Always be true to yourself. Never let others manipulate you.

 

 

The breakfast table was now silent.

 

Yunho was gripping his fork tightly, gritting his teeth.

 

 

Junsu was giving his hyung an angry glare, while Changmin was trying to repress an emotional breakdown.

 

 

"Yunho hyung. Your words are uncalled for," Junsu said sternly.

 

 

The eldest closed his eyes and let out a short breathe, got up from the table and left. His food remained practically untouched.

 

 

Junsu gazed at Changmin. The youngest pushed away the plate of food.

 

 

"Changmin..."

 

 

"I'm not hungry," he said.

 

 

"Yunho just has a blunt personality at times. He says things he doesn't mean-"

 

 

"It's fine. He's right...my parents ....if they cared...even a little bit, they would have done everything to find me and take me back. No?"

 

 

Junsu tugged at a napkin and sighed, "It's difficult to judge a people's actions from the sidelines. We don't truly know anything about your parents…. Perhaps they weren't ready to take care of you and the best option was to put you in another person's care…"

 

 

Changmin sat quietly.

 

 

"Look...everything will be ok-" Junsu began to say, then Changmin cut him off, waving his hands.

 

 

"I don't want to hear those words hyung. I have heard them dozens of times already in my lifetime. I just wish I had an understanding as to why I was suddenly adopted into your family. It doesn't seem like Yunho hyung even wants me here. I didn't imagine being adopted like this....I wanted a real family...."

 

 

Junsu rubbed his forehead. He was getting a migraine. Yunho's eccentric antics were beyond his mental abilities. He got up from his chair and went after Yunho- to talk some sense into him.

 

***

 

“…Kim Jaejoong…you need a new hobby,” he said to himself. He cleared his throat, set the tablet down on a mini-table and scratched the back of his brown head. He enjoyed the fragrant aroma his silky hair was emanating. 

 

 

He stood quietly beside the white walls of the empty hallway. The temperamental young man admired a fashion magazine, propped idly on a stand across from him. He rolled his eyes from boredom, scrolling through his electronic tablet. Yawning, he rubbed his eyes and sighed repeatedly from drowsiness.

 

 

An abrupt shout of anger suddenly shocked him out of his drowsy stupor. The familiar shout was coming from his boss’ office. Jaejoong ran to the aid of his companion. He burst through the office doors; his face was filled with worry.

 

 

He opened the doors to find a fine mess on the floor. Scattered binders, notes, pens, and a broken coffee mug. At the very front of it all stood the one responsible for the mess, Park Yoochun.

 

 

Jaejoong gulped. He met the eyes of a panicked Yoochun. His hair was disheveled, his dress shirt was nearly ripped at the seams.

 

 

“Cousin…what happened?” Jaejoong asked worried. “Your face is all red…are you s-sick-”

 

 

“SHUT UP-”

 

 

“Yoo-”

 

 

“BE QUIET.”

 

 

Jaejoong didn’t utter another word. Yoochun’s chest rose up and down rhythmically as he was trying to retrieve his composure.

 

 

If anything, everyone knew damn well that the Park family was well known for their lack of self control.

 

 

“That son of a …”  Yoochun whispered.

 

 

“What happened? God ing damn PARK,” Jaejoong raised his voice, “WHAT IS SO DAMN IMPORTANT THAT YOU NEARLY TURNED YOUR -“

 

 

Yoochun’s eyes nearly bulged out of his skull and he came at Jaejoong like a whirlwind and grabbed him by the neck.

 

 

Jaejoong choked back a cry, “Hyu-nng, I can’t breathe-”

 

 

Park grabbed the remote control and the television, he brought Jaejoong’s face to the screen.

 

 

“Hi! This is Kim Na Jeong and this KBS evening news! Welcome back! We have outrageous news for you today! Starting with an unbelievable charity event held by THE Jung Yunho himself. His company will be hosting a charity…” The news reporter trailed off.

 

 

Jaejoong’s throat was still at the mercy of Yoochun’s palm, “Hyu- I can’t breathe…”

 

 

“Keep watching.”

 

 

“…Jung Yunho has adopted a son-”

 

 

Jaejoong’s eyes widened. Yoochun threw the remote, enraged at the screen. He let go of his cousin’s throat.

 

 

 Jaejoong sunk to his knees on the floor, coughing and rubbing his tender skin. “Hyung, that was too much.”

 

 

Yoochun continued to pace back and forth.

 

 

“Listen sweetie, roaming back and forth like a tiger won’t help me figure out what you want.”

 

 

“My plans…all gone to hell…I don’t plan to share my fortune with some child.”

 

 

“Well…Chun, you don’t have a fortune to begin with. It is Yunho’s first of all, and I am still not taking you seriously with this whole, ‘let’s kill our cousin’ business.”

 

Yoochun’s eyes were blazing he wasn’t hearing a single word.

 

“Yoochun…hyung…please…listen to me…when did you become like this…aish.”

 

“I need to return my father’s name back to the glory it once was…”

 

Jaejoong sighed, “You’re being pitiful...”

 

 

Yoochun suddenly turned and glared at Jaejoong and raised a fist to his face. The younger man stepped back in fear. “S-sorry..ok…I understand.”

 

 

“Now, who’s pitiful?” The eldest smirked. He reached for Jaejoong’s shirt collar and pressed his lips against his ears, bringing Jaejoong’s face close to his own. “I’m not going to give you a grand speech. Continue to do as I say and I guarantee you that I will make it worth your while. Betray me and there will be consequences.”

 

 

“Yoochun, I don’t like this game you’re playing.” Jaejoong tried to back away, but Yoochun pushed harshly against the wall.

 

 

“I didn’t ask you whether you like it or not. Your job will only be to seduce him. Make him yours like you did once before. Being a toy is the only thing you're good at anyways. If this doesn’t go as I say it goes, you will become a statistic in my book, understood?”

 

 

Jaejoong gulped and stepped away. “What about the new kid?”

 

 

“I don’t care, we will discard him as soon as Yunho is out.”

 

 

“Yoochun…please don’t harm the child,” Jaejoong pleaded.

 

 

Yoochun laughed aloud, “He’s probably no older than five, that Yunho probably adopted him for show, and hired at least ten nannies to look after him. When all this is done the little snot is going back into foster care.”

 

 

Jaejoong frowned. He styled his hair back into proper position, fixed his shirt and went back outside. Just another ordinary day.

 

 

***

 

  

Changmin sat in silence. The interior of the dining hall was eerie when sitting alone despite its tremendous beauty- it gave no warmth or feel of home. He felt intimidated instead. It was as if he were in a museum. Everything was a beautiful relic, worth more than his own life. Everything looked so fragile- the paintings, the vases, the dishware. One touch and it will all break into tiny shattered pieces. It was impersonal. How can anyone be raised in this place?  

 

Suddenly, a small yipping sound came from the left. It was so high pitched that you could barely make it out. 

 

Changmin turned his head. "Is that a squeak?" He looked around frantically trying to find the source of the sound. He squinted his eyes in the distance to find a tiny white ball of fur with her tongue sticking out. "...arf..." Changmin's eyes brightened up when he met the black button eyes of a puppy. The small thing ran towards him in a frenzy, "arf!" Changmin picked her up and it nuzzled into his neck. He giggled at the gesture. It was very friendly and so small- it fit into both of his hands. 

 

The boy smiled from ear to ear. "What are you doing here? Huh? Where did you come from?" Changmin asked the puppy. She barked and his face playfully.

 

"I found her-" Said a voice.

 

Changmin turned around to find a boy standing in front of him in a basketball jersey and shorts, all drenched in sweat-his clothes sticking to his body. His face was red and he was catching his breath, probably from running. 

 

The boy smiled at Changmin. "Hi, I'm Hoya!" He said cheerfully.

 

Changmin then attempted to bow, with the puppy still in his arms, who was now whining, begging to escape. 

 

Hoya laughed. "Just let her go, or she will pee on you. She's not house-trained yet." 

 

Changmin quickly let her off. 

 

Hoya looked at Changmin curiously. "So, you're my new nephew?"

 

Changmin folded his arms  nervously. "Ye-yeah?" He was surprised to find how young Hoya looked. He looked even younger than him. No way did Yunho have such a young brother.

 

"Relax! I don't bite!" Hoya patted Changmin's shoulders. "Damn you're tall. You definitely fit the Jung family stature...unfortunately I got my mom's genes so I'm kind of short." He chuckled.

 

Changmin cracked a small smile. He looked over at Hoya and realized how much he resembled his older brother. It was like he was a near perfect xerox copy. He had Yunho's charismatic eyes, his lips and his nose. Everything but the height. 

 

Meanwhile, Hoya was observing Changmin's facial features curiously as well.

 

"Wow- you kinda look like my step-mom."  He blurted out suddenly. 

 

Changmin's eyes widened in surprise. "What?"

 

Hoya laughed. "Your eyes are big. Like hers. If there is one thing I remember distinctively about her, it's definitely her eyes. I find it to be very rare around here...so I just remember these things about people. Sorry, just a random thought."

 

"No, it's ok." Changmin chuckled. 

 

Hoya cleared his throat. "So, how old are you?" 

 

"Oh, I'm fifteen."

 

"You're my junior!" Hoya laughed. "I'm eighteen! I can spoil you rotten now!" 

 

Changmin smiled at Hoya's playfulness.

 

"I kinda expected you to be ....well... much younger....and shorter...but this'll do, I guess," Hoya made a tall gesture with his hands and then stood on his tippy toes to exaggerate Changmin's height. 

 

Junsu then came running out of the entrance. "Hey Hoya! Where have you been?"

 

"I was playing basketball and then went for a jog. I found a puppy. Can I keep him?" Hoya pleaded.

 

Junsu gave Hoya a stern look. "If it pees in my laundry, we will have a problem young man." He wagged his finger. Hoya laughed and ran off, "Bye bye hyung! Bye Changminnie!"

 

"Bye!" Changmin waved after. 

 

 "Come on," Junsu then gestured for Changmin to follow him.

 

"Where are we going?" Changmin asked curiously.

 

Junsu led him into another wing of the Mansion. "We are now entering the library." 

 

 

They came upon a giant hall filled with hundreds of books on ancient wooden shelves. This was only the grand entrance point. From there, they walked towards a tall spiral staircase that led them downstairs to another enormous hallway. Candle lights flooded the interior along with stained glass windows refracting colors from the bright and shining sun. Changmin was once again staring at everything with his jaw wide open.

 

 

"Close your mouth or a bug will fly in," Junsu warned jokingly.

 

 

Changmin giggled. "Why are we down here? It looks like a castle."

 

 

Junsu led him to a smaller room. This place was a lot more modern and had white walls, a table, and a chalkboard.

 

 

"This is where you will begin your lessons."

 

 

"Lessons?"

 

 

"Yup!" Junsu said cheerfully. "I am now Professor Kim!"

 

 

Changmin pouted. "I didn't attend school..."

 

 

"That's fine. I will teach you everything you need to know anyways. Did you know that Yunho didn't attend school either?"

 

 

"Really?" Changmin's eyes widened.

 

 

"Yup. He's a genius. Graduated at the top of his University at the age of eleven."

 

 

"Wow...but he is intelligent...I'm not."

 

 

"We'll see just how intelligent you are. I will be the judge of that. Don't put yourself down."

 

 

"Ok..."

 

 

Junsu took out a piece of chalk and started writing on the blackboard. In big bold letters he wrote the words-

 

 

'LESSON 1-HONESTY.'

 

 

"Tell me Changmin, what does this word mean to you?"

 

 

"Umm, it is telling the truth?"

 

 

"Yes, and? Tell me from your own experience."

 

 

"Not being a phony...a fake ...especially to those who are close to you." Changmin cast his eyes down.

 

 

"Is it an important trait?"

 

 

"Yes...I think so..."

 

"What if someone asked you to give up your honesty for something in return. Say they ask you to lie in order to obtain a bigger profit." Junsu widened his hands and made a big gesture.

 

Changmin blinked. "Profit..."

 

"Like money. Is that important? Wouldn't you obsess over it?"

 

Changmin sighed and tapped his fingers on the desk. "No, I don't think money is important. I have lived without it for my whole life. I can't imagine what I would do with it. I don't worry about material things because I never learned how to be attached to them. It feels foreign to me to think of it in that way."

 

Junsu nodded. "Often, we will find ourselves sitting down next to a serpent. We won't know if that particular person is a serpent, they will always wear a disguise."

 

Changmin listened intently.

 

"They will slither close to our ears and quietly whisper promises- Gold, riches, and es," Junsu chuckled. "We will do as they say... in order to achieve a goal that they wish to accomplish -because they made us a promise that will fullfill what we cannot do...something that our conscience will not allow us to do...do you follow?"

 

Changmin furrowed his eyebrows. "I think so."

 

"Being honest requires grabbing the slippery serpent from our shoulders and setting it on fire. I think that is simple enough to understand," Junsu retorted. "There are people out there who will try to manipulate you because of your status. They will make you false promises and take away your innocence and pull you into their black web of lies."

 

"Hyung...I'm not a girl...I can take care of myself."

 

Junsu laughed. "I know. But I need to tell you these things as a warning."

 

"I promise to stay honest. I will stay away from liars."

 

"Ah, but being dishonest and being a liar are two different things," Junsu sat across from Changmin and began to explain. "Honesty is purity. You live your life based upon right and wrong.  You avoid the wrong. To be a liar is to deceive others. To be dishonest is to deceive only yourself."

 

Changmin rubbed his temples. "This is ... too much philosophy..."

 

Junsu smiled at the cute antics of his student. "I guess we'll cut it short for today. I brought something for us to do in the mean time" He winked at Changmin and brought out a large book. It was a photo album. Junsu opened the cover page to reveal a cute baby. 

 

Changmin laughed. "Who is that?" 

 

"That's your daddy," Junsu roared with laughter.

 

"No way! It's Yunho hyung?"

 

"Yupp."

 

"He looks so chubby."

 

"It's the cheeks. Makes him look like a hamster."

 

Junsu then turned the page. It was filled with an entire group of people.

 

"Wow, is this your whole family?"

 

"Yeah...this is Yunho's dad, Jung Yangsuk," Junsu pointed to a rigid elderly man in the middle of the photo. Yunho was standing beside him, he appeared to be in his teen years, but even then he could pass for an adult. The maturity upon his face was overwhelming. Then Changmin began to skim through the faces. He recognized a miniature toddler Hoya in Yunho's arms.

 

"Why is this face scratched off?" Changmin pointed to a person next to Yangsuk.

 

Junsu then frowned. "Ah...that is Yunho's step-mother...Jung Eunbi"

 

"Oh...why is her face scratched off? By the way, how come I haven't met her yet? Do people not like her?"

 

Junsu's averted his eyes and pouted. "Quite the opposite. Everyone loved her."

 

"Loved? Past tense?"

 

"She died..."

 

Changmin bit his bottom lip. "Oh…I'm sorry." 

 

Junsu smiled sadly. "It's ok. Don't apologize. You didn't know. I don't really know why her face is scratched off. But, she was a really close and personal friend of mine and… Yunho's. She was only five years apart from us."

 

Changmin widened his eyes. "But...that would make her so young! And Yangsuk-ssi is much older-"

 

"I'll tell you a little story.Yangsuk's marriage to Eunbi was controversial. No doubts there. But, Yangsuk's father and her grandfather grew up together as kids. When Yangsuk's first wife died, Eunbi's grandfather thought it would be best to give her away. Yangsuk was in a terrible depression after her death and allowed his company to sink low. You see when you're in business; you cannot push your own personal life first. A lot of people work under us and if we do something wrong, they suffer more than we do. Eunbi was the heir to a large portion of a music company in Japan and here. By marrying Yangsuk it meant combining our fortunes together. It was more of a business move."

 

Changmin pondered for a moment. "Did she at least love him?"

 

Junsu sighed. "She had no feelings for him whatsoever, but it brought enough media attention that increased our profits."

 

"That must have been so difficult for her...why would grandfather do that..."

 

"Because even being wealthy is just as difficult. When you're poor, you work hard to earn money. When you're rich, you work hard to never lose it."

 

"We never have freedom in our choices."

 

"Well that's not entirely true."

 

"What about Yunho hyung? How did he feel about this?"

 

Junsu put on a blank expression. "He did not take the marriage very well. He was your age at the time. He packed his bags and left for America for about two years. Yangsuk married Eunbi right after his wife died. It seemed like a heartless decision, especially since Eunbi was Yunho's close friend. He felt betrayed."

 

"But what happened to her...if you don't mind telling me..."

 

"She died fifteen years ago, in New York. She wanted time off from the marriage. And she just got really sick-" Junsu paused. "Yangsuk died just ten months ago."

Changmin frowned.  "That explains why Yunho- hyung is so unhappy."

Junsu winked at Changmin, "Don't call him hyung."

Changmin looked at Junsu with bewilderment, "Than ...what?"

"He's your dad now. Call him 'appa.'"

Changmin choked on his spit, "Wha-what..I just ...this is.."

Junsu chuckled, "Relax, I'm joking. I pulled the same trick on him earlier. You two practically have the same reactions." 

"Hyung...that is not funny..." Changmin put his head down.

"Aww, relax. One day you will call him what you like and have no fears."  Junsu gave him a warm smile.

Changmin shrugged his shoulders.

"Oh! Before I forget!" Junsu jumped with glee. "There will be a Gala Charity event coming up this week. It is held in Yunho's honor and yours!"

"Me?" Changmin inquired. 

"Absolutely, you are being welcomed into your family. And all proceeds will go into your orphanage."

"That's wonderful!" 

"And you know what else?"

"What?"

"MAKEOVER!" 

Changmin fell backwards surprised because of his over excited hyung. "What.."

"I'm calling my friend Heechul to give you a makeover."

"I don't think I want that." Changmin coughed uncomfortably.

"Why not? It's fun!"

"No...thanks."

Junsu sighed. "Ok, I'll just schedule a regular appointment to get you a nice suit than instead."

"It's ok...I have my own clothes."

"Changmin, Yunho insisted that I get you some new clothes anyways. Do you really want to go against his words and disappoint him and his credit card that is just DYING to be rubbed between my fingers?" Junsu winked his eyes and nudged his dongsaeng until he smiled.

"Ok..ok..we can go to get a new suit."
 

"ALL RIGHT!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So sorry I was away for so long. This chapter has been in drafts for a million years now. =_=