THE HAVEN

THREE

>it looked like the painting was complete with just the six of them<

THREE

The phone rang three times before his manager picked up.

It hadn't been a big deal when he called in sick for his job in the supermarket.
But Monday was a weekday and the bookstore wasn't that flexible or patient with him. He already had done a horrible job at talking to the customers and working at the checkout while he was in heat and then there were the five days he stayed away without notice.

Donghyuk wasn't surprised when his manager told him he shouldn't inconvenience himself to come back to work at all, but he was still devastated.
He couldn't get fired like this. He couldn't. Needed the job and the money it gave him, so he'd be able to pay rent.

"I'm begging you," he said, clutching onto the phone. "Let's just forget what I asked and I'll show up tomorrow and do my best."

"It's not a matter of one day, Mr. Lee," his manager sighed. "It's a question of reliability and general work ethics."

"I will work harder from now on," Donghyuk hurried to say, but he could hear in his manager's voice that he'd made a decision. "You can't do this."

"I told you on your first day that you're an exception," he said. "But you didn't work like one. It's a shame I have to do this. You'll receive the notice via mail."

"What about this month?" Donghyuk panicked. "Will I be paid for the rest of the month?"

"You'll find the details in the letter. Good luck, kid."

"Sure." Donghyuk said. Didn't want to say thank you; couldn't get the words to pass his lips.

He had been the exception. The only omega who got hired in that place just because no betas or alphas applied at that time. They didn't even try to hide the fact that alphas got the best jobs, no matter how qualified they were.
Everyone would rather hire and alpha over an omega in a bad financial and mental condition, an omega who had to deal with heats on a regular basis and an omega who might be looked down on by customers. The employer's own bias often played a big role, too.

There were no laws for this kind of thing, so it was rare when a company decided to hire omegas just like that. You had to be overqualified and ready to overwork yourself as an omega. You had to sacrifice yourself for your job or any basic alpha would take it from you.
Donghyuk wouldn't say thank you for that. He just hung up.

He sat on his bed in the little empty room in the haven and he had no idea what to do now. There was anger boiling deep down inside him.
Because what was he supposed to do? Go to work in heat again? Put himself in danger and suffer all day again? Get assaulted again? Possibly worse?
Nothing about it was fair but he also was so stupid for calling his manager in the first place. If he had just kept his mouth shut and went to work. If he hadn't gotten brave for no reason.

He walked downstairs and sat down on the sofa next to Jaemin who flipped through a magazine and looked up at him with a worried expression on his face.

"What happened?" He asked when he saw Donghyuk's facial expression.

"I think I... just lost my job."

"The one in the supermarket?"

"The one in the bookstore...the one that paid my rent," he brought out. "This is it."

"How long have you been working there?" Jaemin asked softly, laying his magazine aside and putting a gentle hand on Donghyuk's thigh.

"About a year. It was so hard to get it... but they never keep me." He let himself sink into the couch and his limbs went weak. He wasn't even strong enough to cry. Everything was falling apart again and he wished he'd just finally get used to it.