Chapter Text
Han Yoojin approached the fertility clinic with a flyer clenched between his fingers. The flyer read: "Surrogates needed." On the front was a picture of a female Omega, her stomach round with a baby inside, a smile on her face, with a loving couple standing behind them. They had their hands on her belly, as if to say it was their child, which it was.
Surrogacy… the act of conceiving a child for another person and waiving all parental rights to the baby. Han Yoojin couldn’t believe he was considering this, but he needed the money. And what was the harm of getting a consult? Maybe he wasn’t even eligible. After all, he’d only recently presented as a Dominant Omega after years of believing he was a Beta. Turns out, that was possible even at age twenty-five.
Besides, he’d get a free doctor’s exam, which was long overdue, and if he was able to secure a couple who wanted a baby, then he could earn enough money to get back on his feet and keep a roof over his head. He had rent to pay, and after his surprise heat and termination from his physical labor job down at the docks, he was struggling to make ends meet, since he lived paycheck to paycheck. He was riding his last check, stretching it by eating less and consuming a lot of ramen. But rent couldn’t pay itself, and the job market was tough, and…
Han Yoojin sighed. He walked into the clinic, checked in for his appointment, and looked over the benefits in the brochure they gave him. The pay was stellar, and all prenatal care was covered. He’d get free doctor’s check-ups and would receive monthly pay for food and necessities before the big payout at the end. He’d be set.
When they took him in for the appointment, he was weighed, and his height was measured. Then, they grilled him. The doctor asked questions about his late presentation, the duration and intensity of his heats, and his interest in family planning. Apparently, they wanted to make sure surrogates had no intention of keeping the baby under false pretenses, as that harmed the reputation of the clinic. It made sense, but it felt predatory. The whole thing felt predatory, but Han Yoojin had run out of options.
Before he knew it, he was being emailed about his approval for surrogacy, and that he was in the lineup for potential families to donate his body to harbor a child. Many couples consisted of two Alphas who couldn’t conceive naturally. Other couples were infertile despite having compatible secondary genders, and some people were single and simply wanted a kid.
Han Yoojin lay down and hoped he’d get a deal soon enough, but he was scared. His body wouldn’t be his own anymore, after this. He’d have another life growing inside him.
It was terrifying.
♡♡♡
Returning later that same week, Han Yoojin took a blood test to determine compatibility with couples and individuals who selected him out of the lineup. The test confused Han Yoojin because he didn’t understand what compatibility had to do with conceiving a child. They explained it to him briefly, but he felt like they didn’t care if he grasped it or not. They just needed him for the job. His comprehension didn’t matter, and the feeling of being dismissed distressed him.
Maybe I should stop.
Maybe this is a really bad idea.
“How does this work again?” Han Yoojin asked nervously.
“You’ll match with a client,” the nurse explained quickly and harshly as she took his blood, “and they’ll inseminate you during the beginning of your heat cycle.”
“I meet the family, right?”
“No,” the nurse said.
“No?”
“That’s a violation of privacy according to our policy. Trust us, the baby will go to credible couples. The baby will be fine.”
Han Yoojin nodded. He felt like that made sense… somewhat. Still, he’d prefer to know who he was giving a child away to. He guessed the purpose of the blind surrogacy was to prevent him from developing an attachment to the baby and family, or something.
Leaving the clinic again, his stomach twisted.
He didn’t like this.
But, they did give him a signing bonus, string-free, independent of his agreeing to be a surrogate for someone. It was enough to cover his rent for another month, though he’d need to work odd jobs for food money.
Maybe that was enough.
♡♡♡
“Han Yoojin, correct?” A blonde man asked him one day on the street, stopping him in front of the bargain grocery store.
Han Yoojin blinked at him. “Excuse me?”
“You’re Han Yoojin, right?” The man asked again.
The blonde smelled like an Alpha, probably a Dominant. He was wearing a pale cornflower-blue suit, a white shirt, and chestnut-brown shoes. He wore a gold watch, blinding expensive most likely, and had a winning smile, as if he had never heard the word no. This was a man used to getting what he wanted, and for some reason, he was talking to Han Yoojin.
“That’s me,” Han Yoojin said after a moment. He adjusted his posture defensively. “What do you want?”
“I want you to be my surrogate,” the man said easily, “under the table.”
Han Yoojin raised his eyebrows. “You’re crazy.”
“I’m brilliant, thank you,” the man said. He extended his hand for a handshake. “Sung Hyunjae, client at the same clinic you signed up for.”
“And why aren’t you going through them?” Han Yoojin asked, brushing past Sung Hyunjae to enter the grocery store. He grabbed a hand basket. Sung Hyunjae came after him, keeping close.
“Have you seen how they run? It’s barbaric,” Sung Hyunjae scoffed. “I’d rather meet the surrogate for my child, to see if their temperament would turn out well.”
“You can’t predict a child’s disposition that easily,” Han Yoojin said. “Even I know that.”
“Well, it certainly can’t hurt,” Sung Hyunjae commented. He grabbed a basket as well, and whatever Han Yoojin grabbed, Sung Hyunjae grabbed as well. It confused Han Yoojin.
“So,” Han Yoojin began, “you want to go around the clinic? How about the pay?”
“I’ll double it,” Sung Hyunjae said decisively. “Any request you have, I’ll grant it.”
“Sounds too good to be true. Why do you want a kid so bad?” Han Yoojin asked, suspicious. What if this guy were a creep? Surely the clinic’s vetting system wasn’t foolproof.
“Why does anyone want a kid? For personal fulfillment. I’m tired of waiting for a mate, and our match is better than anything I’ve found through dating. You’ll make the perfect mother.”
Han Yoojin’s face burst into flames. “We are in public. Reminder.”
“So?” Sung Hyunjae asked. “No one cares. I’m speaking at a normal volume.”
“Yeah, so lower your voice,” Han Yoojin hissed. “Without the clinic involved, how would we, um, conceive?”
“Obviously, the old-fashioned way,” Sung Hyunjae said, as if that was obvious, loudly enough for someone to glance over as they overheard the conversation.
Han Yoojin’s redness revived itself. He felt like a tomato.
“Pervert,” Han Yoojin muttered. “Absolute pervert. Get away from me.”
“It’s to reduce the risk of birth defects,” Sung Hyunjae argued. “I am a doctor. I know these things.”
Han Yoojin grabbed an 8-pack of ramen off the shelf. This would be lunch for the week. Sung Hyunjae reached up and grabbed a higher-end brand, the one with mix-ins, sauce packets, and better noodles.
“Are you trying to piss me off?” Han Yoojin asked, glaring at the ramen packages in Sung Hyunjae’s large hand.
The Alpha smiled down at him. “I’m helping you get groceries. Now, let's go get some fresh fruits and vegetables. You’ll need the vitamins.”
“You are so…” Han Yoojin fought to find an acceptable word, “... annoying.”
“I prefer the word ‘persistent.’”
“Are you paying?” Han Yoojin asked. “You better be.”
“Oh, of course!” Sung Hyunjae responded quickly. “I’m not a jerk.”
“I doubt that,” Han Yoojin said with a sigh. However, he still went about shopping, and while he did so, tested Sung Hyunjae’s willingness and his wallet. He put things he didn’t need in his basket until it was far too heavy and overfilled, but Sung Hyunjae just matched his energy. He filled his basket with nicer versions of the products Han Yoojin had selected, or with larger quantities, until they were both overly encumbered. Then, they headed to check out, and Han Yoojin regretted his impulse to test the veracity of Sung Hyunjae’s words.
“I don’t need this much!” Han Yoojin muttered to himself as he looked over all the bags in their hands. “Oh, geeze…”
“Freeze half of the perishables,” Sung Hyunjae provided, looking barely burdened by the bags of groceries trailing up his arms. He was so strong. “Now, where are we headed?”
Han Yoojin let out the heaviest of sighs. “Let me guess—you already know where I live?”
“... Yes, I do.”
“You realize that’s creepy as hell?”
“Yes, I do,” Sung Hyunjae responded, but he was chuckling. God, what a psycho. He didn’t care about right from wrong.
“You’re so lucky my little brother isn’t home,” Han Yoojin told him. “Come on.”
Sung Hyunjae followed after Han Yoojin. His apartment wasn’t far from the grocery store at all, at least, so it was a short walk and climb up one flight of stairs. Han Yoohyun was busy attending high school, so much to his fortune, the teen and the weird adult following him would never meet, if he could help it. He was going to say no to this deal and move on with his life.
Sung Hyunjae offered to put away the groceries, but Han Yoojin declined. He’d already welcomed a strange man into his home, and now… now that same strange man was sitting at the dining room table eating green grapes without a care in the world.
Han Yoojin finished putting the groceries away. Then, he stood beside the table, staring down the Alpha, who was still enjoying his crunchy grapes.
“So,” Han Yoojin said. “You want to hire me as your surrogate under the table. How do I know you’re not some freak trying to baby trap me?”
Sung Hyunjae smiled disarmingly. “Well, under the table was a poor way to describe it—my apologies. There is a way to do this legally, with a paperwork trail, for your and the baby’s protection, as well as my own. It’s a lovely country we live in.”
Han Yoojin, surprisingly, was listening. “And?”
“We’ll each have a lawyer—”
“I can’t afford a lawyer.”
“Then I’ll let you select one and give you the money myself for the legal fees,” Sung Hyunjae said concretely. He said while taking out a small paper from his breast pocket, “We will draw up a contract between us for the exchange of the child. I already have terms for compensation written out, if you’d like to look it over yourself.”
Han Yoojin looked it over. It was much more generous than the clinic, numbers-wise, but even more generous because the clinic didn’t take a cut of his earnings. He was so, so tempted. But then he remembered that Sung Hyunjae had claimed to be a doctor, and that doctors’ records were public, so he quickly looked him up on his phone.
He worked at a nearby, famous hospital as an anesthesiologist. That explained how he was rolling in dough. That profession was high-risk, high-reward. No wonder he had not a care in the world about money—he made a ton.
Sung Hyunjae raised an eyebrow, tapping the table with his finely trimmed nails.
Han Yoojin glared at him over the top of his phone before closing it and shoving it in his pocket. He leaned down, hand braced on the table, and got close to the Alpha’s face. The blonde didn’t flinch as his space was invaded, but instead, a small smirk rose on his lips.
“Most people know better than to try to intimidate an Alpha,” Sung Hyunjae said in a low voice.
Han Yoojin scoffed. He stood up straight. Han Yoojin half-joked, “I was just getting a good look at you, in case I need to give your description to the police.”
“Funny,” Sung Hyunjae commented. He raised an eyebrow.
Han Yoojin put a hand on his hip and raised an eyebrow right back. “So you want to have heat sex, get me pregnant, and then run off with the baby as your own?”
“When you put it like that, it sounds criminal.”
“That’s a ‘you’ problem,” Han Yoojin scoffed. “Let me think about it.”
“Think quickly, or you’ll be put under contract by the clinic soon,” Sung Hyunjae said. He took out another paper, this time a business card. However, his personal number was written on the back. “Remember. Double.”
“Yep. Now, get out, my little brother will be home soon, and I don’t want to explain your presence.”
“Alright,” Sung Hyunjae said. “Call me. Soon.”
“Just leave,” Han Yoojin sighed. Gosh, he was sighing a lot around this guy.
Han Yoojin pushed him out of the door not-so-gently before shutting it behind the good doctor.
“God,” Han Yoojin huffed. “What a mess…”
♡♡♡
When Han Yoohyun arrived home an hour later, Han Yoojin immediately knew he was in hot water. His brother, in his final year of high school, was eighteen. This meant he was likely to present soon as well. Most kids did between the ages of sixteen and nineteen, and Han Yoojin was just an outlier. So, when Han Yoohyun came home running a fever and on the verge of tears, Han Yoojin knew his time had likely come.
“What’s that smell?” Han Yoohyun asked.
“Don’t worry about it. I brushed against an Alpha at the market,” Han Yoojin explained away. “He helped me carry back groceries.”
“Hyung, don’t trust strange Alphas!” Han Yoohyun insisted, angrier than usual. Yep, he was definitely going through his second puberty. Great.
“I stopped him outside the building,” Han Yoojin lied. Then, he pushed Han Yoohyun towards his bedroom and away from Sung Hyunjae’s scent.
He went into “Overprotective Omega Family Member Mode.” It was a weird feeling, because a few months ago, these urges weren’t there. Sure, he took care of Han Yoohyun like a parent, but this was different; it was more intense.
Han Yoojin made a nest in Han Yoohyun’s room, tossing in a pillow from the family room with both their scents, a blanket from his own bed, and various other soft objects to stuff around Han Yoohyun. He made soup with the good ingredients Sung Hyunjae had bought him, and then…
He didn’t have the money for a doctor’s visit, and because Han Yoohyun was no longer a minor in the eyes of the law, his appointments weren’t free anymore. However, he needed updated blood tests to determine if this was an event related to his secondary gender or if (just in case) he was sick with something else.
“Yoohyun, I’m going to call someone for help, okay?” He said to his shivering little brother. His hair was damp and stuck to his forehead, his eyes dilated and shaky. Han Yoohyun’s skin was also clammy to the touch. Han Yoojin felt out of his depth.
“Okay,” Han Yoohyun said. “Hyung… what about the money. I know…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Han Yoojin smiled. “I have my ways.”
He left the room and called Sung Hyunjae.
“Do you do house calls?”
♡♡♡
A doctor who was not Sung Hyunjae showed up thirty minutes later with a full kit ready for blood testing. Apparently, they had rapid test kits for on-site secondary gender typing.
Luckily, the doctor was also a Beta. This was most likely on purpose, dictated by Sung Hyunjae. After all, the smell of an Alpha near the dining table had aggravated Han Yoohyun earlier.
She drew his blood quickly and swabbed it on three tabs—one for each secondary gender. The blood would turn violet if Han Yoohyun were an Omega like Han Yoojin, and blue if his secondary gender were designated Alpha.
After thirty minutes, she read the result. Han Yoohyun was designated as an Alpha. He’d need to develop further over the course of a few months and receive a follow-up appointment to determine if he was a Dominant Alpha or a Recessive Alpha. The difference between the two was as follows.
Dominant Alphas made up 3% of society, so Han Yoohyun was likely a recessive. It was theorized that this low percentage of Dominant presentations was due to conflict prevention. After all, Dominant Alphas were natural-born leaders, and Recessive Alphas were powerful but still followers.
They typically held high-powered jobs and political positions. They are valued above all other genders, rivaled only by Dominant Omegas, who were valued for their ability to become pregnant with more Dominant subgenders.
Dominant Alphas can also get Betas and Omegas pregnant. They have a strong sense of pheromones and can spread them to others to pressure them socially. They are not as deeply affected by other Alpha's pheromones as Recessive Alphas. They are deeply affected by Omega pheromones, however, especially near their rut. That is their one vulnerability, and often, they deferred to their Omega out of respect. It was taboo to harm a Dominant Omega due to their value.
The same wasn’t true for Recessive Omegas, who were relegated to the lowest tier of society due to lower fertility rates and the inability to bear those with Dominant traits. They are often overlooked, neglected, and discriminated against. Omega rights activists are fighting for equal rights and protections because laws do not currently prohibit workplace discrimination or discrimination in the hiring process.
Finally, regarding Recessive Alphas, who made up 22% of society, were very similar to Dominant Alphas, except they naturally deferred to Dominant Alphas. When pressured with pheromones, they were forced to submit, and for that reason, can’t climb the social ladder all the way to the top. However, it was still a good place to be, society-wise, as their lives carried less pressure to perform well, unlike Dominant Alphas.
Han Yoojin selfishly hoped Han Yoohyun was a Recessive Alpha, because that meant he could live life normally. He didn’t want him to bear the burden of society’s expectations when they were so strict and harsh towards Dominant Alphas. Sure, Dominant Alphas could reach the pinnacle of wealth and status, but was that worth it? Han Yoohyun deserved a normal life.
The doctor instructed lots of fluids, lots of easy-to-digest food, and plentiful family time, as well as calling out of school for the time being. She wrote a doctor's note for that purpose. Then, the doctor left, taking her kit with her, leaving behind some salty crackers to settle Han Yoohyun’s stomach.
Han Yoojin cuddled Han Yoohyun in the nest until the young Alpha fell asleep. Then, he got up, prepared hot miso soup, and waited for Han Yoohyun to wake up from his nap. He reheated it on the stove when he heard him stirring.
When Han Yoohyun exited his room, he looked a little better. He was well-rested after a long day of being feverish at school.
Han Yoohyun sat down to eat some soup. He paused at the dinner table and sniffed the air, then got up and sniffed the backrest of the chair.
“Hyung,” Han Yoohyun said with a dark expression. “You were lying about an Alpha being here.”
Han Yoojin calmly took a sip of his soup. “We’ll talk about it after your rut is over.”
“But—”
“It’s not something to worry about,” Han Yoojin said. Then, he added, “And before you ask, I’m not dating anyone.”
Han Yoohyun didn’t relax. Instead, he grumbled, “Hyung…”
Han Yoojin smiled. “Really. Don’t let it worry you.”
“Was it a loan shark?”
Han Yoojin blinked. “You’re watching too many dramas. No, I don’t even have any loans.”
Han Yoohyun blinked. “What about… what? But how did you plan to pay this month’s rent? I know we aren’t well-off, and your job…”
“That’s what the Alpha was here for,” Han Yoojin said. “I’m working something out. Trust me.”
He knew his brother would be pissed if he knew Han Yoojin was considering surrogacy. He had to hide it from him a little longer, just until Han Yoohyun was stable in a few days.
“Fine,” Han Yoohyun relaxed. “Whatever.”
“Spoken like a true teen,” Han Yoojin teased with a grin.
Han Yoohyun rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay.”
Han Yoojin laughed. “Want to watch a movie?”
His little brother relaxed. “Yeah. I do.”