Sole Omega in an Alpha Family chapter 1

* * *

‘What is this smell…?’

The strong scent of disinfectant hit his nose, making Jungin scrunch his eyebrows.

Slowly lifting his heavy eyelids, he stared blankly at the ceiling.

‘When did I fall asleep? I was definitely heading home after school…’

As bits and pieces of his memory came back, Jungin, still not fully awake, sensed something off.

He slowly pushed himself up.

“Where… cough, am I… ugh.”

A sharp pain shot through his throat, unused to speaking for a long time.

He let out a small cough, his body trembling as something soft brushed his fingertips.

Jungin instinctively knew something was wrong.

His eyes, clouded with anxiety, drifted downward. In the darkness, he saw his pale, delicate hands, so white they seemed to glow.

Unlike his rough, calloused hands, these were well-maintained and clean.

Staring at the trembling hands, Jungin’s gaze followed the pristine blanket covering him and the bed he was lying on.

A bed?

The orphanage director would never buy something so luxurious.

‘What is going on…?’

His lips quivered as he inhaled sharply, urgently swinging his legs off the bed.

He hadn’t heard the kids’ voices for a while, and the unfamiliar surroundings made him uneasy.

“Ah…!”

At that moment, his ankle twisted, and his body tilted toward the floor.

A loud thud reverberated through the room, the sound echoing in his ears.

Had he been asleep for too long?

His legs wouldn’t support him.

As he lay on the floor, wincing from the twisted ankle, he heard a sound.

‘What’s that noise? Is it the kids?’

From outside, hurried footsteps echoed, growing louder as they neared.

It sounded like a herd of sheep was rushing toward him.

Lacking the strength to get up, he flailed his arms and legs in confusion.

The door burst open, and a large figure approached him.

“Sweetheart!”
“Jungin!”
“Oh, crap. Hey, kid!”

The people standing in the doorway, backlit by the light, were too hard to see clearly.

Were they debt collectors?

Had the director finally sold him off?

Jungin instinctively shut his eyes tight as a large hand reached toward him.

Bracing himself for pain, he held his breath.

But instead, a hand slipped under his armpits, gently lifting him up.

“Huh…?”

Pulled into the arms of someone he didn’t know, Jungin clenched his eyes shut, his face full of confusion.

He didn’t want to open his eyes.

What if it was them?

Just the thought made his body stiffen with fear.

“Hey, kid, are you still mad at us?”

A foreign voice pierced his ears, followed by a warm hand resting on his cheek.

Startled, Jungin pulled back, and the hand pinching his cheek released its grip.

“Lee Jungseo, stop. You’re scaring him.”

A cold voice cut through the teasing tone of the man who had just spoken.

“I was being gentle.”

“I told you, sweetheart’s different from us.”

Sweetheart?

Something was off.

Normally, these people would use their fists first, but aside from the light pinch on his cheek, there was no aggression.

And the cool, fresh scent that filled his nose oddly calmed his anxious heart.

As Jungin’s tension eased, he hesitantly opened his eyes.

Before him stood unfamiliar faces.

‘Who are these people…?’

Wide-eyed, Jungin stared in shock.

Three pairs of eyes looked back at him.

“Feeling a bit calmer now?”

“Jungin, are you hungry?”

“Hey, I bought your favorite fries. Not gonna eat?”

Three men, all different but eerily similar, smiled at him.

New people at the orphanage?

No, they seemed older than him and looked wealthy.

“Jungin?”

One of the men, his face full of concern, placed his hand on Jungin’s forehead.

Jungin stared back at him, a faint memory stirring. He’d seen these faces before.

They were the older brothers of Lee Jungin, his childhood friend from the orphanage.

He’d recognized them from a few photos.

“Um… I’m not Lee Jungin. I’m his friend, Choi Jungin.”

Lee Jungin had been a friend he met at the orphanage when they were younger.

They had the same name, and back then, they were inseparable, like twins…

Recalling those old memories, Jungin smiled faintly and glanced around the room.

‘Where’s Lee Jungin?’

He had gone to visit him, but an accident occurred.

It seemed Jungin had been brought to Lee Jungin’s house after he collapsed.

Unlike the orphanage, the house looked luxurious, and the bedding was expensive.

This must be the room of Lee Jungin, the youngest son of a wealthy family.

“Where’s Jungin? Did he go to the hospital again?”

Though they hadn’t kept in touch often since they went to different schools and lived in different places, whenever they talked, Jungin knew his friend’s health wasn’t good.

Lee Jungin, who had always been weak, had recently manifested as an Omega, making his condition even more unstable.

‘His family probably doesn’t know he’s thinking of running away.’

Jungin decided to keep that a secret for now, then raised his head.

It might take more time for Lee Jungin to return from the hospital.

He needed to get back to the orphanage before sunset.

Why aren’t they saying anything?

As Jungin noticed their stiff expressions, he cautiously opened his mouth.

“Um… Ah!”

Suddenly, light brown eyes loomed close to his face, startling him.

Before he could react, one of the men pulled him into a tight embrace, his jaw clenched.

“Jungwoo, call Dr. Choi right now. Jungseo, get his clothes.”

“Hey, I can get up on my own!”

Jungin tried to push against the man’s shoulder, but he didn’t budge.

Slowly lifting his gaze, he noticed the man’s face had turned more serious.

‘What’s going on? Where are they taking me? Are they going to take me to Lee Jungin?’

Worried that they might drag him to the hospital, Jungin hurriedly added,

“I-I need to go home now…!”

“…Sweetheart.”

“What?”

Startled by the unfamiliar term, Jungin blinked in confusion.

But then, seeing the warm gaze directed at him, he clenched his lips shut and relaxed his body.

‘How am I supposed to respond when he looks at me like I’m the most precious thing in the world…?’

As Jungin’s large, confused eyes darted around, the man placed a hand on his eyelids and spoke.

“Just sleep for now. Everything will be fine when you wake up.”

As if his words were magical, Jungin’s eyelids grew heavy.

‘I shouldn’t fall asleep… I need to go home where my younger siblings are waiting…’

With the man gently patting his back, Jungin’s eyes slid shut, and before he could decipher the soft words whispered to him, he drifted off into slumber.

“Sir, the results of Jungin’s tests are out.”

“How are they?”

‘Jungin… that must be referring to Lee Jungin. Is this his hospital room?’

He tried to wake up as the conversation reached his ears, but his body was still too heavy with sleep.

Deciding to wait until the conversation ended, he kept his eyes closed and listened.

“It seems to be a result of trauma from the car accident. He has not only PTSD but may have also developed ACS, or acute confusion state, due to the severity of the accident.”

“I see… When do you think Jungin will regain his memory?”

‘Regain his memory? Did Lee Jungin suffer a serious head injury?’

“It’s hard to say. We should monitor his condition to see if it develops into dissociative identity disorder.”

“Let’s follow Dr. Choi’s advice. Also, what about the friend who came with Jungin?”

The friend who came with Jungin?

‘They must be talking about me, but why are they saying that while I’m right next to them? I couldn’t understand what was happening, and I even forgot I was pretending to sleep, frowning without realizing it.’

“He hasn’t regained consciousness yet, but his vitals are stabilizing. He should wake up soon.”

“Please let me know as soon as you see any improvement.”

* * *

*Summary page is only available for login users. Non-users can view the chapters on the chapter list.*