So here is it, folks! This chapter reveals too much information lol. I hope you won’t be confused after this because there is nothing to be confused about anymore. Happy New Year 2013 everyone! Wishing each and every one of you all the best in the new year <3 Happy reading! Much love, fairybubbly. 

It was a quiet Tuesday winter afternoon with the sun casting its rare warmth to the earth. Doojoon was sitting contently behind the manga store counter, wrapped in a thick grey wool sweater, a pair of black framed glasses resting on the bridge of his nose. Yoseob was going to be in school all day, and none of those troublemakers, namely Yong Pari, Kikwanggu, and Son Dongni – Doojoon would forever chortle upon hearing Yoseob mentioning any of those – were to be expected in the manga rental store today.

Doojoon had never imagined leading the kind of life he was having now. Working with minimum wage in a manga rental store, not having any active phone (the hidden phone was not counted, mind you), living in a small barely-enough-for-two-people apartment with no maids or helpers around, doing house chores every single day, buying groceries and learning how to cook. But it was perfect nonetheless.

It was perfect because he was with Yoseob. Living with Yoseob, going to the supermarket with Yoseob, cooking and doing house chores with Yoseob, eating with Yoseob, talking with Yoseob, laughing with Yoseob, crying with Yoseob, sleeping with Yoseob in the same bed, having Yoseob in his arms every night, waking up with Yoseob every morning, going home to Yoseob.

Ever since Yoseob’s heartbreaking breakdown a couple weeks ago, Doojoon felt so much closer to the younger man, it was like a heavy dark curtain had been lifted up and he could finally understand Yoseob’s feelings a little bit more. They had also slept together on the bed in the bedroom every night – no more makeshift bed on the couch for Yoseob – with the younger man curled up against Doojoon and his hands tight around Yoseob’s waist. Doojoon had never felt better in his entire life – or lighter or happier or more fulfilled – than when Yoseob looked up to him before they went to sleep or after they woke up and he could see happiness and bright sparks in the younger man’s eyes.

They had not talked about their newfound affection for one another though. It was true that they had become much more loving, yet their current relationship was way more complicated than what met the eyes. Doojoon smiled to himself, well whatever it is, it will always be perfect with Yoseob.

“Am I imagining a smile on you, Hyungnim?”

Upon hearing the familiar voice, Doojoon stopped writing on the accounting book. Slowly, he brought his head up and stared at the handsome young man leaning on the frame of the store entrance. He was in a formal suit, an outfit all male clan members were obligated to wear all the time, no excuses accepted upon failure to comply with this basic rule. The stranger was lithe and tall, with an attractive smirk on his face, “I almost don’t recognize you without your suit, Hyungnim.”

Doojoon narrowed his eyes and drawled out, “Is that how you greet your leader, Jihoonah?”

The young man named Jihoon chuckled and immediately straightened his posture and bow politely to Doojoon, “Hello, Hyungnim. I am very sorry I forget my manners.”

“Why are you here?”

Jihoon winced, pretending to be hurt from Doojoon’s straightforward question. “Ouch, that was harsh. Don’t you want to know how we are doing? The clan? Gayoonnie?” Jihoon raised his eyebrows to taunt the clan leader.

Doojoon’s hardened expression showed he had no patience to play along as he put down his pen on the table, “I repeat, why are you here?”

 Jihoon snickered lightly and cleared his throat, “Why else would I be here? Of course because of Yang Yoseob.” He paused for a while and approached Doojoon at the cashier counter, “Or should I say Yoon Yoseob, Hyungnim?”

Doojoon did not even blink when he glared at the young man, “And why would Yang Yoseob be an interest for you?” Doojoon asked as he leaned back into the uncomfortable chair and folded both of his hands in front of his chest.

“It might not be an interest for me,” Jihoon’s left was perched at the edge of the cashier table as he scrupulously eyed the rental store before looking back at the clan leader, “but Madam might be interested in him.”

Doojoon snorted and rolled his eyes at the answer, Yoon Jihoon was too young to be playing games with him. “The struggle for power and leadership has been settled long ago. Yoon appa had officially told everyone in the clan that neither Gayoonnie nor Madam would continue his legacy, or were you too young to remember that, Jihoonah?” The clan leader smiled mockingly at the young man. “She has no interest in him anymore. Well, she might still be bitter about the whole ‘that has affair with my husband’ and other stuff, but she won’t ever be the brain to whatever is going on.” Doojoon leaned forward and tilted his head a little to have a better view of Jihoon’s face, “On the other hand, you are young and ambitious. You have always tried to be better than me in every single thing since you came into the family. You have the capability to do things.” Doojoon smirked as he saw Jihoon’s expression quickly changed. “This time you will be the brain.”

Doojoon continued slowly, voice low and threatening, “You are interested in finding Yoseob to get the key so you can be the clan leader instead of me. I am the appointed next leader by appa, it is official and I hope you will never forget that.”

Jihoon scoffed at this and brought his chin up, showing an arrogance which was beyond his years, “It will never be official until you get the key, Hyungnim. They key opens a safe which contains appa’s will, and then we will all know if you are the official next leader.” He walked around the cashier table and leaned down, his face inches away from Doojoon’s, “Until the will is found, it’s still everybody’s game, Doojoonah.” The young man smirked menacingly when Doojoon’s eyebrow twitched at the informal way of speaking.

“You should watch that mouth of yours, Jihoonah.”

Jihoon chuckled lightly and made his way to the nearest aisle, bending down to observe a few manga titles on the shelves, “Likewise, Hyungnim. Remember that we are not different from one another; in fact both of us are the same, unlike Gayoonie or Yoseob. We are not of the Yoon blood, you were taken in from the street by appa to watch over Gayoon, to be her friend, be her protector, to be with her all the time. When Mistress and Yoseob went missing, appa decided to make you his successor because his real son was nowhere to be found. And then I was taken in to replace you to watch over Gayoon.” He blew on the dust on his fingers after touching the mangas, “You’d better not feel special just because you call the Yoon previous leader appa and Madam eomma. All of us in the clan do, we are a family, Hyungnim.”

Doojoon warned the young man, “Don’t you even dare touch a strand of Yoseob’s hair.”

“Well, Gayoon’s fervent love for you might make you feel special, though you have heartlessly rejected the idea of getting romantically linked with her.”

“She is my younger sister, I love her as a sibling. There is nothing but a deep family bond with her.” Doojoon explained, losing his patience.

Jihoon started laughing again, “You are not a Yoon by blood, Hyungnim. Practically she is not related to you at all. She is worried about you, by the way.”

Doojoon narrowed his eyes, he was not going to play along with the snake, “What do you want?”

Jihoon heaved a loud sigh, “As you have always known, I am tired of being second. I am of the same age as you and yet I am calling you Hyungnim. I am as capable as you are and yet appa decided you are the next clan leader. We both do not have Yoon blood running through our veins, but everyone respects you like you are a full blooded Yoon heir. Also, I have no idea what Gayoon sees in you, but I a much better companion for her, to protect her, not you. I think I deserve an equal chance of having what you have been given, Doojoonah.”

Doojoon smirked and shook his head in disbelief, Jihoon could never and would never change. “I am not going to tell you anything other than to stay away from Yoseob and I mean it. I have no right to tell you what to do, you have your own ambitions and dreams and it is up to you to realize them. Just don’t get anyone innocent involved in this and definitely stay away from Yoseob.” Doojoon stared seriously at the young man, conveying his gentle warning.

Jihoon smiled to Doojoon and asked suspiciously, “What is Yoseob to you? Why are you so concerned for him?”

The clan leader raised an eyebrow at him, “He is not involved in this.”

“On the contrary, Yoseob is the centre of all this. How can he not get involved?”

When Doojoon’s expression morphed into a cold-blooded murderer, Jihoon held up his hands mid air to pacify the older man, “Woah, okay. Chill. Geez.”

Doojoon told him the last warning, “Stay away from him.”

Jihoon put a hand under his chin and asked, “Does he know about you, Hyungnim? Like your identity and stuff?” Doojoon looked at him like he had lost his ing mind and Jihoon immediately understood, “Ahhh. Okay. So he doesn’t know anything. But there will come a day when all truths will be revealed, Hyungnim. And you must pay for all the consequences.” The clan leader made no move but raised his eyebrows at the tall man in front of him.

Jihoon snickered and walked to the door, he bowed politely before exiting the rental store. “Well, it was great seeing you alive and well. I’ll see you soon, Hyungnim.” Doojoon waved as the young man entered the passenger seat of a sleek black car, waiting for the car to be out of sight when he pulled out his phone and dialed Junhyung’s number.

“Yes?” Came Junhyung’s voice from the other end.

Eyes still on the road although the car had driven off out of sight, Doojoon spoke an order to Junhyung, “Jihoon knows about Yoseob. Keep him tight, observe every move he makes, every contact he has, every plan he sets up. I need updates on him and don’t let him in on any information we have on Yoseob.”

Junhyung questioned, “Is there anything I should know, Doojoonah?” The older man replied, “He came by to the store a moment ago and talked about getting the things I have and other . I know he has something up his sleeves, I hope it does not include Yoseob in any way, but I have a strong feeling that he will be involved in one way or another. Keep any eye on him, Junhyungah.”

“Yes.” Junhyung confirmed his understanding before Doojoon hung up and started thinking. Whatever happened, he must keep Yoseob safe.

O~O~O~O~O~O~O

“Doojoonie?”

“Hmm?”

“What are your dreams?”

Doojoon opened his closed eyes and stared blankly towards the wall across from him and tightened his hold around Yoseob’s stomach. They were laying on the bed, relaxing after a tiring day with Yoseob’s back molding perfectly against the older man’s chest, Doojoon’s eyes were closed before the question – he was drifting in and out of consciousness as sleep tried to claim him – while one of his hands wrapped firmly around Yoseob’s waist and stomach, and the other one was placed under the younger man’s head like a warm pillow.

“Doojoonah,” Yoseob urged gently as he placed his own hand on top of Doojoon’s and caressed the older man’s hardened knuckles softly, “care to share your dreams with me?”

It was not that Doojoon did not want to share his dreams with the younger man – he would love to – but the problem was, he did not own any dream; he was a practical guy, realistic to the core, and he lived for the present. Dreams did not exist for him, it was a privilege for others, but not for him. He had been into a world where loyalty, hard work, and integrity ruled over anything. He thought hard and buried his face deeper into Yoseob’s hair, inhaling the strawberry scent from Yoseob’s new shampoo, wondering if he even had any dreams at all.

Yoseob turned a little bit to look at Doojoon, worried because the older man did not answer his question and was awfully quiet. “Doojoonah, are you okay?” There was obvious concern in Yoseob’s childlike face and Doojoon immediately smiled to hide his discomfort from the question, “Yeah sorry, I was just… Sorry. It’s good to hold you like this.” Doojoon rearranged their positions and now both of his hands wrapped around Yoseob’s tiny waist and his fingers intertwined on Yoseob’s flat stomach. He let out a sigh of contentment of their new position and Yoseob chuckled, his back shook a little on Doojoon’s chest.

A moment of comfortable silence dawned upon them with Yoseob’s fingers lovingly on Doojoon’s hands, their legs tangled comfortably around one another. Yoseob cleared his throat and asked nervously, “Doojoonah, can I ask you something?”

“Uh-hmm.” Doojoon hummed sleepily.

“Can you kiss me?” Yoseob’s voice was soft but Doojoon could hear the clear certainty in it.

The clan leader propped his head up to look at Yoseob, he widened his eyes in confusion, “Now?”

Yoseob laughed and rolled his eyes, he could trust Doojoon to ruin every delicate and romantic situation with his fail. “No, when I’m eighty.” He turned a little to face Doojoon, “Of course now, you babo.”

There was a pause as Doojoon stared deeply into Yoseob’s eyes, searching for doubt and hesitation. When he saw none, he smiled and said decisively, “Okay.” The smile bloomed into a full grin and Yoseob was immediately lost in it.

Doojoon released his hold to turn Yoseob around so that they were facing each other this time. He locked his fingers at the lower part of Yoseob’s back, pulling the younger man instinctively closer. Their faces were only mere inches when Doojoon took his time to memorize every part of Yoseob’s face – the chubby cheeks, the dark orbs, the button nose, the long lashes, the cherry red lips – before he moved down slowly towards the inviting lips. He could see his reflection on Yoseob’s eyes, only him and no one else, and he would prefer for it to stay that way.

Yoseob looked up as he parted his lips, eyes wide from the anticipation. When Doojoon’s lips touched his, he closed his eyes as he marveled at the sensation flowing through him. He could feel the soft cushion of Doojoon’s lips against his own and a slight wetness, and it was supposed to gross him out but it did not, not at all. In fact he pressed closer and opened his mouth to slip his tongue out to taste Doojoon, his hands moved to grab Doojoon’s hair to pull him closerclosercloser, because this was not enough.

At the first touch of Doojoon’s tongue in his mouth, Yoseob let out a surprised yelp. The older man’s tongue was warm and pliant and wet and it was supposed to gross Yoseob out; when Doojoon deepened the kiss and entered his tongue to on the inside of the younger man’s mouth, it was seriously supposed to freak Yoseob out. But instead, the younger man whimpered in need and asked for moremoremore, because this was nowhere near enough.

And then Yoseob felt it – the hardness between Doojoon’s legs – poking his inner thigh and he moaned. Oh, the sensation was marvelous, unlike anything he had ever imagined. Blood rushed faster through his veins, his head was light, his brain was fuzzy, his limbs were weak. He was shamelessly when Doojoon decided to stop and pulled his mouth away from Yoseob’s, both panting for breaths. Their lips were still touching lightly as their hot breathes mingled in the space between their mouths, eyes staring intently at each other. When Yoseob moved up to continue the passionate kiss, Doojoon pulled away slightly and pressed their foreheads together.

“More, Doojoonah…” Yoseob begged with his swollen, thoroughly-kissed lips.

, Doojoon just felt himself harden even more. Goddamn . “Yoseobah, let’s just sleep. We are both tired and I cannot promise you that we will stop at only kissing if we continue.”

Yoseob looked up with his pleading eyes, “It’s okay. We can do other stuff too, if you want…”

“Oh god,” Doojoon growled, “Don’t tempt me. Sleep. We need to sleep. Please just go to sleep, alright?”

Yoseob rubbed against the older man’s , “But you are hard. Don’t we need to settle this? How can you sleep with this?” Doojoon let out a frustrated whimper and pushed the younger man away softly, willing his to go away. “Don’t. Just… Yoseobah, please sleep. It’s too soon. Just sleep for now. Please.”

Letting out a defeated sigh, Yoseob nodded and pressed closer, this time without any ual intention. He wrapped his hands around Doojoon’s waist and rested his chubby cheek on the older man’s chest.

“Good night, Doojoonie.”

“Good night, Yoseobah.”

And before long, a soft breathing was heard in the room. Yoseob was already fast asleep. Doojoon closed his eyes and released a long sigh. His conversation with Jihoon started replaying in his head.

He was sure Yoseob would be the death of him.