Finding job
A man with pink hair and amber-coloured eyes, his lean body enough to make anyone turn their head twice. Beautiful as a lotus, yet strong enough to break someone’s neck.sat at a corner table in the cafe, slowly sipping his hot coffee. The rising steam evaporated into the thin air. It looked piping hot, but he was too deep in thought to even notice the heat.
“Amelia said she would be here in 15 minutes.”
His eyes dropped to his watch. The hands read 3:00 PM. Outside, the rain poured down. The muffled, daily hum of life blended inside and outside the cafe, while sitting beside the glass window offered a quiet kind of smoothness to the heart.
As he gazed out at the street, the sharp tick-tick of pencil heels approached him. The sound made him turn his head. Amelia was walking toward him, one hand in her handbag as she tried to pull out a handkerchief. She wasn’t completely drenched, but she still wiped away the lingering rain drops from her forehead.
River stood up from his chair, smoothly sliding it backward to offer her a seat before returning to his own.
Amelia's eyes frowned in distress, guilty for showing up late. It was clearly visible in River's eyes.
"I'm so sorry, River," she sighed, "I got stuck in traffic because of the rain."
"That's fine." The words escaped River's mouth as soon as she gave the reason. "It's not a big deal."
His voice was low, calm, and tired.
"By the way, you asked me to meet suddenly. Is everything okay?" Amelia took River's hand in her own, reading the distress on his face. She gently brushed her thumb over his knuckles.
"Is everything okay?" she repeated.
"I'm..." His eyes twitched, and the words got stuck in his throat. His knuckles turned white. Avoiding her gaze, he finally muttered, "I'm sorry, Amelia. I don't want to work as a host. I know you went through a lot of trouble to find this job for me, but..."
Amelia took a few seconds to study his face, her eyes seeming to realise the truth behind why he couldn't do it. She lowered her gaze, released his hand softly, and glanced toward a waiter. With a subtle gesture, she asked for an iced americano.
Order noted.
River kept his eyes down, his fingers shuffling over his white mug. The coffee inside was starting to turn cold.
A heavy, exhausted sigh escaped Amelia's lungs. "Who says you have to work there if you don't want to? I suggested it because you're handsome, and people pay a really good amount for just a few talks. It's not like there's a shortage of jobs. And..."
"Ma'am, here is your iced americano."
The coffee arrived. Amelia gave a gentle nod of thanks.
"I hate alphas," River muttered, his voice dropping lower. "I can't stand them in my sight. And the VIP card you gave me belongs to one of the most famous clubs in the Maria district. I've heard it's mostly a place for people who want more than just a conversation—filled to the brim with top-class alphas. I'd rather do manual labor somewhere else than step foot in a place like that."
Her expression was blank, unsure of what to say next.
"That's fine. I'll ask Sebastian to help you find something else," a gentle smile carved itself onto her face.
Seeing it, River's heart felt at ease for a fraction of a second.
"Thanks, Amelia, for everything." A soft, barely visible smile brushed across his face.
Amelia caught the sudden shift, unable to voice the thoughts swirling in her mind. Then, trying to lighten the mood with a playful jab, she said, "There, there, buddy."
What's with this sudden familiarity?
"If hosting isn't working out, why not try modeling?" she asked. "You have everything for it."
The completely unexpected suggestion left River speechless. The muscles in his face went blank, and he blinked once to process what he had just heard. Then, a sudden burst of laughter broke through, soft enough to match the rainy glass walls of the cafe.
"You're sure? And what about the lesson costs? It's not like good looks alone can get you anywhere." He threw out the remark casually. He cracked his neck, the soft pop audible for a few seconds. Then, as he turned to meet Amelia's gaze, he froze.
She isn't joking.
“Amelia, come on. That’s fine. I’m not that good-looking, and on top of that, I’m an Omega. Do you really think people want an Omega as a model?”
“Fuck the people! Since when did someone’s gender become their entire identity?”
The sudden spike of fierce anger in her voice made River stay completely still in his chair.
(What a fierce girl. Even though she doesn’t know anything about the reality of omegas and alphas, she still tries to understand me.)
A cozy feeling bloomed inside his heart.
“Fine, fine. But what about the lesson costs? You know I can’t even pay my bills without working two or three jobs a day.”
Anticipating his logical worry, Amelia scratched the back of her head for a second before chuckling softly.
“Yes, you’re right. Don’t worry. I have a friend who used to work in this field. She’s retired now, but I’m sure she could help if I ask her.”
“You really came prepared, huh?”
His eyebrows lifted toward his ceiling of hair, a mocking, cheeky tone in his voice.Amelia faked a cough.
“You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll handle it. And relax—it’s not some kind of debt. I’ll just bargain with her a little, okay?”
“You sure?” He picked up his mug of cold coffee and finished the last sip. “Then sure, help me out. If luck goes my way, we’ll definitely be on the same page.”
“Yes, yes. And if you become famous, don’t forget me, okay?”
The wishful thinking hung in the air, mixing with the cool atmosphere. There was something strange about human nature—relishing the taste of a victory long before the actual work had even begun.
Their chuckles blended together. As the cozy silence settled back over them, Amelia added, “By the way, I forgot to tell you something.”
River cast a curious look her way.
“Besides, she’s an Omega just like you. You’ll probably feel more at ease with her. You won’t have to worry about being around someone like me... a Beta.”
”Someone like me.”
The light seemed to dim in River’s eyes.
“What do you mean by someone like me? You know me better than anyone else. Even...”A flash of painful memories—memories that desperately needed to be buried—surfaced in his mind.
“...even better than my parents, who disowned their own child just because they’re Omega.”
He let out a dry chuckle, but there was no warmth or happiness in it—just a bitter dismissal of his own destiny.
“I suppose children usually come in premium packs, but my parents clearly got the defective piece.”
Thud.
A sudden flick to his head brought him crashing back to reality. He groaned in pain, looking up at the shadow looming over him.
“Hey, what did you...”His voice died in his throat. His eyes went still as he saw the teary eyes of Amelia glaring down at him.
“Don’t you ever dare say that about yourself again. If you do, I won’t ever talk to you.”
River clenched his lips tightly, desperately swallowing whatever grief, love, or fear threatened to spill over in that single moment.
Silently, Amelia walked back to her seat and finished her latte.Two people, sitting opposite each other, fell into a heavy quiet—no talking, just performing the quiet human ritual of watching, thinking, and observing.
