Jimin and straightened up. “There’s no way out of it now,” he clenched his jaw, not liking this one bit. “Refusing after he agreed will put him in danger. Us, too.”
“It’s okay, dad.” Jimin tried to comfort him, reaching for his hand and holding it in his. “I’m glad I can help.”
Hearing those words didn’t make Namkyu happy, who was looking at his son with all the regret in the world. “This isn't the life I wanted for you.”
“But it is the life I've always wanted for my family,” Jimin told him with his hand on his heart. “You have taken good care of me my whole life. Both of you,” he added, meeting his mother’s eyes too. “It’s my turn now.”
His resolution surprised even himself, but again, he couldn’t regret his decision when it meant making sure his family would be alright. At his declaration and bravery, his father couldn’t contain himself any longer and brought him in for another hug. A hug his mother and brother joined too.
“Don't feel bad about this,” Jimin told them, closing his eyes and holding onto them and their comforting scents. “I'll be fine,” he promised, and tried to convince himself that it would be that way.
If what his father had told him about the Min family was true, he hoped so, at least.
***
Night came sooner than they would’ve liked, and with it, Min Doyun returned to their hostel room.
Jimin didn’t pack anything because there was nothing to pack. Their belongings were back at whatever was left of their home, and they couldn’t access it without firefighters deeming it safe and leading the way.
The family had spent the whole day together, trying to process that this was truly happening. They didn’t know when they would see each other again. But thinking about it made Jimin want to run away and not look back, so he tried to tell himself that he would see them soon.
Perhaps for the wedding, he thought, feeling dizzy at the prospect.
Despite the many hugs and words of comfort exchanged in the hours leading to their farewell, his mother wouldn’t let go of Jimin. Not until the last moment. After one more gesture of affection, his parents and brother watched with sorrowful hearts how Jimin stood next to Min Doyun.
“I promise I will take care of your son. He will be treated like royalty,” he promised his childhood friend.
But this time, his father couldn’t let go of his anger; of his despair at seeing his son being taken away from him in such a way. “You'd better,” Namkyu spat.
Doyun let the threat in his words go, for once being understanding of the situation. He didn’t comment on it, only nodded his head once with a solemn look, perhaps because he understood a father’s heart.
After sparing his family one last look and mustering a smile just for them, Jimin turned around and swallowed the dread that was threatening to swallow him whole as he left his home and dear people behind to go to an unknown and cold place that would never feel like home.