Vertigo Chapter 1
Changmin was beyond hungry and he couldn’t wait until the bell rang to fill his grumbling stomach. He couldn’t concentrate, the teacher was rambling about some old palace he didn’t remember what. Maybe Gyeongbokgung. Wait. Did he say it right? Changmin didn’t care because food was the only thing matter.
Junsu, who sat next to him didn’t look better. The man was yawning, didn’t try to hide his opened wide mouth and Changmin swore he could throw five erasers at once and they would go to that mouth. Junsu sniffed and wrote random things on his book.
Well, it wasn’t random. It was Yoochun’s name circled with hearts.
Changmin scoffed.
Fortunately the bell rang not long after, just before he had a chronic starvation. Junsu just followed him to the canteen, they didn’t talk much until the food served in front of them.
“So you went to Jeju last weekend?” Changmin asked after he ate half bowl of his rice.
Junsu hummed. “With my father and Hyung. Checking the resort there. Yoochun was coming too.” He smiled wide. “You?”
Changmin ignored the question. “Did you mate with him?”
Junsu blushed. “No!”
Changmin smirked.
“Nothing, I swear.” Junsu ate more food, tried not too focused on the conversation.
“Nothing?” Changmin teased.
“We decide to wait until our marriage.”
“When is that?”
“After I graduated from high school.”
Changmin snorthed. “This is our last year, Junsu. It doesn’t make any difference.”
“It does.” Junsu said.
“No. Just several months-“
“Oh, shut up!” Junsu cut him and Changmin laughed. “Just think of how you’d find your Omega.” He said, hands busy texting.
It must be Yoochun.
Yoochun was Junsu’s Alpha. The man used to play piano in the church and Junsu admired since he was in the elementary school. Yoochun was actually 7 years older than Junsu.
Junsu was an Omega, it was known by his blue vein, while Changmin was an Alpha with his red veins. Both Alpha and Omega would produce a signature scent only their mate could smell. That scent would come out when they reached the age 18. Before they had their own smell, both Alpha and Omega wouldn’t know who their mate would be.
“What kind of scent is that?” Changmin asked when Junsu told him he found his mate.
“It’s like grapefruit to me, with a little hint of apple smell too. Very refreshing. My mother said your mate’s scent is your favourite scent.” Junsu said.
Changmin frowned. “But how do you know? You could be just passed a fruit store.”
Junsu just smiled at him. “You’d know when you find him, Min.”
Changmin actually was a bit jealous of how those two became a mate. The two had known each other several years before they became their own destined mate. But how about him? He couldn’t imagine if he had to mate with a total stranger.
*
Changmin always brought his camera everywhere, it was a habit. He joined the photography club at highschool and as a senior in his last year, he actually had to be more concerned about his university tests. But Changmin couldn’t care less. He’d go from place to place with the juniors to capture basically just everything.
Human was actually not his favorite object. He was more into nature and buildings. He had visited the same museum three times and never got bored. Krystal, one of the junior said that her father’s office had a good photography spot for sunset, and Changmin couldn’t reject that offer, so he joined her with Taemin.
Taemin already started to take photos once they boarded the train, and Krystal refused to pose for him. Changmin just laughed as the kids bickered.
“It’s our stop!” Krystal said, eyes to the windows and stood up from her seat.
Changmin and Taemin followed her lead.
“We’re here!” Krystal said, walked towards the door.
“Whoah, Krystal,” Taemin’s head went up as his eyes followed the tall building. “I didn’t expect-“
Changmin didn’t too. The building had at least 25 floors. There were three fountain, and giant golden letters in front of them; THE JUNG CORP. He had seen the buildings some times, but never paid much attention to it.
“This is yours?” Taemin asked as he followed her entering the building.
“It’s my father’s.” Krystal headed to the elevator, ignoring the people greeting her.
Changmin’s eyes widened and Taemin wasn’t less surprised at how the people treated her; like a princess. There was a staff offered to accompany her to the elevator.
“I know where I’m heading.” Krystal refused.
“Wow…” Taemin exclaimed. “I don’t know you’re that rich.”
Taemin’s that rich in his mind probably was still nothing compared to the real thing, Changmin thought.
Krystal glared at the boy. “I invite you because I thought you won’t make a big fuss.” She said. “Don’t you dare talk about this at school.”
“I won’t,” Taemin promised. “But it’d be nice if you give me back the money you borrow for lunch yesterday…” he muttered.
Changmin laughed as Krystal gave him another glare, but the elevator door opened at the 11th floor.
The floor was a green space, no tall trees or colorful flowers, but just enough for the staff to relieve their stress. There were some benches and tables but there was nobody there.
Changmin was teaching Krystal to set her camera, while Taemin already started.
“It’s a bit cloudy,” Krsytal said as she pointed her camera to the sun in front of them.
“It can be perfect,” Changmin replied. The building was tall enough so the sky was clear in front, but he also could include other building as silhouette.
“I forgot to bring my camera yesterday. It was better than this…” Krystal pouted as she saw her own photo.
“Let me see,” Taemin asked. “You can take it from this angle, come here…”
While the two went to the other side, Changmin just stayed in his spot, watched as the sun went lower and lower, until he finally took his last shot.
“Come on, Hyung,”
Changmin nodded, followed the kids back inside the building.
“Aren’t you gonna see your father while you’re here?” Taemin asked.
“Oh, right! I have to tell him about the parents meeting tomorrow.” Krystal put her camera inside the bag. “Wait here…”
Changmin waited in front of the elevator with Taemin. The orange sunlight went through the glass door, and Changmin could see a man standing tall by the railing, stood straight with his arms extended on either side of his body. Changmin didn’t think twice to take a photo of his silhouette in the fading sunlight.
Changmin went towards the door, and it automatically opened. He unconsciously stepped outside again, taking another photo and another one when the man looked to his side, showed him his sharp jaw on those wide shoulders. The suit fitted his body perfectly, tailored to accentuate every line and curve of his body gorgeously.
There was a faint deep smell in the air, and Changmin was slow to realize it as he put down his camera slowly.
“Hyung!” Taemin called. “Come on, Krystal’s here.”
Changmin went inside, forgot about the smell. And when he turned his head to see the man one last time, he was gone already.
*
Taemin was showing his photos to Changmin they took yesterday after school. It was quite random, from the crowd, people in the bus, shoes, Changmin’s ear, Krystal’s hands, Changmin again, Krystal’s knee…
“Are you taking picture for your biology project or what?” Changmin asked as he saw Taemin’s own fingernail on the boy’s laptop monitor.
Taemin just chuckled. “I like skin.”
Changmin’s brows furrowed at that statement. “Oh, this is good,” he said. The photo was taken from The Jung’s building, from the far left, and Taemin captured the other building from that angle. The sun lighted up one side of the building, while the other was shadowed. “Can I have this one?”
“I will watermark it first. But of course, Hyung.” Taemin grinned smugly.
“Ooh, you learn well, hoobae.” Changmin said. He was the one telling his juniors not to forget to label their own photos.
“Wait Hyung, my mother call…” Taemin checked his phone. “Yes, Umma? Oh, you’re done? Alright, alright… I’ll see you near the gate…”
“Going home?” Changmin asked.
“Yeah. The parents meeting just ended.” Taemin turned off his laptop. “What are they talking about anyway…”
“Same old.” Changmin shrugged. “Let’s go, then. I’m going home too.”
Changmin walked with Taemin to the gate, but before they were exiting the building, Changmin smelled something. It was familiar. Something deep, something sweet, something bitter, it was so weird that he thought he could taste the smell. “Do you smell something?” he asked Taemin.
Taemin sniffed the air. “No?”
Changmin closed his eyes, tried to sharpened his sense of smell. The scent was getting stronger. Something fruity, like berry. There was also a hint of spice, and earthy wood. Changmin was inhaling the air, filling his lungs with the scent, taking everything he could. It was right there. Changmin knew the scent was so close, going towards him from the opposite direction, closer and closer.
It just passed him.
The smell just brushed against him.
Changmin turned his head. And when he looked back, the man was already staring.
Those eyes were quite small but powerful, that kind of eyes that could kill with a look, that kind of eyes that made Changmin shivered, but felt protected at the same time. Cold stone, but also fiery hot.
And before Changmin could comprehend what happened, the line formed between them.