VI  I'LL PROTECT YOU

I’ll take away all your sad tears
The one person in the world
who makes me smile is you
So don’t cry anymore, I will protect you.

One week.

Two weeks.

Then came three.

It was already halfway through winter, yet Seungcheol’s eyes were fully set on the Indigent. Despite the warning he had gotten almost a month ago back at the café, his eyes moved like a radar, single-handedly tracking the other without much diversion. Just like how he used to when he first knew the younger. He knew he would be thrown with whatever profanities if he were to be discovered, but Seungcheol decided to ignore it.

Because by the end of the day, he couldn’t shrug away the uneasiness nibbling at his heart.

Then came an ironically, warm winter afternoon.

As if luck was on both his and Jihoon’s sides, seconds after Seungcheol got back from the nearest convenience store as he made his way to a lamp post he previously hid behind, he spotted a group of five unknown strangers. At first, he thought it was best for him to resume his place at his initial hiding spot. That was until the group came onto an oddly familiar peach-haired boy. Despite having no cloak or superpowers, Seungcheol flew into the circle like the hero he was, knocking down all five like a mere bunch of bowling pins.

Seungcheol was lucky enough to see the commotion.

Jihoon was lucky enough to have Seungcheol nearby.

Chances were Jihoon was already locked as a target. A scapegoat placed strategically on a red bullseye, meant to satisfy a bloody parched bowman out there. As weird as it sounded to his ears, Seungcheol somehow could sense the incoming catastrophe. He could literally hear the bellow of evil laughter in his head, the kind he would always manage to whenever he watched any serial killer themed movies. One that would send shivers down his broad back.

For once, Seungcheol was fearing for a human’s life. Not his, but Jihoon’s. Not even one millisecond could he take his eyes off the said male, and he swore his heart nearly combusted from the pressure filling his chest. Seungcheol could feel his legs giving out and his arms going numb. Thus the reason why he came to this very conclusion.

He had to protect Jihoon.

However, Seungcheol did not expect it when he heard himself utter such words.

“Marry me. Marry me, Jihoon.”

Jihoon, resembling a deer caught in headlights had his eyes wide open, jaw hung low. He was not able to wring out a sound, not even a squeak the first time, but when the words finally crept up his drying throat, Seungcheol could hear the venom drenching his speech.

“What the ?”

Seungcheol let his hesitant hand flew to his head, trying his best to massage the forming bedlam in his head away. There were one of too many thoughts and they confused the heck out of him. Clawing his way through the foggy mess, Seungcheol eventually heaved a heavy sigh. To him, there was no turning back.

Jihoon on the other hand saw nothing but farcicality in a form of a human. He wanted to shake Seungcheol to reality, contemplating for a good punch even. However, he instead sprouted more curses as he spoke, “You are out of your ing mind, Seungcheol.”

“Maybe I am.”

“Once again. What the , Seungcheol?”

“You heard me the first time, Jihoon.” Seungcheol sighed, the first wave of headache was starting to kick in. He was never good at dealing with perplexity. Not when he was this close to trapping Jihoon in his arms and run off to whichever state safe enough for the the two of them - Seokmin included.

Unfortunately, the deep creases on his forehead went unnoticed by Jihoon.

“That’s the problem: I heard you loud and clear. Marriage? What nonsense is this? Why should I marry you?” reaching the end of his sentence, Jihoon was already on his feet as he ran his fingers through his hair, stress clearly evident by the scrunch of his brows. It was too bizarre, preposterous even. To Jihoon, marriage was not something to be taken oh so lightly; it was not a child’s play. So why the sudden ‘proposal’?

Baffled, Jihoon tried to look into the hazel eyes, trying to see if there was the slightest hint of why Seungcheol came to such a conclusion. However, seeing the hollow in his irises, the situation itself became more and more ridiculous that Jihoon could only scoff.

“I want to protect you.”

Which followed suit by a blink.

Wait, what?

“Hold up. To protect me?” Jihoon stopped in his track as Seungcheol nodded, his eyes were now crystal clear, the hollow had unmistakably vanished. Now looking at the certainty flooding the raven’s face, Jihoon could feel a sheer abhorrence bubbling in every nook of his system. For Seungcheol had just pushed the red button, and an alarm went off in his mind.

Nobody should protect him, not even Seungcheol. He was no damsel in distress, neither was he a weak princess who depended on nothing but a prince on a white horse. Those were fictions. As for him, he was Lee Jihoon, a 19-year-old who had over five part-time jobs a week, who overexerted himself just to have a loaf of bread with his one and only family member. That was the reality of his life and Seungcheol was nowhere near to paint a drawing of fairytale on his already cracked walls.

To him, Choi Seungcheol was the personification of a fairytale he never desired for, let alone to possess.

“The thing is, why bother? I don’t need your protection, Seungcheol-ssi!” Stressing on the last syllable, Jihoon was yelling by then, his face a tad too red from the increasing anger. Jihoon wanted to deny, to believe that Seungcheol wouldn’t stoop so low. Yet, he couldn’t control it. He could feel his doubts fueling his anger like a bunch of firewood feeding the fire, hands already curled into a tight fist.

“Jihoon, I have a reasonable reason for th –”

“I knew it.”

Which threw Seungcheol off, “W-what?”

“Out of all things, this is the only stupid you could think of?? Marriage??!” Jihoon’s voice was highly saturated with rage, an anger too thick that it’d swallow a person whole. Despite having a couple meters between them, Seungcheol could still hear the malice, burning him down to the bone. Seungcheol wanted to say ‘no’, sending a refute that could perhaps soothe the fire in the boy’s heart, but Jihoon was right.

That was the only way to save the Lee brothers.

As outrageous it may sound to others, Seungcheol was dead serious when he said he’d protect the boy.

“Even if it does, does it matter??” Seungcheol pressed on, causing Jihoon to halt in mid of his pacing, whose eyes wholly strained on the Opulent. Seungcheol had to be kidding him because in no ing way did he hear what he just heard.

“You f—,”

“Point is, I can protect you AND Seokmin,” Seungcheol cut Jihoon off, now standing far too close for Jihoon’s comfort. “Given that the two of you will be upgraded to Opulent, wouldn’t you be on the better end of the stick? You know how Indigents would become Opulents once they’re married into an Opulent statused family (a/n: read foreword to know more about this process. I did explain it here). No more staled breads, no more minimum wage jobs. Most importantly, a safe place to live in. Don’t you want that? At least for Seokmin?” Seungcheol knew he was being brash, however he had to. Jihoon needed a reality check and Seungcheol couldn’t delay it any further, “Jihoon, they know your name! I’m not even surprised if they know your place by now! Isn’t that enough to spell out danger for you?”

“Well you know my name, my address, even my workplaces right? So does that mean I am under a threat??”

“Jihoon, that’s a whole different story.”

“If you even consider for a second that I want to be an Opulent, then you’re ing wrong!” Jihoon burst, his chest was heaving with every rough breath he took. Seungcheol noticed the subtle gloss in his eyes, yet Jihoon, being a strong person he was, immediately faced away as he gnawed onto his lower lip, the dried patches gradually shedding.

No, not now.

“Jihoon...”

“You know nothing about me, Seungcheol,” and despite Jihoon facing the other way, Seungcheol could still hear how his voice cracked at several places, simultaneously breaking his own heart. It was a warm winter except the two felt the same icy pricks they felt weeks ago. Under the falling snow, opposite of the same café which haunted both their minds. 

“Feel any sort of déjà vu yet, Jihoon?”

Now this is what I called a déjà vu.  

Jihoon took a breath, his eyes tightly sealed. Taking another lungful of air, he let out the things he wanted to say, trying his best to keep his composure. He needed to convince Seungcheol, though more for himself.

“We don’t know each other well enough to think about marriage. I’m sorry, but I stand my ground. Don’t ever come to find me.”

That night, the last thing Seungcheol saw was Jihoon’s back, slowly fading into darkness.

- - - - - - - - - - -

“Hyung? You’re late toda— oh my god, what happened to you??” Seokmin stopped in his tracks, eyes fixated on Jihoon. On the pale canvas, there were spots of blue, in which few had cascaded into a soft tint of black. If this were a painting, Seokmin would have took the time to absorb its beauty, but it wasn’t. It was his hyung’s body and so to say, at least the parts that were exposed to his eyes, most of them were covered in bruises. Bruises too large for it to be to be a simple ‘fall’. Not to mention, there was dirt all over him and oh my god was that a trail of dried blood down the lips?

Jihoon, however, could care less of the damage accommodating his flesh. At the sight of Seokmin, his lips were already twitching, wanting to pour out everything; every single thing he had long suppressed in his heart. Although it did not hurt as much as he thought it would have, Jihoon still felt stuffed. Honestly, it bothered him. It was as if he was locked in a casket with no air, to the point it felt rather claustrophobic when Jihoon himself never had such paranoia. Not that he knew of.

And as much as Jihoon wanted to break down and cry, he just couldn’t.

He was the older brother, a supposedly role model for Seokmin to look up to. It was expected that he should be the stronger one out of the two. Still, he who was a normal human being had this constraint called limit. Little by little, Jihoon could feel a strange flavor creeping up his throat and when reminded back to Seungcheol, Jihoon could not help but repulse.How could he even think that being an Opulent would do them any good?

Contrariwise when Jihoon eventually had his eyes lingered on Seokmin, wearing a t-shirt too tight for his growing build, he knew Seungcheol may… have a point.

But marriage?

That was plain crazy. He was never the one to believe in love, so to be married to someone? An opulent at that? Jihoon had to be losing his mind to say yes. Then again, he was never sane. Not when he was living in such an era, with the crazy hierarchy and never-ending strive to survive.

Instead of pouring out his internal battle, Jihoon gave a small smile as he patted Seokmin on the head.

“It’s nothing. I’ll wash up first okay?”

- - - - - - - - - - -

It had been the nth time he repositioned himself and surprisingly enough, not one position was near the borderline comfortable for Seungcheol to doze off. His bed was far from cozy. Though it could probably due to his strained neck more so than the bed itself.

Whichever it was, Seungcheol felt frustrated.

Giving up, Seungcheol opted to sprawl on his back, his entire body facing upwards to the ceiling. Feeling a little sting in the back of his eyes, Seungcheol draped his right arm over them, a feasible way to block out the morning light. He was tired and ironically, despite laying in bed all day, Seungcheol could feel himself melting from the overbearing fatigue. Random thoughts had been invading his mind and as much as Seungcheol wanted to sleep, he found himself stuck in the floating phase, excruciatingly hovering between being awake and asleep. Each time he wandered along the shore of dreamland, a small voice which was far too loud for Seungcheol would instantly pull him back, situating him on the initial borderline.

He did then covered his face with a pillow, even screamed into it to mask the voice in his head. However, all of the effort was to no avail.

Seungcheol could still hear him.

“You know nothing about me.”

“You’re ing wrong.”

“Don’t ever come and find me again.”

Brought back to a flashback this morning, Seungcheol felt his lips curling back, emitting a wince far too gruff to his ears. As per usual, he reached for the black jacket in his closet, not forgetting a pair of dark sunglasses, to which was already perched on the bridge of his nose. Only when Jihoon’s warning came onto him that he stripped the items off his body and landed on his bed with a soft grunt.

Seungcheol was losing his mind.

To say he was worried was an understatement. Over the nonsensical admonition his brain had been telling him, the fast beating of his heart progressively took over him, sending him further into an abyss of frustration. Seungcheol had to go and see Jihoon. Anything. Just to make sure the boy was safe. However, Seungcheol was not that ignorant and besides, he had his own ego to be considered. He was aware that he had driven Jihoon past his point and to say the least, it was unfair if he were to keep on pressing the boy.

But what could be done when ‘marriage’ was the best solution he could think of?

“I am useless.”

“You what now?” Jeonghan poked his head into the room, a smile plastered on his face. When Seungcheol did not retort in a way Jeonghan expected him to be, Jeonghan invited himself in. The moment Seungcheol’s face came into his very own peripheral, Jeonghan rolled his eyes at the other because that idiot looked as if he just downed 10 bottles of soju. “What are you? A zombie?”

“More like a failure.”

And that was all it took for Jeonghan to saunter in, not forgetting to lock the door behind him as he took a seat beside his friend.

“I’m all ears.”

- - - - - - - - - - -

“Earth to Seokmin?”

“Huh?”

“I swear I’ve been talking to myself for the past 5 minutes.” Soonyoung chuckled, bumping his shoulder with the younger which invited a short scoff from Seokmin. “It’s getting boring.”

“Says the chatterbox himself.” And Seokmin laughed, genuine this time because Soonyoung just pouted, cheeks mirroring a puffer fish. It was cute so to say. But of course, those words remained buried in the back of his throat. Soonyoung did not need to know that. Neither should he know about his concern towards Jihoon. It was unnecessary and given how hard Soonyoung had been working to get a decent meal on his plate, Seokmin did not want to add the much unneeded stress onto the blonde.

Still, this was the Kwon Soonyoung he was talking about.

“And says the person who talks as much as I do. Spill.” Soonyoung knew everything. So when Soonyoung planted his feet in front of Seokmin, eyes not once faltering, Seokmin found that it was nearly impossible to lie and walk away. Thus, Seokmin stripped down the mask he had been wearing, showing the hidden traces of anxiety in its stark- form.

“It’s Jihoon-hyung.”

Silence then enveloped them like a thick blanket.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Jihoon lost track of the numbers in his head whilst he scanned the wrist of a seemingly mid-thirty-year-old woman, too rich to be a Bourgeois. Noticing the long strip of black, the same engraving he had spotted on Seungcheol’s wrist, his heart ached at the sight. And truth to be told, Jihoon loathed it. He just wanted to scrub the image off from his eyes, for it kept coming back and ironically, each time he tried to forget, it came back crisper and clearer than before.

Despite so, underneath the bubbling surface of this feeling called detestation, Jihoon could sense a light foam of happiness. One that he’d rather dive for, given that he may have to go through the scorching fire. Because he craved for the soft sensation. Because he wanted to be engulfed in said comfort.

However, Jihoon was not that fearless.

Throughout his years as an Indigent, Jihoon had been extra careful with his bubble. He tried not to poke through the thin layer, he tried not to take a step out of his comfort zone. For Jihoon had Seokmin to think of and he could not sacrifice the shelter they built for his own precarious yearning. That would be selfish of him.

Yet to see Seungcheol, even talking to him was basically a threat to his very own bubble-like cordon. With every smile and every exchange that they shared, Jihoon could literally feel the walls thinning and somehow, he had a hunch that those hazel eyes would manage to prick through like a fine needle one day.

That alone was enough to scare the out of Jihoon.

Consequently, when he felt a hand on his shoulders, he reflexively jumped at the contact, only to find Chan smiling at him.

“Are you okay?” Chan asked in a careful manner, his hands already wrapped around Jihoon’s as he took the scanner from the other. Jihoon managed to give him a decent nod, though Chan did not seem as if he bought the outward lie. So instead, he took the initial spot Jihoon had been standing in and ushered the now flushed elder to the espresso machine, saying that he needed a break from the counter.

Jihoon immediately complied as he himself was starting to get a cramp on his face from the excessively fake smiles he threw at one customer to another. And watching how Chan effortlessly handled the previously long queue, Jihoon threw the boy one last smile before he drowned himself in the fragrance of coffee and the swirling sound of the machine.

- - - - - - - - - - -

Kicking the third pebble he had found on the sidewalk, Seungcheol clucked his tongue with his alveolar ridge, emitting an irritated ‘tch’. He was not fond of the idea of going outside and taking a breather, but with how Jeonghan kept insisting that it would “help to clear your thoughts”, Seungcheol reluctantly grabbed for his coat and dashed out of the house.

Except once he was outside, Seungcheol did not know where to go. Henceforth, he rounded the area, meeting the same neighbor who was plowing the snow to which Seungcheol greeted each time. By the fourth time he greeted the elder, he thought it was best for him to ignore him because he swore he saw a slight annoyance flashed through Mr. Sung’s eyes.

Seungcheol came to a conclusion that he had done enough walking for a year.

So he ducked into his house as he toed off his sneakers, only to find four uninvited guests in the living room. His living room. Judging by the few empty cans all over the table and half emptied packets of chips, the four: Hansol, Wonwoo, Jisoo and Jeonghan might have been there for at least an hour tops. A known cue that both of his parents weren’t home.

“Los Angeles,” Hansol answered curtly. Seungcheol nodded, registering that they did in fact tell him about their supposed business trip there. Not wanting to deal with any of the stares, he flopped down to an empty spot beside Jisoo, snorting not-so-slightly when he saw Jeonghan’s hand in the lap of Hong Jisoo.

“For tonight, let's cross out the romantic movies.”

- - - - - - - - - - -

By 5 in the afternoon, fortunately the café started to subdue and finally Jihoon was able to take a breather on one of the unoccupied chairs. He had been going back and forth to brew the coffee, simultaneously keeping tab on the orders that he was amazed at how Chan was able to put up with his station. Especially during rush hour. Damn, 1 to 2 p.m. was the period Jihoon greatly detested whenever he had a shift at the café. The tiny place could be jam packed, as if they were the only café around.

Well, at least the buzz helped him to keep his mind off things.

“Hard day, huh?” Chan emerged from the storeroom, his hands were occupied with few small boxes to which Jihoon helped out to carry half of them. Muttering a short thanks, the two proceeded to store the boxes underneath the counter, only to resume their respective spots at the table. As Jihoon’s eyes slowly fluttering close, wishing to catch up on a short 5-minute nap, Chan decided to break the silence, “Hyung, may I say something?”

Well, that’s a first.

Given how Chan was rather talkative for his age, it was not a surprise. But then again, the exchanges they had never did stray away from work itself. His tone did come off as important so Jihoon simply hummed, nodding with his eyes still closed.

“I kind of notice that you’ve been distracted lately,” Chan started off, the tremble in his voice brought Jihoon out from the nap he was about to saunter in. The haze of sleepiness now shredded from his eyes. Jihoon could hear the alarm blaring in his head, the same ringing he once heard with Seungcheol; and it was nowhere pleasant. But looking at the now abashed Chan, Jihoon thought it was best of him to wave it in a nonchalant manner, letting his head fell back with a soft thud.

“I’m fine, Chan.”

“You know you could talk to me right?” Surprisingly Jihoon couldn’t. Yes, Seokmin did offer his ears, and so did Mingyu and Seungkwan. Still, he was not able to say a word, thus it was safe to say he would not be able to do so with Chan either. His head had been a mess and his heart had been clogged by some sort of suffocation. Thus, he did what any coward like him would do.

He dodged the bullet.

“It’s late,” Jihoon arose from his seat, the chair gave a little squeak as he pushed it back with the back of his legs. Ruffling the boy’s hair which caused Chan to slightly pout, Jihoon smiled, “You should go home.”

Just as he was about to turn around, with his apron already detached from his waist, Chan stopped him in his track.

“Don’t people frequently say to follow your heart?

The thing was that Jihoon did not even know exactly what his heart wanted.

- - - - - - - - - - -

The tick of the clock was accompanying the punches on the screen, as Captain America flung his infamous shield at an opponent while Ironman shot his way through an army of enemies which invited gasps from the boys themselves. Although Hansol complained when he first saw Wonwoo’s pick, even muttering a short, “Avengers again?”, he ended up being the most engrossed one of all. Particularly with how his body kept jerking to every movement Ironman did, because as quoted, “Ironman is my soul.”

For once, Seungcheol was grateful to be on the other end of the couch. Otherwise, he would have long smacked the boy across his head, or worst kicked him off the sofa. Well, Seungcheol could confiscate his MacBook later. That ought to put him to stop. Sensing a glaring Wonwoo from the corner of his eyes, it seemed that he was planning the same scheme as Seungcheol.

Maybe I could partner up with Wonwoo later.

“Seungcheol.” Jisoo suddenly quipped, a full ten minutes before the credits were expected to roll in. Seungcheol, not exactly paying attention to the movie itself replied with a low hum, signalling him to continue. “Are you lonely?”

Almost instantly, the room went stagnant.

“That’s rather random of you, Hong Jisoo.”

“He’s not wrong though,” a deep voice came a beat later.

“Care to fill in, Wonwoo?”

“Just admit it, will you? Jeonghan hyung already told us everything.” As soon as the words left Hansol’s seemingly dry lips, Seungcheol casted a glare at the long haired blabbermouth, who in return shrugged as the suspect further snugged into Jisoo’s hold. Hansol, who was watching the two could only force out a sigh, a little too brusque for a boy his age. “Hyung, I may not be the best person to say this: but you may want to think deeply.”

Should he? Should Seungcheol take the time to actually ‘think’? Especially at a time like this?

“It’s the only way, Hansol.”

“Have you ever thought about Jihoon?” Once again, Jisoo took the plunge, diving a little too close to Seungcheol’s own line called ‘privacy’. He had to admit; it surprised the elder to see Jisoo in such manner with how Jisoo was never the type to meddle. None that he was aware of. Though sensing the reluctance Jeonghan had been exuding, Seungcheol deduced that his best friend of fifteen years might have expressed his concerns at Jisoo. “Did you consider about Jihoon? He-”

“Which is the very reason why I asked him to marry me.” Seungcheol intercepted, the act itself invited a solid sigh from Jeonghan. He could see Jeonghan being this close to yelling at him, presumably ready to throw him words like “idiot” and “fool”. But when Jisoo put his hand on Jeonghan’s lap, giving it a couple pat, Jeonghan recoiled from his anger.

“Like maybe think from his perspective?” Jisoo gave it another try and this time, it managed to tug the heart of the raven. “For an Indigent like him to change into an Opulent, it wont’t be an easy feat, Seungcheol. He has many sacrifices to be made as well.”

“By sacrifices, you mean?”

“I don’t know. His friends? His world?”

With one final jab – a relatively hard one – to his heart, Seungcheol remained shut.

- - - - - - - - - - -

One night, while Seokmin was pining onto his almost battered books for the upcoming college admission test, Jihoon patted him as he passed by, muttering a short, “Roof”. Noticing his brother’s back already halfway out of the door, questions died down in his throat and Seokmin decided that studying could wait.

When he reached the top of the stairs, with Jihoon all tensed and his hands clasped behind him, Seokmin had a hunch that it was going to be a long night. Seokmin cleared his throat, announcing his arrival, carefully taking a seat on the ledge as the crisp of the cold night nibbled onto his exposed skin – devouring him like little monsters. Jihoon on the other hand was appalled to see Seomin relatively close to the edge, given that Seokmin had never been good with high places. Completely dismissing the fact that his lower half was inwards rather than dangling over an empty air.

“What?” Finally noticing the creases on Jihoon’s face, Seokmin patted the empty spot next to him. “It’s gonna take awhile right?”

And the elder complied.

Nevertheless, the moment he settled himself, just inches away from the smiling Seokmin, Jihoon came to find that his lips were frozen. It was not due to the subzero winter and neither was it from the cold shower he took minutes ago. The reason was simply because the courage he had been building for the whole day was starting to melt away.

Jihoon was never good with words and that alone terrified him. Yet he tried. For himself, for what about to come. But most importantly, for his precious younger brother, Lee Seokmin. Chan’s words from few nights before started to echo in his head. Yeah, he should just follow his heart. That would be a piece of cake.

Right?

“Hyung.”

.

“Y-yeah?”

“You know you could tell me anything, right?” Seokmin smiled, eyes mirroring the crescent moon in the night sky, though Seokmin’s own pair shone brighter to Jihoon which made it harder for him to say anything. Jihoon did not want to take the shine away from Seokmin, not when he had promised to protect the boy until his very last breath.

So how the hell could he possibly do this?

“Seokmin-ah,” Jihoon started off carefully, as if balancing on a fine thread in which could snap anytime soon. Cold sweat started to form on his forehead, hands starting to feel numb from the constant digging of the nails. Jihoon could not dilly dally any longer. He could do this; he should. “What if I were to say that-”

“I’ll be fine, hyung.”

Huh?

“I can take care of myself.”

What? It couldn’t be…

“Don’t let this brother of yours be the anchor to your decisions.”

That traitor.

“Soonyoung told you, didn’t he?” Not receiving any answer from the boy in front of him, Jihoon let out a grunt. “I swear, Kwon Soonyoun-“

“It wasn’t his fault,” Seokmin took the wheel of conversation, eyes casted on anywhere but Jihoon. “I made him talk. But hyung -” Jihoon raised his head at the mention of his name, slightly regretting his action when he saw a strange flicker in Seokmin’s eyes “- why didn’t you tell me?”

Instantly, his heart dropped. Jihoon did not know why, but seeing the smiling Seokmin before him actually did him more damage than good. The crescent eyes from seconds ago were now nowhere to be seen. His lips did curve at the ends, in which Jihoon believed it was more to comfort him rather than an actual illustration of happiness. Sadly, it was ripping him apart. It would be more reassuring if Seokmin was yelling at him, knock him even. But who was he kidding. Seokmin would never hurt him. Lee Seokmin was the kind to never hurt an ant.

“I’m sorry, but I did not decide on anything yet for me to tell.” And indeed it was the truth. Jihoon did not mean to put Seokmin in the dark. He needed time to think, to organize his thoughts.

“I know. You’re my brother, but you can be a fool at times.” Seokmin laughed as Jihoon managed to land a soft blow to his shoulder, annoyance manifested on his face as his lips gradually turned into a small smile. “Anyway, I mean it when I say I could take care of myself just fine. I’m eighteen for god’s sake.”

“Eighteen my . You can’t even iron your clothes without burning a hole through them.”

“That was one time!”

And in chorus, the two of them laughed, taking over the primarily silent night. It was refreshing – at least to Jihoon. He missed this; the laughter, the silly banters, the downright lame Seokmin-copyrighted jokes. Somehow Jihoon felt guilty. He had been too busy for the boy, with part time jobs taking a huge portion of his time.

That’s why once their laughter died down, Jihoon decided it was best for him to lay everything out. Seokmin needed to know the full story. His brother was important to him and Jihoon was well aware that he should put in more effort, even though he was a tough jar to break.

Before Jihoon could let the well-thought words go through the barrier of his lips, Seokmin dove for his stature, encasing him in a surprise embrace. It was known that Jihoon was never keen of skinship, let alone a hug. So when Seokmin felt one hand on his back, near the blade of his shoulder, he cracked the biggest smile he could muster. It may be insignificant to others, but the said action spoke a volume to Seokmin. A strong indication that Jihoon was okay, that his brother cared for him. Of course, it showed that Jihoon loved him as much as Seokmin loved Jihoon, or probably more.

It’s going to be okay.

“I won’t leave you,” Jihoon mumbled, his voice muffled by the coat Seokmin wore.

“You’re gonna stick onto me like a leech, won’t you?”

“Shut up.”

AUTHOR'S NOTE

FINALLY. IT'S OUT!
Fuhhhh this has got to be the longest chapter ever.
With the record of 5000+ words in total!
Achievement unlocked!!

Anyway sorry it took some time. 
I know I told you guys how I'm on my break,
but I had to go to my grandparents' house
for new year and even had to settle few things.
But I'm free for good now!
So do expect more frequent updates! :D

Anyway, thank you so much for 500+ subscribers!
And for 8000+ followers on Tumblr!
You guys are the best!! ;;;;;;

I'll see you guys on the next chapter!
xoxo
Nash

Beta'ed by my lovely Kim, @mochajisoo