"Alright, today we have a few new people joining our group to fill our empty seats, would you step forward and introduce yourselves please?" the manager says all of a sudden as they enter the room and we all fall silent.

Bee, Hanna and a few others' absence clearly changed something in the ambiance because almost everyone looks lifeless this morning, but I'm not complaining, this is a breath of fresh air for me.

To not have their heavy perfumes on my nose anymore? To not hear their laughter, to not have their mocking gaze directed at me? I could dance out of joy if I wasn't so tired after yesterday.

In-yeop, Dal and I share a look of curiosity as a group of six enters the room and one of them immediately catches my eye, an incredibly handsome young man, I could even dare say of Jimin and Yoongi's level in terms of beauty, where are they all coming from?

Are they aliens from another planet?

They introduce themselves one after the other but none of their names actually make it to my ears, not when I find myself fixated on the eyes that take in the room with curiosity, his musky scent covered with hazelnuts clearly stating that he's an alpha too, I just hope he's a nice one.

When his turn eventually comes to step forward, he does so while smiling at me, a blinding smile that has me blushing and instantly looking away, holy shit!

"Hi everyone, my name is Jeon Jungkook, I hope we can get along well" he says with a voice that gives me shivers, it's so smooth and clear and soft, my brain loves the sound of it, I could listen to him forever, is that normal?

"Thank you, Jungkook, you can go and take a seat next to Y/N, I decided to pair you two together today so she can show you the ropes, she's patient and explains well so I'm sure she'll make your first day pretty fun" the manager informs him, something that I'm learning for the first time as well, what?

My heart thumps nervously as the alpha pulls out a chair before sitting down next to me and I tense up, his scent of hazelnuts strong enough that it makes me salivate, I must be crazy, what's going on with me?

While the manager starts giving everyone their tasks for the day, the CEO's office not a necessity today since I did it yesterday - it's usually done every few days so tomorrow should be a day for me when I have to go there again - the new alpha leans towards me to whisper something without bothering everyone else, although In-yeop and Dal do keep an eye on him out of curiosity.

"Hey there" he murmurs softly and it takes me all of my willpower to not melt at the sound of his voice so close to my ear.

I bite on my bottom lip before eyeing him shyly, a small nod of the head before I bring my gaze back to the manager, but I can't hear what they're saying, I can't focus on anything else but him.

"So you're Y/N, right?" he asks me and I nod my head again, can I trust my voice to speak? I somehow doubt that I can survive this if I have to stay by his side all day, he's making me feel all weird.

"I'm sure you heard me earlier but my name is Jungkook, it's nice to meet you. Have you worked here for a long time?" he continues and I shrug lightly before tilting my head his way. "A little less than two years? It's been a while".

He hums and smiles at me, none of his attention focused on the manager, at this pace, we'll have no idea what it is that we're supposed to do all day. "You must be good then, you were praised quite a bit by the manager".

I glance at In-yeop who quirks an eyebrow at me, an amused smirk teasing at the corner of his lips that has me pursing my own, a little embarrassed. I didn't ask for all this attention, don't look at me that way!

"I mean... I'm not the best but I'm not too bad? I'm sure they would've said that about anyone, it just so happened that it fell on me" I mumble but Jungkook chuckles and leans back in his chair with a grin. "If that's what you want to believe".

I'm about to comment on his weird comment but the manager hits the board with their pen and I startle, eyes falling on them to see that everyone's staring at us. "Y/N, Jungkook, focus please, I don't want to repeat myself later, this is important".

"Sorry, we'll listen" I blurt out before giving a light glare of warning to the alpha who only shrugs at me while smiling happily, why is he so weird?

Dal nudges my side from his chair and when I glance at him, it's to see him wink at me in a teasing manner, something that makes me threaten him with my elbow but he only laughs silently in response, gosh darn it!

The rest of the meeting goes without anymore distractions taking place and we all stand up at the end of the meeting to get started with our tasks and- oh, who am I kidding? I didn't hear a single word said, the new alpha is insanely distracting, even when he's not doing anything.

Thankfully for me, In-yeop heard everything so he stays behind with me when everyone starts walking out of the room and glances at Jungkook before patting my shoulder, is this supposed to be to comfort me?

"You have to do the two top floors, floor and windows, Dal and I were tasked with the bathrooms so we're nearby if you need us".

I sigh in relief and smile at him before nodding my head, thank goodness for this man.

"Thanks, you just saved my life, you know that?" I let out, words that have him chuckling before he starts walking towards the door to rejoin with Dal who probably has everything ready already.

"That wouldn't be the first time. Have fun you two, just don't forget to do the work you were given, talking doesn't give a very good paycheck".

Damn, he's right.

I turn to Jungkook who's already staring at me with a cute smile and motion for him to follow me before walking out of the room as well. Get a hold of yourself, Y/N, it's not because you're developing some sort of friendship with your boss that you can slack off.

And getting attracted to Jungkook this suddenly when I should be thinking about Jimin and Yoongi's offer of forming a pack one day? What is wrong with me? I can't let my emotions take over, handsome faces can't be a weakness of mine, it's ridiculous.

"So, this here is where we get our tools, we all have a janitor cart and depending on what needs to be cleaned for the day, you grab the right stuff. Since we've got the floor today, we need to fill two buckets with the appropriate cleaning product that you can find right besides the sink, can you take care of that while I grab the rest?" I ask the alpha while pointing at the right area and he nods before getting started efficiently, which is a relief to me.

He might be terribly handsome but at least he seems to know how to work, it would suck to have to explain literally everything. With some luck, he already knows how to mop a floor and how to wipe windows.

I grab every products we're going to need, which isn't all that much, it's mostly going to be tiring for the body since the two floors are huge but it has to be done, a lot of the office workers like going there to gaze at the view while taking their break, they depend on us to keep the area clean and they're the kind to complain really easily if they find something on the floor that someone couldn't bother taking to the trash.

There's not much I hate more than a group making a mess of the area I just got finished cleaning but such is life, they enjoy a normal work life while I clean the floor they step on. We're really taken for granted, they don't realize how lucky they are to have people do it for them.

"Y/N?" Jungkook calls my name and I shake my head with a sigh before looking up to see him walking over with two filled buckets as if they weight nothing. He tilts his head at me as he sets them down. "Everything okay? You looked lost in thoughts".

I make a small sound and grab one of the buckets with a grunt before settling it on my cart, it's definitely not light, it makes me jealous of his strength.

"I'm fine, just thinking about the workload waiting for us. I don't think it's going to be as fun as the manager said it would be" I tell him honestly but he simply shrugs while taking the other bucket to settle over his cart just like mine.

"I don't mind, I'm not here to have fun" he says and I nod my head, we have that in common then.

With that said, I lead the way to the regular elevators that we normally use to reach the higher floors and with the two of us inside, the doors close quickly before I select the button 10, it makes me wonder briefly if Yoongi's going to come here today, his office is also on the tenth floor, just on the other side of the wall separating the two spaces.

Not that I could afford the time to see him, but the thought does make my heart flutter a little bit.

But then I remember what is awaiting me and I decide to start praying for a smooth ride without stops, because if a group of office workers wants to get inside and we're here, there will be whining and those make my ears sensitive, especially the scents, a lot of them wear perfume that burns my nostrils, I hate that.

Jungkook stares at me with a concerned frown, he probably finds my scent too nervous for what's currently going on but when the elevator suddenly stops at the fourth floor and my scent worsens, his gaze falls on the opening doors and he understands right away why I seemed wary.

I pull him towards the corner with me when a group of men step inside, too many of them considering that we're already in here with buckets of water, and then a few women walk in as well without a care for us who are currently getting squished against the wall.

They press on their destinations with a glance my way and then begin whispering words that don't sound so silent in the small space.

"Do you think the elevator will still work with her on board? She takes half of the space all by herself...".

Another few heads glance at me at the comment said but I keep my gaze locked on the floor, yeah, that's what I was expecting to hear.

"I don't think it will... she must be as heavy as four people, I don't even know why she thinks she can take the elevator, she should use the stairs instead, she could do with losing the weight".

"Ugh I know, she's going to make everyone waste time by taking too much space, we have an important job to do compared to her! She needs to be aware of her position, they can replace her any day and no one would even notice her absence, how pitiful".

They share a small laugh at that and Jungkook's eyes widen in shock at the words uttered in my presence, his scent harsh and burning as he frees a small threatening growl, he seems ready to give them a piece of his mind so I hold him back by the collar of his uniform and then shake my head when he stares at me angrily.

As I thought, the signal that lets us know too much weight is on the elevator lights up and all eyes fall on me.

I exhale deeply, grab my cart and push through the crowd to step off without looking back, my expression blank as I press on the button to call for another elevator while ignoring the eyes that remain on me, they're looking for a weakness, I won't give them one.

This is the part of my job that I hate the most, at least today keeps me mainly in the same area so there won't be a lot of traveling between different floors.

Jungkook comes to stand besides me with an offended frown and when the doors close on a few grins, he points at the metallic surface that mirrors his anger in a blur.

"What the fuck was that? How could they just talk about you that way right in your face without shame?!" he exclaims loudly but I remain silent as I look at the numbers raising for the other elevator, hopefully an empty one.

"Does it happen often? They just... damn that's insulting, I'm so fucking pissed. Are you okay?" he asks the end with a softer tone, probably expecting me to be all sad about what took place here but that's just a daily part of my life, I smile at him in the hopes of calming him down, alphas are always so easy to anger.

"It's nothing I haven't gotten used to, don't pay too much attention to them, Jungkook. Office workers always look down on the cleaning staff, they think it's not a real job, that we're lazy and having it easy, they think that's reason enough to treat us that way, we all learned to get used to it, you should too".

The doors for the other elevator open right at that moment and while it's not empty, the faces in there look at least a little friendly as they keep the doors open to allow us inside, I bow in thanks and pull my cart with me and in the other side of the small space before motioning for Jungkook to come in too.

Once he's by my side, a tall wall separating me from the other group, I press on the right button again and the rest of the ride happens smoothly from there, the other workers get off at the seventh floor and we eventually make it to the tenth floor as needed.

Jungkook is completely silent as he follows behind me and I let him, he's going to need some time to process, it came as a shock the first time for me as well so I don't blame him for being like this right now, it's not a fun reality to get used to.

It'll be his choice next if he wants to endure being treated like that or if he wants to give up and find somewhere else to work at, he looks like someone who could get hired anywhere he wants, that's not given to everyone. Some of us remain here for the only reason that there's nowhere else for us.

But for now, we still have a job to do so until he decides that he can't stay here anymore, I'd rather have him help me work while it's possible, I can't do everything on my own. I stop walking and point in a direction that Jungkook follows with his eyes.

"So we usually start from one extremity to the other when we do the floor, we go by sections and then put a wet floor sign over the space completed to make sure that any wandering feet that fall don't become our responsibility. We don't want someone shouting at us that we forgot to put up a warning because they usually do everything they can to make us lose our job when they can, they can be entitled at times" I explain before grabbing the boards to show him, it's really important that we don't forget this step.

"As for the windows, we use a cloth to wipe the product and another one to dry properly, we don't want any lines or marks so make sure to use the soft one, some windows are taller than the others but there's a closet nearby with some cleaning supplies, you can find a ladder there, we'll need it later" I continue while showing the right bottle to use, one look at the man showing me that he's listening, he nods when our eyes meet but his joy from earlier is entirely gone.

I sigh at the pitiful expression on his face and step closer to pat his arm. "Don't worry too much about it, Jungkook, those things can happen but they don't happen too often, most of the time they just ignore us".

He keeps his gaze on me, as if he's trying to determine just how strong I really am, it makes me smile a little, he reminds me of In-yeop when I first started, wasn't I assigned to him on my first day here?

"You want to start with the windows while I do the floor?" I ask him and when he nods, I pat his back before giving him what he needs to get started, we can't lose too much time, he'll process it all while working, there's no other choice for now.

The poor guy, the manager said I'd make it fun but it feels more like I broke his spirit.

I purse my lips as I watch him walk to the nearest window and sigh before getting started with my own task.

Introducing someone to the world of being a cleaning worker sucks.

Yoongi's POV

When I enter the kitchen to get my morning coffee, I find there Taehyung and Hoseok whispering quietly between themselves and upon seeing me, they turn quiet, an unease filling the space that has me frowning.

Is it because of yesterday? Are they mad at me too? I sigh and walk past them to start the coffee machine, an uncomfortable feeling in the pit of my stomach, is wanting to be careful with Y/N really that bad?

Maybe I should go to work today, I don't think I can stay here if this is how I'm going to be welcomed whenever I enter a room. I want to drive Y/N back home anyway, the furniture she chose should be shipped to her place tonight and I want to help her, she's going to be overwhelmed otherwise.

"Hyung..." Taehyung mumbles as he comes closer to me and I look up at him, hesitation filling my soul, is he going to scold me just like Jungkook did last night?

He must be able to tell my emotions from my scent because his violets become stronger, soothing softness that wraps around me to ease my heart, Hoseok's strawberry pie also warm and aromatic as he steps closer with a pursed smile.

"We're not mad at you hyung, while we don't completely agree with everything, we know that you wouldn't choose that path if you didn't believe it to be the right one at the moment, we said the same thing to Jimin before he left too because he looked so sad, we trust you. It's just..." Taehyung stops and turns to Hoseok, as if unsure of whether to say it or not.

The older alpha puts a hand on my arm and bites on his bottom lip before parting them. "Jungkook is at your company, he... well... he's working with her, Yoongi, he got hired in the cleaning department this morning after pulling some strings".

I stare at them in disbelief, he what now?

"I think he's really worried about it all going wrong, hyung, I've never seen him like this before" Taehyung says with a concerned frown, "he said he was going to stay close to her, that he needed to become her friend so that he could have a chance at mending her broken pieces if needed, there's no stopping him, he's serious about this".

I run a hand through my hair, I can't say I'm surprised about it, I should've seen it coming.

I've never seen Jungkook as angry as he was yesterday and I guess some of his anger was deserved, I understand their point of view, what we're asking for is selfish, but Y/N is barely starting to open her world to us and I'm afraid that if we take anymore space than we're allowed, she'll clam up again.

She's an omega who went through emotional trauma, she's fragile and I'm really just trying to find a way to handle all this without losing her, which feels like it might happen no matter what I do.

Seven alphas, Y/N would freak out, but Jimin and I, we know that not telling her will only make things worse, Namjoon was right on that.

Is this just us underestimating her? Or are we right in our worries? I'm not sure anymore.

Maybe Jungkook staying by her side isn't such a bad thing, maybe he can help connect the dots that need to be connected, maybe he can open her mind to a bigger pack than what she's expecting.

"Are... are you mad at him? Are you going to scold Jungkook for acting behind your back?" Hoseok's question has me looking up to see their worried eyes on me, they think I'd be mad about Jungkook wanting to make things with Y/N work without problems?

If anything, I'm only thankful that he cared that much before even meeting her, it just makes me wonder why he cares that much at all.

Is it because she's an omega? I guess that's something we all miss in our pack, someone who needs us, someone whose instincts need alphas the same way ours dictate that we need an omega, her story must have solidified that instinct even more, Jungkook wants to protect her from more pain.

Pain that we can give her, ironically.

"I'm not mad at him, I think it'll be good to have him near her. Maybe Jungkook can help fill in the holes that Jimin and I can't do ourselves because honestly... I have no idea how we're going to handle all this, Hobah, Tae, her fragility, I don't know how far it goes, I don't know how much we can reveal without losing her but at the same time, I know that not revealing anything soon will end up with the same kind of result, I'm just... lost" I admit with a sigh.

Us having a bigger pack should've been revealed on the very first day we met, but there was no reason to tell her and now we've talked about welcoming her in our pack without telling her that we have five more mates at home, why did we do that?

We're doing things out of order and I'm afraid that we might have screwed things up already, so if Jungkook is willing to help us fix things... then I want to trust him, it's too late to turn back anyway.

Taehyung and Hoseok walk closer to hug me and I melt in their embrace.

"It's going to be fine, hyung, I'm sure it'll be fine. You just need to trust her. Treating her like a weak pup and hiding the truth for too long will only make her feel like you're not serious about all of this, I don't want her to believe that you courting her was only a game because I know you enough to know that courting is precious. I know that, but she doesn't" Taehyung says and my heart painfully squeezes at his words.

A game?

Jimin did say that she told him to stop playing with her the first time they met, that him calling her beautiful and pretty was but a lie, that he couldn't be serious. Would she say the same about our courting her? That our interest towards her was fake from the very beginning?

I don't want that, anything but that.

"How about you slowly, very slowly start hinting at us, maybe talk to her about us as people you know, friends, open her mind to our existence and slowly show her that our friendship is a little closer than simple friendship, that while we're close, so is she to you, maybe there's a way to handle this softly without scaring her?" Hoseok offers and my mind clings onto his idea for dear life, could this work?

"Yeah... that's honestly much better than anything I could think of throughout the night, but what if I meet Jungkook at the company?" I ask with renewed worries, do I act like I don't know him? Do I treat him like a friend? Like a mate?

"Well... knowing Jungkook, I think he'll keep a distance with you when people are around, he's aware of the situation and his goal isn't to mess things up, you probably won't have to concern yourself with this matter, he'll be careful" Hoseok assures me and I nod, that's right.

Maybe we'll be fine after all, this should work, it can go well, it has to.

My phone suddenly starts ringing and when I look at the screen, my heart skips a beat at seeing Jungkook's name.

We haven't talked after last night's outburst, he didn't reply to my good night, he didn't come by my bed to beg for a kiss like he usually does and my offering him one went completely ignored, did he calm down a little? Is it Y/N's power? Can she tame the beast?

I breathe in deeply and accept the call under my two mates' gazing, device brought to my ear where I await for him to say something.

'Oh? Yeah, I'm fine sorry, I just need to make this call real quick, I won't be long' I hear him say on the other side and Y/N's quieter voice replies in the background before the next few seconds become filled with Jungkook walking away, his breathing the only thing I get to hear for what feels like an eternity.

'Okay, she won't hear me from here. Yoongi hyung, are you there?'.

"I am... is... is everything okay? Taehyung and Hoseok told me that you're working with her, is she alright?" I ask him nervously, I don't want him to remain angry at me.

'Yeah, I'm doing fantastic, she's great, really great, what isn't so great is your stupid office workers who call her fat right in her face before forcing her out of the elevator when too many of them climb in when they can see that we're equipped for cleaning, don't they know that water is heavy?' he answers with an angry voice and I frown, nervousness instantaneously forgotten at what I'm hearing.

Taehyung and Hoseok react too, fists clenching and lips curving downwards, they don't know her but that doesn't mean they don't care about her, if one of us gets attached, everyone gets attached.

'She told me about the job, about how I need to expect to be treated like shit because the cleaning staff are seen as those lazy people who aren't important enough to be treated with respect, she told me to expect workers to try and cause problems, to expect being whined at for them not cleaning up after themselves, what kind of people are you hiring, hyung?' he continues and I start walking towards the entrance to wear my shoes, is that really how they're treated at my company?

Have I been slacking off by letting others take care of these responsibilities? I thought they were doing a good job but hearing my own mate tell me about how he's expected to tolerate being treated like shit, which means that Y/N has had to endure the very same ever since she started there, yeah, that's not okay.

"Keep an eye on her and make sure no one causes problems, I give you permission to put them back in their place, I'll make sure everyone knows to not bother with you, just don't make it obvious that it's because of me, not yet. Tell me names if you can, I'll take care of the rest, meet me in my office at lunchtime" I let out as I open the door after waving goodbye to the other two and Jungkook hums in approval, the sound soft as his anger dims.

'Will do, thanks for that and... thanks for not getting mad about my infiltrating your company without your permission. I... I'm sorry about yesterday, I shouldn't have gotten angry that way, it's just... gosh, I was an ass, I know that you and Jimin care about her more than I do and it wasn't okay for me to talk as if you didn't. I feel it too hyung, the forming bond, it's really there and I don't want things to turn to shit with her, Y/N... she's precious, we really need to do this right, we can't lose her hyung'.

I slow down once at my car, a small sigh leaving me as I process his apology.

"It's fine, baby, I understand why you got mad, you were right, what you said was true, it's just... I'm scared, I'm scared of messing up, but we'll find a way, I promise. Hoseok thought of a way to handle this and I think it can work, but I need you, baby, I need your help, Jimin and I, we can't do this alone, I know we can't" I admit and Jungkook stays silent on the other side, but I know him enough to know that he's turning a little shy, it's not everyday that I open up like this.

'I- yeah, I'll do my best too, hyung, we'll get through this. Look, I'll come see you later okay? Y/N's alone right now and I need to join up with her, I can't let her work alone, this job's freaking hard, my back hurts and we just got started' he lets out softly and I hum, I'm glad he's there to help her when I can't.

He ends the call after a shared I love you and I stare at the screen for a moment before shaking my head.

I really don't like knowing that my workers are expecting abuse when they should in fact be getting gratitude in overwhelming amounts, Y/N's job is not an easy one and it's so important, I don't understand why people look down on them.

Maybe it's not such a bad thing to have a mate infiltrate their ranks in the end, Jungkook can let me know what's wrong in my company and I can fix it by dealing with the right people. Y/N having one more layer of protection by her side is not something to ignore either, she needs it.

I get in my car and turn on the engine, it's time for change, much needed change.

Some people won't be happy to see me today.