Doughty

자유 True Beauty
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doughty [ˈdau̇-tē] adj. - marked by fearless resolution

 

“Welcome to Dae’s, how can I help you?” Daehyun called out when the jingling of a bell signaled the entrance of a customer.

“It’s been a long time, Daehyun.”

Daehyun’s hands froze once he registered the familiar voice, and he slowly looked up to see the face that owned it. He pulled his safety goggles off of his head and placed them down next to the amplifier he had been in the midst of rewiring, “It’s nice to see you too, Mihyun. What brings you here?”

“I need twenty explosives,” Mihyun stated as she stared firmly into the boy’s eyes.

There was a beat of silence used for Daehyun to process the girl’s request.

 “Twenty? Are you out of your mind? Why the hell would you want that many explosives? Are you planning to blow up the blue house, or something?” Daehyun’s eyes widened and he gaped with an open jaw at the demand.

Mihyun paused for a second, and her lips lifted into a sly smile as she responded with, “Something along those lines.”

Daehyun shook his head and ran a dirty hand through his messy hair, “You’ve gone mad, Mihyun – absolutely mad.”

“It doesn’t matter if I have,” Mihyun responded with crossed arms. “Are you going to do my order or not? You know there are tons of others I could have gone to, Daehyun, but I came to you. Do you want me to place my money down elsewhere?” Mihyun knew she wouldn’t however, because Daehyun was the only one trustworthy enough to learn about the information she would soon tell him.

Daehyun stared at the girl in front of him in silence. It had been 5 years since he last saw his cousin, and here she was, standing in his workshop while making a ridiculous demand. He stared into the girl’s resilient eyes, and a low chuckle escaped his lips. She certainly hadn’t changed too much during the past 5 years.

“Are you in trouble?” Daehyun asked quietly, his eyes flashing with concern. “Is Chando Samchon in trouble?”

Mihyun quickly shook her head. “I’m not in any trouble, Daehyun, and my Appa… he can’t hear about this, okay?”

Daehyun was taken aback that the girl had requested to keep something hidden from her father. For all the years he has known her, Mihyun was always one to strictly follow the rules, and the fact that she requested for something as big as 20 explosives to be kept a secret from her father certainly aroused Daehyun’s curiosity. “I’m not going to make you twenty explosives if you don’t tell me what they’re for, Mihyun.”

Mihyun nodded her head. “Nor do I expect you to, Daehyun. I will tell you everything that you need to know, but only after you agree to provide me with what I’ve asked for.”

Daehyun fell silent for a few minutes as he thought over the girl’s request. This was the first time Mihyun had asked of anything from him, and he knew that although the order was certainly ridiculous, Mihyun was rational enough not to use them carelessly.

“Well, I have one condition to complete your order,” Daehyun stated as he cleared his throat.

Mihyun raised an eyebrow, a bit nervous on what exactly his requirement would be. It certainly wouldn’t be money seeing as how the elder possessed bags of it, and that was the only thing Mihyun was willing to give up so easily.

Daehyun’s lips spread into his charming grin that had made so many girls fall to his feet. “Call me Oppa.”

“Over my dead body,” Mihyun responded without skipping a beat.

Daehyun laughed and clapped his cousin on the shoulder. “It didn’t hurt to try, right?”

He was wrong; his cousin had changed extremely over the past few years. Her words were stated with more confidence; there was a rosy tint to her cheeks and a bright glint in her eyes. She was happy now, alive. Daehyun was curious as to what was the source of that happiness, but he decided not to pose any questions just yet. Instead, he would simply enjoy the presence of his transformed cousin, and silently thank the unknown stranger that had caused it.

 

“Are you sure about this?” Jaesuk asked hesitantly as the car slowed to a stop. He glanced at Mihyun through the review mirror, and was taken aback by how calmly she was sitting there.

“Positive,” Mihyun responded as she gazed out the window, a small smile spreading across her face at the sight of the familiar building. She opened the car door and tentatively set a foot outside, smiling even wider when a rush of cold air welcomed her back.

“What about your father?” Jaesuk asked as he stared hesitantly back at her.

“What about him?” she carelessly shrugged in return. She turned back to the two boys that remained hesitantly in the car, and pursued her lips as she placed her hands on each side of her hips. “Well, what are you waiting for? I’m sure Baekhyun, Chanyeol, Kyungsoo, and Jongin are looking forward to seeing you both again.”

Luhan and Sehun exchanged a hesitant look before they filed out of the car one after the other.

“You’re just breaking all the rules today, aren’t you?” Jaesuk huffed under his breath as he ran his hand through his hair. His eyes flashed with worry, and he gestured for the girl to step forward. He reached out and caught several strands of Mihyun’s hair that was blowing in the wind. He pressed a gentle kiss against the tips, and tilted his head up to stare straight into her eyes. “I’ll protect you no matter what, you foolish girl, so don’t worry.”

Before Mihyun could respond, she was yanked roughly away from the car by a fuming Sehun. He glowered down at his Hyung and barred his teeth in a small snarl as he wrapped his arm possessively around Mihyun’s waist.

Jaesuk let out a small chuckle when the childish boy mouthed a silent ‘Mine’, and waved the trio goodbye with two fingers.

“I’ll complete everything you’ve asked of me, Mihyun, and return for you three in a few hours,” Jaesuk called out before he drove away.

“What have you asked of him?” Sehun demanded with pursed lips. “Why can’t I do it for you?”

The boy was smacked roughly behind the head, and he snapped over to glare at his smaller Hyung. Luhan rolled his eyes and held up the board he had scribbled across. Don’t act like a child, Sehun.

“I’m not acting like a child!” Sehun cried in outrage.

“Don’t waste time arguing,” Mihyun gently scolded the two as she began to walk to the Noye house.

“I never thought there would be a day that I’d willingly return to this hell hole,” Sehun murmured under his breath. “So this must be how it feels to be free.”

Luhan nodded his head solemnly beside him, leaning his head backward to observe the walls of the Noye house that stretched to the sky. He had gazed at this building numerous hours for so many years of his life, but never before from the outside.

“Come on,” Mihyun urged them forward gently. “Let’s go see the others.”

The three traveled silently down the halls to the cages, each absorbed in their own thoughts.

Sehun didn’t want to see his hyungs. He knew that was horrible of him to think, but he didn’t want to see them. He didn’t want to see the grime pressed against his Hyungs’ faces when his was clean of any dirty marks. He didn’t want to see the bones that protruded from their shirts, when the meals he had been consuming already provided him a nice layer of fleshy meat. He didn’t want to see their faces laced with hope and sadness when he already achieved his ideal life of luxury.

He didn’t want to be consumed by guilt.

He wondered if this was how Mihyun felt every time she visited them. If she felt as if she didn’t deserve the luxuries

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Aishmin
I have a huge project in the works for True Beauty that I am excited to share with you all soon. In the mean time, keep up with me by following me on Instagram @prisssyla!

Comments

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Zndjcjaj #1
❤️❤️
Beloved_1230 #2
I remember buying this book years ago when I was in middle school….And how I couldn’t stop crying about Haru. I suddenly remembered his character and sad death at work. Your book, I’ll always carry the memories.
Ekale_erie
#3
Chapter 70: Amazing story !
Loves reading it.
There are some issues, not exactly like 'Noyes' but still familiar in our society. I don't understand why this society doesn't consider humanity above all these stupid titles. You wrote an amazing book author. I hope more and more people could read it and understand that humanity is above all.
Thank you author !
❤️
Ekale_erie
#4
Chapter 62: This is really horrible. But she has to save the lives of the others too. My prayers are with those girls. I hope they'll find their own 'Mihyun' too.
Ekale_erie
#5
Chapter 59: So cute ! 🥰😘
Ekale_erie
#6
Chapter 56: She likes him ❤️
Ekale_erie
#7
Chapter 53: I... I.. I'm at loss of words
Ekale_erie
#8
Chapter 52: This girl is on fire 🔥
Ekale_erie
#9
Chapter 49: I hate that old bastard !!
Go to hell you dumb ing old haggard !! 😡
Ekale_erie
#10
Chapter 48: That was so emotional.

Han Miyhun... It's really hard to understand the character. She's wise, good natured, polite, strong, charming and everything. But there's still something about the girl that I can't pinpoint. I guess if the story was from her view point then I would have been. But, on the otherhand, what essence of story would be left if there was no mystery ...