“So...who’s your friend and why does he look like he is about to murder someone?” Woohyun inquired, a cheeky grin on his pale face. Even though cancer was wracking through his body, putting him through, what Myungsoo believed, was unimaginable pain, he was still so cheerful.

Probably because he has killed before.

“Uhhh...he’s just shy. He’s been through a lot. He’s closed off.” Myungsoo answered. He could feel Sunggyu’s eyes inspecting him, and he felt his heart pound faster. , , don’t you blow this Soo.

“Where did you guys even meet? I don’t think I’ve ever met him before.”

“Uhhh...he’s one of the uncles of one of the kids in the daycare. He basically takes care of one of the kids since his parents are always abroad on international trips for their company.” That...technically wasn’t a lie. He did have a student whose parents were some rich CEOs of a cosmetic company, and the kid was always picked up by an uncle, but the two never really talked.

“You should invite him in.” Sunggyu peeped up, after silently listening to the conversation. , , no way, hyung, you will probably call the cops, or worst, try to kill him if you actually looked at him closely.

“He’s a little shy.” Myungsoo replied, chuckling nervously as he began to rub the nape of him neck, “He doesn’t really like meeting new people. It took him a long time to even say hi to me. He would just grunt and nod at me everytime he came to pick up his nephew. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable. After all, he only agreed to come with me because I was meeting with him to talk to him about his nephew and I already made plans to visit, so he didn’t mind driving me because it was on the way to his place and…”

“Soo…” Woohyun interrupted cheekily “Are you guys like dating or something?”

“W-What? N-No! He just gave me a lift here because I was in a rush.” He spluttered. He could feel his cheeks burning up.

“Oh really?? Then why are you blushing?”

“CUZ!” Myungsoo exploded before realizing his volume. “Because,” he repeated at a more appropriate volume, “you’re embarrassing.”

Woohyun put a hand on his chest. “Embarrassing? Me? Never. You wound me, your brother in law. How could you?” He fell back onto the bed dramatically, and Myungsoo saw Sunggyu roll his eyes. “Gyuuuuuuu,” Woohyun whined, “discipline our son.”

“Ewwwwwwww, I could never have Sunggyu as a father. I am way too good looking to have come from his genetic pool”

“Yah! You idiot! We’re brothers, we come from the same genetic pool regardless! Besides, it is sooooo obvious that I am the good looking one. Just ask Woohyun” Sunggyu retorted, sticking out his tongue before grabbing Woohyun’s hands and putting each one on his cheeks.

“Tell your brother in law that his hyung that he’s the better looking one”

“Uhhhhhhhh…..”

“OH MY GOD! YOU TRAITOR!” Sunggyu cried before all three of them stared at each other for a moment.

And then, a sound that Myungsoo hadn’t heard in a long time.

Laughter. Joyous, exuberant, unforced, uncontrollable, laughter.

Expressions of pure joy on everyone’s face. Even if that happiness was only fleeting before the reality set in, it was still...beautiful

This is what I am doing this for, he reminded himself. For sunggyu-hyung to be happy, even if it is just for one more millisecond.

It’s all be worth it.

*Update*

Sungyeol looked down at his phone that vibrated in his hand. A new message from Sungjong. His eyes trailed to the door that the boy and his family were behind before turning his head back to the one-worded message. Should he tell him the ill man survived? Should he respond with a simple answer? Should he even respond at all?

He sat there, the loud noises of the hospital becoming only murmurs in his ears as he bore holes into his phone. With his thumb hovering over the keyboard, his stoic expression hid the nervousness that he felt in his heart- a particular feeling he had not experienced in a while. A feeling that led him to some sort of confusion.

He’s here and he’s safe. He typed. No problems at all.

The response was quick and curt.

Keep me posted. Make sure he remembers the transaction date. -SJ

He loitered around the hallway, unwilling to intrude into the family reunion. He had morals. Besides, he was sure that Sunggyu would recognize him in an instant, seeing that they had seen each other around Sungjong’s mansion multiple times. The last thing he wanted was for Sungjong’s arrangement to fall through the cracks because of his decision. And if that happened, the consequences would be dire for him.

Not to the point involving death though. That was different. While the majority, actually almost all, of the guards were loyal to him out of either fear or monetary reasons (probably a combination of both), he was loyal to Sungjong because of an action that Sungjong did for him so long ago, one that changed his life forever.

The day he met Sungjong and was unofficially adopted to be his brother.

He was crouching in the alleyway. Shivering. Trying to retain the little warmth he conjured. It was a cold day. Horribly so. He had been on his own for almost 3 months. Which was 3 months too long for a 13 year old boy. He had no one. His brother having disappeared one night 3 months ago after he had gotten a call from an unknown person. He had just gotten up, and walked out, shouting to Sungyeol that he would be back in about an hour.

An hour became two hours, then three, then four, then 24….then 48….until now. He didn’t know where his brother went, having taken his cell phone with him. And he didn’t want to call the cops because he knew...that the cops and his brother weren’t on the best terms, with his brother having been arrested multiple times, from drunk and disorderly behavior, to assault

Sometimes he had felt that his brother left him deliberately. They were children. His brother had trouble surviving himself, let alone have another life in his hands to take care of. Nevertheless, he was on his own now. Even if his brother had left him, there was the small chance that he was hurt, that he could be in trouble. And Sungyeol deserved answers. So he went looking for him. Going to known gambling hotspots, bars, the seedy part of towns alone, asking strangers if they had seen his brother. Day after day. He did this. The future seemed more and more bleak as days passed, as his bones began to protrude and his hair matted down from the dirt and grime. As his stomach grumbled louder and louder. As the money that he had after tearing through his house for all the cash he could find, along with anything valuable that he could pawn off from money, grew smaller and smaller each day. He was growing more tired, more desperate. More ready to give up on living. Until he came.

Sungyeol called him an angel. A boy who came to him at his time of need. A boy who, unlike his teared clothing and dirt covered skin, wore a think coat with a fur scarf. He treated Sungyeol like an old time friend. Chatting to him and revealing information about his life. Offering him snacks and treats, not blinking an eye when he offered his coat and scarf to him.

It’s fine, he had told him. I’m wearing like 5 sweaters under this. Besides, he added nonchalantly, you look like you need it more than me.

He rarely let Sungyeol speak about his life. Maybe he had been too excited to talk and chat, but Sungyeol was okay with that. He was never one to talk anyways. He talked about all that he had seen from around the world, with his parents bringing him to exotic vacation spots every summer once school was out, letting his explore and learn about nature, about different cultures and meeting new people everyday. Sungyeol would listen intently, comparing it with jealousy to his own dying life.

“Father’s already talking about making me the next in line to take over his business.” He had said, “Though I’m not really sure what kind of business it is he does, but it gives us a lot of money and that’s something we need so I’m excited to be the next. You can probably work with me.” He added excitedly, “We can be best friends running a million dollar business!”

Sungyeol liked the thought of that. Maybe his brother would come back and they could reunite. Maybe the three of them could live in a mansion in blissfulness and spend the rest of their lives, never experiencing the feeling of hunger, of cold, of loneliness, again.

He had jumped at the chance eagerly. And was even more grateful when Sungjong defended him in front of his father, arguing with him about keeping Sungyeol with him, ensuring him over and over that Sungyeol wasn’t going to be a threat to their family. In fact, he was going to be their greatest ally.

Though, as time passed, and Sungjong became more and more involved in the family business, Sungyeol began to witness change. It wasn’t just the change in their bodies, as they became men, but it was the change of Sungjong’s once bubbly personality, his cheerfulness, his exuberance, his extraordinary ability to see the good in people dwindle He was becoming more hostile and cold. More meaner, more isolated. He stopped telling Sungyeol intimate details of his life, even going to the extent of moving the man’s room to a smaller one near the maids.

Yet, he never stopped thinking of Sungyeol as his hyung, treating him like family. It was just that, his definition of family had also changed. It wasn’t loving and caring, but rather, business-like. He stopped calling his father ‘father’, and began referring to him as ‘sir’. Therefore, calling Sungyeol as ‘Sungyeol’ and never again ‘Yeollie’.

And that was what Sungyeol saw family to be as, from someone who was willing to disappear without a trace, to someone who is just there to help you get you what you want. And he lived with that perception of family for over 10 years. Until the day he met Myungsoo and his family.

He had never seen such happiness, such pure love and adoration, such a sense of selflessness and protectiveness that didn’t involve some kind of benefit for the other person. Even though he had heard the story of the Kim and Nam family from Sungjong, he still couldn’t believe, even though one was dying, and two were in debt to Sungjong, they all still smiled, still laughed, still teased each other, still embraced each other, and were willing to lie to each other just so the others would not worry about him

This wasn’t the definition of family that he grew up with.

It wasn’t something he could fathom. To feel warmth and happiness within others. It just never happened in his life.

Though it filled him with envy and jealousy, unbeknownst to him, there was an a small tinge of hope that maybe he could experience the same.

A small sound of a throat clearing jolted him out of his thoughts. He turned around, seeing Myungsoo behind him, his hand poised to tap him on the shoulder.

“We can go now. Woohyun-hyung needs his rest, and I would prefer you to leave before Sunggyu-hyung comes out and screams bloody murder.” Myungsoo weakly joked. Sungyeol nodded, and with that, the two men began to walk towards the elevator. Sungyeol pushed the down button, and they stood there, awkwardly. Sungyeol’s mind was running wild, though he didn’t show it. He was feeling all sorts of emotions.

Until he heard Myungsoo speak softly.

“Thank you, for letting me see my family.” He glanced over at Myungsoo, who was looking down at the ground, a light blush on his cheeks, a small smile lingering on his lips.

“There is nothing to thank me for. My orders are merely to accompany you and protect you. I have explicit orders from Sungjong to not mess with your life. You can continue on with your daily life. Just know I am going to be right there, watching.” Myungsoo just nodded in response, unsure of what to say.

Though Sungyeol couldn’t deny that his heart beat a little faster in happiness. And with that, the elevator doors opened, and the two stepped in, ready to head into the world, and into reality.

Sorry for being so bad at following and upload schedule omg