DELUSIVE HAPPINESS ⋮ markhyuck

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐧: ɹǝʇʇǝ˥ ʇsɐ˥

Donghyuck's neck hurt the following morning. He knew why and was curious to see what the bonding mark looked like. Unfortunately, it was right on his nape, which made it impossible to see, even when he tried to use the mirror. He could only touch it to imagine, but that left him wincing in pain.

The hardest, perhaps, had to be when Donghyuck dressed up after showering. The collar brushed against the imprint, sending thousands of shivers down the omega's spine and making him cringe.

He learned he needed extra care and chose not to touch it for a while. Of course, as he thought about this, he forgot Mark, the main culprit. Just as the alpha got down to the first floor, he must've noticed his teeth imprint on the omega's neck and got curious too. Donghyuck felt him drawing close and greeted him, but...

"Ouch!" Donghyuck yelped as Mark touched it with no warning. He faced the alpha and, covering his neck and staring at him with big eyes, he begged, "Please, don't touch it!"

"Alright, alright," Mark chuckled, lifting his arms in defeat. "I just wanted to take a look."

"Now it hurts again..."

Perhaps, the alpha thought Donghyuck was just being playful. But as soon as he saw that the omega was in discomfort, he stopped smiling.

"I think it's normal," Mark tried to calm him down. "It has to be normal. I literally bit you. Strong enough for the imprint to remain for years."

"Will it heal? At least a little?"

"It will. At least, the blood will disappear."

"The blood?" Donghyuck's eyes widened.

"I-It looks like a scratch... A little bloody."

Donghyuck looked at Mark with doubt. The way the alpha spoke made it hard for him to learn what the bonding mark actually looked like.

"Don't worry," Mark chuckled, poking the omega's nose and taking him off guard. "It'll heal, and you won't even feel you have it."

Donghyuck's face flushed. Not only because the alpha touched him so cutely, but because he, staring at the alpha, wanted to return the same.

"What's for breakfast," Mark said, walking to the table, "my dearest mate?"

The omega smiled widely at the alpha, as his words caressed his pride.

"Your favorite, sunny side up eggs!"

Donghyuck brought the plates to the table.

"My lovely mate," Mark said.

The omega looked up.

"You should've added it at the end of your sentence," Mark explained.

"Oh..." Donghyuck giggled, his face flushing a little more. "Here, I'm serving you what you like the most, sunny side up, my lovely mate."

"That's right," Mark smiled.

They had breakfast then. It was peaceful Donghyuck's heat was finally over. However, Mark stared again. This time he didn't analyze the omega but looked at him with love and great care as if he fell in love just overnight. It confused Donghyuck. He was sure the alpha didn't feel anything to him like that before. But now... Mark didn't look like Mark, who had a love affair with his secretary anymore.

"Are you going to work today?" Donghyuck spoke as he felt too weird being admired for so long.

"Yeah. My people are freaking out without me. As you saw, my team isn't the biggest. They really need me."

"Should I bring you lunch today?"

"No need," Mark smiled. "Rest."

The alpha went to work, and Donghyuck returned to his usual routine. It was just that it had different colors after yesterday. The omega saw everything bright around him until he broke the illusion upon remembering Renjun. The colors of the room changed into darkish ones. Donghyuck's mood dropped down.

Daisy kept barking and asking for a walk, but Donghyuck asked her to wait. Sitting down in the kitchen and pushing away the dirty dishes, the omega put the whitest piece of paper and wrote.

Dear Renjun,

I don't expect your answer. I doubt I will ever send this letter. I fear other people finding out. Then who am I writing, and why am I writing? Maybe I want to get my mind on the paper. I don't even know anymore...

You may not care, but I do. It's about time I start with our plan. Yesterday, Mark and I mated and also bonded. That means I'm already the heir to his property. I'll inherit his company and get all the money. That means I can kill him now, just like we planned so that we could be together.

Do I want to kill him? I don't know. Mark is too good for me. Can I hurt the innocent? I can. Just how those alphas hurt you. They didn't care that you were a good and innocent boy. They tortured you and laughed, finding pleasure in your pain. You wanted to die, but they kept you alive to torment you even more. Staying alive in these circumstances makes it harder than dying immediately. That's why I should kill Mark like you wanted them to kill you. This will be a sacrifice, something you never got. After all, he's just another alpha out of the millions. Hurting him, I'll take revenge on your abusers and neither of us would ever have to belong to anyone.

I must find the perfect time...

See you soon,

Donghyuck

Folding the paper, Donghyuck stuck it behind the counter. No one would ever find it.

ꕥ

Donghyuck came to Taeyong to show off his bonding mark. The older omega didn't appear surprised, as that was how it had to be. Alphas were meant to bond with omegas as soon as they mated. Of course, there were expectations just how it was on the Red House.

Taeyong congratulated Donghyuck with so much affection. Wished him the best life with Mark and a healthy baby.

"You worried for nothing," he then said. "I told you Mark will take care of you."

"I was just really nervous..." Donghyuck giggled.

There were a few seconds of silence, then Taeyong broke them with a sigh.

"I didn't want to tell you this before, but you should take care of your mental health. Soon you'll be a parent, you have to reach mental stability," he said. "It's normal to be nervous, but what I saw that day was anxiety. It makes me think that they didn't fully heal you."

It sounded like Taeyong was speaking from his experience. In very truth, many omegas suffered from different things in the Houses. But they received strong clinical and medical help to heal whatever bothered them and make them perfect. It didn't matter if it were their mental conditions or bad habits, everything could be fixed with medications, therapies, and surgeries. The doctors said it was always 90% of success in treating the omegas. They never said what happened to the other 10% percent.

"I'm not suffering from anxiety," Donghyuck giggled. "It's just a bad habit of mine. It was hard to get it out of me, and as you can see, it returned. Which is normal."

"That's not a habit, Donghyuck," Taeyong said in a voice full of concern. "You are still sick. You should talk to doctors."

"Why? Is it because it's not normal that omega feels anxious?" Donghyuck scoffed. "Taeyong, we're also human. Why are they trying to deprive us of normal feelings?"

"Anxiety isn't normal. It's an excessive worry, a serious mental condition. If you sit and do nothing, it'll start getting into your routine."

Noticing that Taeyong started to get extremely worried, Donghyuck realized he had to stop. Trying to defend his belief would only make it harder. Taeyong seemed to have everything the House taught him rooted in his brain. He won't change his mind.

"Gosh, what am I even saying?" Donghyuck mumbled, smiling at Taeyong apologetically.

"That's why I'm worried. Don't let your anxiety ruin you," the older omega said in a firm tone. "Do you want to go to the hospital together? I have an appointment tomorrow—"

"No... I think... I should discuss this with Mark instead."

There was relief in Taeyong's eyes.

"Great idea. If it's really bothering you and affecting your life, tell your alpha. It's the right choice."

Like Donghyuck would. His life had nothing to do with Mark's.