Alstroemeria

Alstroemeria – friendship

As most of the weekdays, Jongup finished his class late in the afternoon. He rode the usual bus, but got down at a different stop today. It was the one near Yongguk’s gym since he had to fetch his brother there.

Daehyun didn’t have any class today but, both Jongup and Yongguk were reluctant to let Daehyun be alone in his house, even though it has been three days since the incident with the thugs. Therefore, Yongguk went to work while bringing Daehyun along with him since morning.

Jongup opened the door and Youngjae’s face was the first thing he saw. The receptionist looked up to the door, expecting a customer with a smile but, it quickly disappeared and his face turned cold again before he looked back at the computer.

Jongup sighed. He wondered what he had ever done to make Youngjae feel so annoyed at him. He was only trying to have a conversation with him, just like how he had with the other gym staffs. Maybe he did try to flirt with Youngjae but, it was never over the top.

Fixing the bag straps on his shoulders, Jongup began to walk towards the reception counter. “Hi. I’m just picking up Daehyun hyung.”

Youngjae nodded without looking at him. “He’s upstairs.”

Jongup wished to prolong their conversation. This was the only time he had to see Youngjae today since he wouldn’t be staying longer at the gym to work out. He wanted to, but he had an assignment that was due tomorrow. He had waited for three days to see Youngjae to say his thanks for saving him from the thugs. His mouth were already opened but, with Youngjae seeming so uninterested in him, he closed it back and walked away.

While looking around the upper floor of the gym, Jongup came across Sungjoon, who was examining one of the appliances. “Hey hyung, have you seen Daehyun hyung?”

“Oh, yeah. I think he’s in the changing room with Yongguk hyung.” Sungjoon pointed behind him with his thumb, although Jongup already knew where it was.

“Alright, thanks hyung,” he said and was about to leave when he remembered something. “Oh, and one more thing, thank you so much for helping me and Daehyun hyung the other day.”

Sungjoon’s brow furrowed as he tried to decipher what Jongup was actually talking about. He was quick to recall the incident caused by the Massifs and his face broke into a broad smile. “Ahhh… It’s nothing! I was just a sidekick. Yongguk hyung did most of the saving stuff.”

Jongup shrugged. “A sidekick still has an important role in superhero stories. So, thank you so, so, sooo much!”

Sungjoon snorted. “Alright, alright. Just saying thanks once is enough. Even your brother had said it countless times to me today.” His face was reddening, obviously getting shy from just a simple act of gratitude. It earned him a laugh from the younger boy. “Just go to find him already.” He eagerly waved Jongup off.

Saying one last thanks, Jongup finally drifted away. Soon after entering the changing room, he found his brother packing up his things with the help from the gym’s manager.

“Did I forget anything?” Daehyun asked, zipping up his duffel bag placed on the bench.

“Nope,” Yongguk replied.

“Hyung,” Jongup called as he approached them. “Ready to leave?”

“Oh, you’re here,” Daehyun said, unfolding the dark glasses which were already in his hand. “Give me a sec.” He put the glasses on before picking up his bag and his cane next to it.

“Are you sure you don’t want to work out today?” Yongguk asked Jongup. “I’m still gonna let you use the gym for free.”

“Thank you, but I really need to finish my assignment by today,” Jongup refused, already taking Daehyun’s hand to place it on his arm.

“Oh, then you better go home quick and get it done.” Yongguk gestured to the entrance and they began to walk along each other. “Oh yeah, before that,” he spoke up, making both of the brothers halted their steps. “I want to invite both of you to my house this weekend.”

“For what?” Jongup asked.

“It’s my parents’ anniversary and they heard what had happened to you the other night. I told them you’re my friends and they want you both to attend their party.”

Jongup looked at his brother. “Do you want to go hyung?”

“Up to you,” Daehyun answered nonchalantly.

Seeing Jongup’s hesitancy, Yongguk started to think of another way to convince him to go. It was his chance to introduce his mate to the rest of his clan member. “Youngjae will be there too,” he pointed out with grin.

Jongup turned back to Yongguk and sent him a glare. “Why do you need to bring up his name?”

Yongguk shrugged. “Just saying.”

Daehyun, on the other hand, was holding back his laughter ever since Youngjae’s name was mentioned. He could sense the annoyed feeling Jongup was giving off, surely towards Yongguk. So, he tugged his brother’s arm to stop it. “Do you want to go or not?”

Jongup rolled his eyes from Yongguk to Daehyun. “Yeah, sure.” He tried to sound natural. “I mean, why not?”

“Cool.” Yongguk nodded, though he was cheering so loud in his mind.

The long-awaited weekend arrived and Yongguk went to Daehyun’s place to fetch him and his brother. They had insisted on taking a cab to go to his house but, he didn’t let them, moreover when the day was already dark.

The gym was closed today as all the clan members gathered at the main house to prepare for the party. As for the day before, Daehyun and Jongup couldn’t go to the gym since both of them had classes until early in the evening. So, this was the first time Yongguk was going to see his mate after one and a half day of missing him like crazy.

Once Daehyun came into his view, the air was knocked out of Yongguk’s lungs. The younger man looked beyond stunning with his hair neatly styled in a casual way, his body clad in a white dress shirt with black collar and cuffs, and a black straight cut pants. He even applied a little bit of eyeliner and chapstick, which enhanced his beauty more than they should be.

“Wow…” Yongguk breathed out, still taking in the perfection standing before him. “You look… Amazing.” He knew that was an understatement but, that was all he could think of right now.

Daehyun’s cheek reddened. “Thank you.” He smiled shyly. “I would’ve said the same thing to you if I really knew what you look like. Though I’m pretty sure you’re far more amazing than I am.”

“Well, I’m sorry to tell you this but, your statement is nowhere near true,” he said, when he actually looked pretty amazing himself. Slicked back hair and black dress shirt with sleeves slightly rolled up, anyone who looked at him would fall in love at first sight.

“My family will be surprised to know that I’m bringing an angel with me,” Yongguk added.

Daehyun snorted at that. “You better stop before you say any more nonsense. This is all Jongup’s work, so the credit goes to him.”

“He only put his finishing touch on what’s already there. He’s lucky to have such a beautiful brother.”

“I told you to stop,” Daehyun whined, pressing half of his body against the door frame to hide his heated face there.

Yongguk found it adorable, so he just laughed at his mate. “Where is Jongup anyway?” he asked.

Daehyun straightened himself and faced the man again. “He’s almost ready I think. He got worked up with his hair for quite a while earlier. I’m sorry that you have to wait for us.”

“It’s not a big deal. The party won’t start until about half an hour,” Yongguk shrugged it off. “Aren’t you bringing your cane with you?”

“Jongup said he’ll take it with him later.”

“What about your glasses?”

Daehyun shook his head. “I won’t wear them tonight.”

Yongguk’s brows arched up. “Oh, really? Why?”

“Clearly, I don’t want to attract people’s attention for wearing sunglasses at night. They would certainly dis me if they don’t know that I’m blind,” Daehyun finished with his bottom lip jutting out in a faux annoyance.

Yongguk chuckled. He was glad Daehyun chose not to cover his eyes even when he was about to meet a number of people later. Maybe this was his improvement after weeks of taking off his glasses at the gym. Daehyun was getting more and more confident each day and Yongguk couldn’t get enough of gazing into those mesmerizing eyes.

“I’m done!” Jongup shouted. His footsteps were heard nearing the door.

“About time!” Daehyun retorted.

“You have put on your shoes, right?” Jongup asked while checking it out on his own after he reached Daehyun’s side. “Right, we can go now,” he said before Daehyun could answer him.

Jongup told his brother to step out so that he could close the door and Yongguk moved a few steps back to give them more space. He had Daehyun’s cane clutched under his arm as locked the door. For tonight’s event, he chose to wear a dark blue button up and light grey slim fit jeans. Yongguk thought that Jongup also looked amazing in his own way and no one could deny that he and Daehyun were siblings.

Letting Jongup guide his brother to the car, Yongguk walked ahead of them to open the front passenger seat for Daehyun. What he didn’t expect was that Jongup came and opened the door to the backseat of the car. He helped his brother to get in and closed the door before turning to the speechless Yongguk.

“Thanks,” Jongup smiled at the man before getting in. Yongguk had to hold himself from slamming the door shut and close it mannerly instead.

Finally getting into his seat, Yongguk began driving them to his house. He had told them that the journey would take about twenty minutes. So, Daehyun started to fill the time by asking Yongguk about his day. Yongguk then asked Daehyun the same thing and soon, they were already talking about their days at the gym and the studio respectively.

Jongup blew a puff of air as he leaned his head against the seat. He thought that his brother would talk less with the gym’s manager if he was put at the back but, it obviously didn’t affect Daehyun in any way. Staring out of the half-opened window, he noticed that there were less cars on the road now. There were street lights along the road but, it was still dark with the surrounding tall trees. It was also getting chilly when Yongguk drove further down the road.

“The air is so fresh here,” Daehyun said, resting his cheek on the edge of the window, feeling of the cool wind blew his face with his eyes closed.

“Did I forget to tell you? My place is on the mountain,” Yongguk said.

“Really? That’s awesome!” Daehyun exclaimed.

Jongup actually thought so too even though he remained silent in his seat. However, there was part of him that kept telling him to always be careful. He had always been ever since Yongguk unexpectedly showed up at his backyard and even more so, when Yongguk suddenly came to save Daehyun and him from the thugs. What if Yongguk was also a bad guy? What if he was trying to kidnap them right now by bringing them to his gang’s secret place?

There were more theories that Jongup could think of if a huge residence didn’t appear in front of him. He knew Yongguk was rich but, he didn’t expect him to live in such an impressive mansion. The gate alone was as tall as his own house. The yard seemed to be boundless, adorned with beautiful decorations and bright colourful lights. And when the car finally stopped at the driveway of the glowing, luxurious mansion, he had never felt so small in his life.

“Oh, have we arrived?” Daehyun asked.

“Yeah,” Yongguk answered. “Seems like some of the guests are already here too,” he assumed based on the unfamiliar cars parked at the paved yard. “Let’s go.”

Yongguk got out of the car and Jongup followed suit. Then, the younger man went to Daehyun who was already getting off on his own. He took the chance to fix his hair, as well as Daehyun’s.

“That gym manager actually lives in a freaking mansion!” Jongup whispered to his brother.

“You don’t say!?” Daehyun whispered back, clearly surprised by the fact.

“Come with me,” Yongguk told them to follow him.

Daehyun found Jongup’s arm and let his brother lead the way. Being in a new unknown place was always challenging for him. Jongup told him that there were a few steps he needed to ascend and it took him longer than usual to do it. Another reason was also because he was getting nervous to meet Yongguk’s family. He didn’t feel anything like this before so, he just cursed himself for the last minute anxiousness.

He had only been following his father to all kind of parties before and he stopped after his father passed away. So, this was his first time going to a party again since years ago. But as any other parties he had attended, there were loud murmurs of people talking with the soft music in the background as soon as he entered the place. The air got so much warmer inside, filled with the fragrance of flowers, making him feel like he was very welcomed by Yongguk’s family.

Jongup, on the other hand, couldn’t refrain himself from looking around. From the enormous chandelier to the aesthetically red and white elegant table arrangements and overall ornaments. This was nothing like any parties he used to go with his father.

“Shall we meet my parents first?”

Daehyun felt a hand on his back as Yongguk questioned him. “Of course,” he said, trying to calm his nerves at the same time.

They walked a little bit more and halted at Yongguk’s call for his parents. Both of them stopped talking with a couple of their guests and turned to their son, face lightening up once they noticed a beautiful stranger next to him. Excusing themselves from the other guests, Yongguk’s parents moved closer to them.

“Good evening, sir, ma’am,” Jongup greeted them and Daehyun quickly said the same thing after that.

“Oh, no need to be so formal,” Yongguk’s father smiled. “Just call me Uncle Dongwan.”

“And please call me Aunt Minjee,” Yongguk’s mother said with a wider smile.

“Ah, yes,” Daehyun pulled a genuine smile instead of a forced one since all of his nerves eventually went away right after hearing their warm friendly voices.

“Dad, mom, this is Jung Daehyun and his younger brother, Jung Jongup,” Yongguk gestured to each of them respectively.

“You’re Yongguk’s new friends, right? He never told us until earlier this week,” Minjee said while side-eyeing his son, earning a shrug of shoulders from him.

“He’s gorgeous!” She told Yongguk using the link, making him blush.

“Well, we just met for a few weeks,” Daehyun said.

“Yeah, he told me how he first met you. I can’t believe he really did that!”

“I know right?!” Jongup uttered. “Who in their right mind would actually do that?” he laughed and Yongguk rolled his eyes.

Unexpectedly, Yongguk’s parents laughed along with him. “He sure couldn’t think straight that night. I wonder why?” Dongwan had an amused tone but, Yongguk knew that his father was subtly teasing him.

“But he didn’t stop talking about both of you since then. Especially you, Daehyun,” Minjee pointed out in excitement, moreover when she saw Daehyun’s cheeks were getting tinted with red.

Yongguk’s face was also flushed and he covered it with his hand. “Mom, I told you not to be so embarrassing,” he muttered through the link to both of his parents.

“I heard that you two just moved to this town,” Dongwan spoke up, allowing Daehyun and his son to recover from the mortifying moment.

“Yeah, just four months ago,” Jongup answered.

“I hope you’ll like it here.” Dongwan said. He wished he could chat a little more with them but then, the doorbell rang. “Looks like we have to excuse ourselves to welcome the new guests. It’s a pleasure to finally meet both of you.”

“Pleasure to meet you too and happy anniversary, Uncle Dongwan, Aunt Minjee,” Daehyun congratulated them and Jongup did the same by wishing a short ‘happy anniversary’.

“Thank you.” Minjee patted Daehyun’s arm.

“And thank you so much for coming,” Dongwan added.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t get you any gift. We didn’t have enough time to do so,” Daehyun sincerely apologized.

“No, it’s okay,” Minjee brushed it off. “We’ve just met today anyway. Both of you coming here on such short notice is more than enough for us.”

“That’s right,” Dongwan agreed. “Go have some food and enjoy yourselves.” He gave Jongup’s shoulder a pat and finally left them after bowing to each other.

“Shall we?” Yongguk asked.

“Sure.” Daehyun nodded.

“You two go ahead. I’m kinda thirsty.” Jongup took Daehyun’s hand that was holding onto his arm and passed it on to Yongguk. “I’ll get both of your drinks too,” he said before going to the other banquet table that served the drinks.

“Come.” Yongguk walked Daehyun hand in hand.

“Your parents are lovely,” Daehyun stated.

“Yeah, when they aren’t embarrassing themselves and their son,” Yongguk quipped and Daehyun laughed after remembering the previous awkward moment.

“So, what do you want to eat?” Yongguk asked after they reached the buffet table.

“Can I eat everything?” The delicious smell was making Daehyun’s mouth watered.

Yongguk chuckled. “Absolutely. But what do you want to eat first?”

Daehyun grinned at Yongguk’s refined question. “What do you have in your sights?”

Yongguk started to list down whatever they had on the table as the moved towards the other end of it. Taking a plate for each of them, he helped his mate filled it with anything he wanted.

“How many people actually live here?” Daehyun inquired. He had been pondering about it after knowing that Yongguk lived in a palace-like house.

Yongguk stopped picking out the food to think for a second. “Umm… Around ten?”

“Wow, that’s a lot.”

Yongguk nodded, wrapping his arm around Daehyun’s shoulder and brought him to take other kinds of food. “All of them are my uncle, my aunt and my cousins,” he explained. “But not Himchan. He has his own place. Always come here for a visit though.”

Daehyun thought that Yongguk only lived with his family and a few housekeepers at first, but it turned out that Yongguk really had a big family living in the same place. “I don’t think I can remember everyone if you introduce all of them to me tonight.”

Yongguk let out a soft laugh. “It’s okay, you don’t have to.”

On the other side of the hall, Jongup had reached the drinks station. He took out one bottle of wine from the ice bucket before pouring it into three flute glasses. Then, he held the stem of glasses in between his fingers, but when he was about to leave, someone came to the table and put down a tray of empty glasses.

Jongup recognized the guy immediately. “Suwoong?”

The said boy finally looked up after keeping his head down all the time, being careful with the fragile glasses he brought. His eyes wide with surprise. “Why are you here?” Suwoong asked back.

“For Yongguk hyung’s parents’ anniversary, of course. Why are you here?”

Suwoong was flustered by Jongup’s presence, but he tried not to show it. “I am… Yongguk hyung’s cousin.”

Jongup raised his brows at the close friend of his. “Wow, what a coincidence.”

“Suwoong! We need some help here!”

Both of them turned to the loud voice. Jongup quickly identified the man beckoning for Suwoong as Sungjoon, though the latter didn’t seem to notice him there. Maybe it was because his different appearance for tonight or he was busy running the party.

Suwoong turned back to Jongup. “I’ll talk to you later, okay?” he gave an apologetic smile.

“Yeah, sure.” Jongup nodded in understanding.

Suwoong rushed towards where Sungjoon was, while Jongup left with the three glasses of wine to find his brother.

After their plates were full, Yongguk brought Daehyun to an unoccupied small round table. Jongup joined them shortly after that.

“I met Suwoong just now,” Jongup spoke, putting down the drinks before taking a seat next to his brother.

Daehyun frowned. “What is he doing here?”

“He’s Yongguk hyung’s cousin.”

“You two know each other?” Yongguk asked, his expression dumbfounded.

Jongup nodded. “Suwoong goes to the same college as mine.”

“Ah… So, Suwoong is the cousin that you mentioned the other day?” Daehyun directed his question to Yongguk. “The one who goes to the same college with Jongup.”

The recollection of that day was still clear in Yongguk’s mind. “Yeah… He’s the one.”

“He always goes to the music studio Daehyun hyung is working at to jam with his band,” Jongup informed more about Suwoong to Yongguk.

“Yeah, they are really good,” Daehyun added.

“I see…” Yongguk slowly bobbed his head up and down. “I didn’t get the chance to listen to them yet,” he finished with a toothy smile.

Daehyun moved his hand under the table to find Jongup’s thigh. “Could you give me my drink?”

Jongup put down his glass before taking Daehyun’s and put it in the latter’s hand. Daehyun unquestioningly took a sip of it, which caused him to scrunch up his face.

“Why did you get me an alcohol?” Daehyun complained.

“One glass won’t make you drunk, hyung,” Jongup responded casually. “Besides, it’s an expensive one, the one that only rich people can drink,” he whispered.

“Stop that. You’ll end up embarrassing both of us,” Daehyun grumbled.

The brothers’ conversation went unnoticed by Yongguk. Even if he was watching them, the look in his eyes were just an empty stare since his mind was busy thinking about something else. No wonder he always smelled something familiar on Daehyun, moreover during a number of times he had picked Daehyun up at the studio. The reason was finally known to him now.

“So, Daehyun hyung is Yongguk hyung’s mate?” Suwoong asked, standing at the far end of the hall with some of the clan members. They had done all the chores that they were supposed to do and currently, they were listening to their alpha and his partner’s anniversary speech.

“Yeah,” Minsu acknowledged him.

“So, Daehyun hyung and Jongup were the ones you guys saved from the Massifs the other night! I can’t believe I’ve known our alpha’s mate before he does!” he bragged.

Minsu scoffed while giving him a side-eye. “It’s nothing you should be proud of.”

“He’s handsome,” Junhong noted, having to see Daehyun for the first time. He was the tallest among them despite being the youngest.

Sungjoon nodded in agreement. “It’s something you should expect from the alpha’s mate.”

“It’s very rare to see Yongguk hyung smiling so wide like that since Yongnam hyung’s death,” Minsu commented.

Sungjoon was still nodding his head. “That’s the power of mate.”

“What if your mate was dead? Can you ever smile again like that?”

Youngjae’s voice sounded from their leftmost, making each of them turned their heads towards him. The said man had his arms folded across his chest as he gazed to where the alpha was speaking.

Sungjoon, who was the closest to Youngjae, nudged Minsu beside him. Minsu elbowed Suwoong, who was standing next to him. Suwoong sent a sharp look at Junhong but, Junhong just shook his head. They totally understood each other even if they didn’t use the link because with Youngjae standing pretty close like that, he would surely sense the use of the link.

“M-Maybe… You’re destined with another mate?” Sungjoon braved himself to say something in response. “I see Jongup is very interested in you.”

“He is?” Suwoong asked in surprise, but immediately shut up when Minsu elbowed him again, only this time was a little harder than before.

Youngjae turned to glare at them. “I don’t consider Dabin hyung only as my mate. I love him with all my heart.”

Suwoong looked up at Junhong again and bulged his eyes. A moment after rapidly blinking his eyes, the tall boy finally had something to say.

“Hyung…?” he began timidly, bringing Youngjae’s attention to him. “I think Dabin hyung wouldn’t want you to be unmated for the rest of your life. Maybe you can open your heart for someone else…?” he nervously suggested but, quickly added, “It doesn’t mean that you should forget about Dabin hyung.”

Youngjae kept his stare at the boy. He didn’t say anything after that, which made them start to feel restless. Not to mention the tears that were b his eyes.

“How could I forget about him?” Youngjae snarled. “Your hyung died because of me.”

With that, Youngjae walked away, along with the sound of the guests clapping their hands. The alpha and his mate had finished delivering their speech and got on the dance floor to initiate their romantic waltz. The four of them didn’t move from the same place but, still clapped their hands loudly.

“Who brought up the topic in the first place?” Sungjoon hissed at them after the hand clapping time stopped.

“I believe you did,” Minsu snapped back.

Junhong let out a long heavy sigh. “How did it turn out like that? We were just talking about Yongguk hyung.”

Suwoong just shrugged his shoulders but then, he smirked. “With Yongguk hyung being in a good mood like that, why don’t you guys ask for a raise from him?”

Minsu wanted to give Suwoong an annoyed look, but something behind the said guy caught his attention even more. “Shut up,” he muttered.

Suwoong snorted. “What? Are you scared?”

“No, no shut up now,” Minsu whispered with a scowl.

Sungjoon frowned at him. “You shut up,” he countered because he didn’t notice the hint Minsu was giving with his eyes, unlike Junhong.

“He’s coming to us,” Junhong murmured when he finally saw the same thing.

“Who?” Suwoong asked.

Junhong just widened his eyes at him. Sungjoon, who had just realized it, was giving him a slight shake of his head.

At last, Suwoong understood and gasped internally. “Yongguk hyung?” he mouthed. All of them nodded their heads. “Did he hear me?!”

Before Suwoong could get himself ready like the others, Yongguk reached his side. Suwoong slowly turned his body to face the future alpha, who was already staring at him. They were only an inch apart, making Yongguk’s shadow loom over him.

“You know what, I’ve always wondered why I always smelt something familiar with Daehyun. And it needs a lot of skinship, lots of touching to leave your scent on someone else,” Yongguk had a pensive expression but later, he pulled a smile. “Could you please stop doing that? I’d really appreciate it if you do.”

After giving a hard pat on Suwoong’s back, Yongguk left. The boy seemed to stop functioning but, s weren’t really making any effort to slap the consciousness back into him.

As if nothing really happened, Yongguk went back to Daehyun and Jongup. “Excuse me,” he said to the younger one. “May I have a dance with this beautiful company of yours?”

Jongup promptly rolled his eyes. “Ugh, don’t get me involve in this.”

Yongguk chuckled, diverting his eyes to the red-faced Daehyun. “Daehyun, shall we?”

“I’d say no just now but you’d be too embarrassed to keep on living after that,” Jongup remarked.

“Actually!” Daehyun uttered before Yongguk could respond to his annoying brother. “I’d love to!” he agreed, full of confidence since he had danced countless times with both his father and his brother.

“Great!” Yongguk straightaway took Daehyun’s right hand with his and the other went around Daehyun’s slender waist.

“Aren’t you being a charmer tonight?” Daehyun commented as they walked to the dance floor. “First, at my door, and then here?”

“Only when it comes to you,” Yongguk assured.

“See?! You did it again!” Daehyun snorted in disbelief.

Yongguk chortled. He also didn’t know why he was being such a sweet talker tonight when he usually didn’t really talk at all. Perhaps, he was just braving himself to take another step forward in his relationship with Daehyun tonight.

Yongguk stopped both of them after they reached the dance floor and went to stand in front of his mate. He clasped their hands together before bringing Daehyun’s left hand up to his shoulder. Placing another hand on Daehyun’s back, he asked, “Ready?”

“I think so,” Daehyun smiled.

They began to dance slowly to the classical music. It was only after a few moves that Daehyun had stepped on Yongguk’s foot.

“Ooh, I’m sorry!” Daehyun apologized, his brows furrowing deeply.

Yongguk laughed. “It’s okay! I should’ve led you better.”

They continued to dance after that. The same thing almost happened again for more than once but, they quickly recovered. Soon, the bodies were in sync with each other, as well as the music.

“You’re good at this,” Daehyun complimented. His eyes looking up, hoping they would connect with Yongguk’s but, they only reached Yongguk’s nose.

“Not as good as you,” Yongguk replied. “You must have had lots of practice with other people.”

“Right, but there were only two people who helped me. My dad and Jongup,” Daehyun explained. “I bet you always do this at every other parties?”

“Yup. All of them was with my mom,” Yongguk confessed. “This is the first time I’ve asked someone other than my mom to dance.”

Daehyun went crimson again. It suddenly made him super conscious about how close they were standing to each other, how warm Yongguk’s clothed shoulder felt under his palm, how gentle Yongguk was holding to his hand, and how Yongguk’s deep voice sent shivers to every part of his body. Yongguk made him felt like the luckiest person on earth and he couldn’t stop the broad grin from spreading to all over his face, not knowing how much Yongguk wanted to kiss him right then and there.

After quite a while of dancing, Yongguk finally decided to step aside. He steered Daehyun to get themselves some drinks but, on their way, they came across Himchan and his family. He introduced his wife as Jeon Hyosung and his son as Kim Haneul to Daehyun.

“Say hello to Uncle Daehyun,” Himchan told his son in his hold.

“Hi, Uncle Daehyun!” The boy greeted using his baby slang.

“Hi, Haneul!” Daehyun replied in the same happy tone. “I suddenly feel old when you introduced me like that,” he said to Himchan with a laugh.

“I had to, since his most of his uncles are younger than you,” Himchan said, referring to his brother and cousins.

“Right,” Daehyun approved. “How old is he?”

“He’s three,” Himchan answered before asking his son, “Do you want to shake hand with Uncle Daehyun?”

The boy didn’t mind him at first since he was busy looking around the hall, wondering why there were so many people in the house tonight. When his mother told him that his father was asking him something, he turned his head back to Himchan.

“Shake hand?” Himchan repeated, pointing towards Daehyun. “Shake hand with Uncle Daehyun.”

Once Haneul finally understood, he immediately stretched out his hand. Yongguk chuckled at his cute nephew as he lifted Daehyun’s free hand to meet the boy’s.

Daehyun held Haneul’s soft hand using only his fingers. “He’s so small,” he cooed. Releasing Yongguk’s arm, he brought up the other hand, running it along the boy’s small arm until he found the squishy chubby cheek, which he gladly gave a light squeeze to it.

“Yongguk!” A woman joined them with a man by her side. “You’ve got a lover and didn’t tell me?”

Yongguk rolled his eyes before shaking his head. Everybody in his clan had already known about his human mate, so it was obvious to him that they were just using this chance to . Meanwhile, Daehyun was blushing ever since he heard the word ‘lover’ coming from the loud woman. He had put his hands down from Haneul but, he was too shy to hold Yongguk’s arm again.

“He’s just a friend,” Yongguk said casually, taking Daehyun’s hand out of habit.

Seeing their hands fastened to each other, a smirk etched on her lips, which grew wider when he saw how red Daehyun’s face was.

“Well, hi Yongguk’s friend. I’m Choi Sooyoung, his cousin,” she introduced herself.

Daehyun bowed his head. “I’m Jung Daehyun. Nice to meet you.”

“And here’s my husband, Jo Wonjun,” she said in behalf of the man standing next to her, who greeted Daehyun by himself after that.

“They already have three kids.” Himchan slightly touched Daehyun’s arm to let him know that he was talking to him. “She looks older than her actual age,” he said, in which he earned a hit on his arm from his wife.

Daehyun didn’t know how he should react to that, afraid if he would hurt Sooyoung’s feelings. But hearing the laughs coming from Yongguk and Wonjun, he decided to just pull an awkward smile.

Sooyoung scoffed at her cousin’s remark. “At least I don’t have to go on a diet like you,” she fired back, making Himchan gasped at her.

Yongguk laughed even louder at that, causing Daehyun to let out a laugh too. Wonjun then wrapped an arm around her shoulders to calm his wife down, even though he was still laughing at the cousins.

“Where are you kids?” Hyosung asked, taking the role as the pacifist.

“They were playing with their uncles over there,” Sooyoung pointed at the kids’ mini playground in the house. “Do you want to meet them, Daehyun? They are Sojin, Somin, and Soyun.”

Before Daehyun could say anything, Yongguk spoke up. “Daehyun has met a lot of people today. Don’t expect him to remember all of your family’s names.”

“It’s okay, you can take it slow.” Sooyoung smiled. “Just like your relationship with Yongguk.”

Both Yongguk and Daehyun’s faces turned bright red. Himchan exclaimed loudly at that, causing Daehyun and Haneul to flinch. He gave Sooyoung a high five, as if they didn’t just dis each other just now and their mates could only shake their head at the recurrent situation.

“Thank you for saving us that night,” Jongup thanked Minsu as they sat at another table with Suwoong.

Minsu patted his shoulder and smiled. “It’s what friends do.”

“Where’s Daehyun hyung?” Suwoong asked.

“He’s with Yongguk hyung,” Jongup nodded his head to where his brother was talking with some kids. Then, he turned back to Suwoong. “Have you always been staying here?”

Suwoong shook his head. “No, it’s only been six years.”

“What about your parents?”

Suwoong made a brief eye contact with Minsu, which Jongup could barely noticed. “They passed away, also six years ago. That’s why I came to live here.”

Jongup grimaced. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”

“It’s fine.” Suwoong shrugged. “I should’ve told you sooner.”

Jongup waved him off. “That’s fine for me too.” He took a sip of his drink while looking around. He had seen all of the gym’s staffs except Youngjae. He wondered where the man might be since Yongguk had said that he would be here too.

“Do all of the gym’s staffs live here?” he asked Minsu.

“Not all. My brother lives with his family and my mother at his own house.”

“But you live here?” he gave a question-like statement.

“Yeah…” Minsu nodded, pressing his lips together. “And only Sungjoon and Youngjae live here. The other staffs don’t.”

“With their family?”

“No… Just them.”

Jongup’s brows knitted together, confused. “Why?”

“Because…” Minsu glanced at Suwoong who arched his brows in return. “…we’re cousins? It’s more fun to live together like this.”

With that, Jongup didn’t question any further. He just hummed to himself as he didn’t know how it felt to have that many cousins. Actually, he didn’t have any at all.

“Did you have a chance to talk to Youngjae?” Minsu asked.

It made Jongup almost choke on his drink. He forgot to remind Minsu not to say anything about Youngjae in front of Suwoong. That friend of his was yet to know what was really going on between him and the gym’s receptionist. Now he was sure Suwoong wouldn’t stop questioning him about it and start to , just like what his brother did to him.

“Um… No, I didn’t see him anywhere.” He tried to act calm and collected, just waiting for Suwoong’s teasing remarks but none was heard.

Suwoong exhaled a long sigh instead. “I think he’s being alone in his room. He easily gets sad even during a party like this.”

As soon as the words left him mouth, Minsu instantly linked to Suwoong, only to shush him with a glare.

Jongup frowned. “Sad?”

Suwoong glowered at Minsu. “What? He deserves to know.”

“Why?” Jongup asked impatiently.

Seeing Jongup being genuinely concerned, Minsu suddenly thought that it was not wrong for him to know a little more about Youngjae. “Fine…” he finally agreed to Suwoong.

Sitting up in his chair, Suwoong stared seriously into Jongup’s eyes. “He once had a lover before. But he died… In an accident two years ago. Youngjae became so sad since then. He turned quiet and gloomy when he’s actually a happy and loud person.”

“What the…” Jongup’s face crinkled in bewilderment, still taking in the new revelation. “Two years? And he hasn’t moved on?”

Suwoong put his drink down after taking a sip and shook his head no. “He still loves him.”

Jongup’s eyes widened. “His lover was a man?”

Suwoong nodded. “That’s right.”

Yongguk saw his father beckoned for him in the distant. He looked like he was talking with one of their family’s business’s partner and he wanted him to join them. Afraid if Daehyun would get bored if he bring him along, he decided to call Jongup to accompany Daehyun instead. However, that younger brother of his mate couldn’t be found from his spot. The only one around was Sungjoon, who was cleaning a table.

“Is it okay if I leave you with Sungjoon?” he asked Daehyun after telling him that he needed to greet his business partner. “It won’t be long.”

“I’ll be fine on my own,” Daehyun assured. “And it’s okay. You can take as long as you need.”

Even though Daehyun said something like that, he still didn’t like to leave his mate alone in a party like this. So, he linked to Sungjoon, telling him to bring another drink to Daehyun and keep him company, as he walked the younger man to an unoccupied sofa.

Sungjoon came shortly after Yongguk left. “Hi, Daehyun hyung,” he made his presence known to the sightless man.

Daehyun looked up and smiled at the familiar voice. “Hi to you too.”

Sungjoon placed his glass of drink on the low table. “I bring some wine for you.” He took Daehyun’s hand and put another glass in his hold.

“Thanks,” Daehyun said. “Do you see Jongup by the way?”

“I think he’s chatting with Suwoong and Minsu at the farthest table at the back.”

“Ah… So that’s why Yongguk hyung couldn’t find him.”

Sungjoon flopped down into the adjacent sofa. “I brought someone with me. He’s my cousin.”

He told Junhong to have a seat next to Daehyun. The reason he brought Junhong with him was because he knew their future alpha had a soft spot for his youngest cousin. Therefore, if he did something wrong with Daehyun, Yongguk would totally forgive them. Besides, Junhong was yet to have a chance meeting their future alpha’s mate.

“My name’s Choi Junhong, sixteen years old. Nice to meet you, Daehyun-ssi,” the teen introduced himself after taking a seat beside the pretty man.

Daehyun turned his head to the boy, offering him a smile. “Nice to meet you, Junhong. And you can just call me hyung.”

“Alright, Daehyun hyung.”

“You’re Sungjoon’s cousin, right? Does that mean you’re Yongguk hyung’s cousin too?”

“Yup! I’m the youngest among the cousins,” Junhong admitted proudly with the tiniest amount of annoyance in his tone.

Daehyun chuckled, finding Junhong cute. “Do you live here on your own too? I just know that Sungjoon is.”

Junhong averted his eyes at Sungjoon and received a wink from him. “What did you tell him hyung?” he asked through the link.

“I said that my parents live far away from here.”

Junhong’s jaw dropped in a silent gasp. “How could you lie to him so easily?”

“It’s the young alpha’s order!” Sungjoon threw up his hands, his bottom lip jutting out at the same time.

“My parents live here too,” Junhong spoke up, afraid if Daehyun would find it weird if he kept quiet for long. “My mother is the alp-”

Sungjoon cut him off by raising his hand, showing his palm to make the teen stopped right then and there.

Realizing his mistake, Junhong cleared his throat to cover it. “Excuse me. My mother, is the younger sister of Uncle Dongwan,” he corrected himself. “My sister lived here before but she moved out after she’s married. You played with her kids just now.”

“Oh, I think I’ve met your sister. She introduced herself as Yongguk hyung’s cousin too. Her name’s Sooyoung, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Her kids are so cute,” Daehyun squealed, very much enjoying the time he had spent with them.

Junhong snorted as he truly knew how his nieces actually were. “Only when they don’t punch each other’s faces.”

Daehyun just laughed at that before asking him again. “I remembered the other day, Yongguk told me that he had a cousin who loved to play piano, but he died two years ago.”

“That’s Junhong’s brother,” Sungjoon answered.

“Oh, I’m really sorry.” Daehyun felt for Junhong’s arm before sliding down to grab Junhong’s hand. “It must be hard on you.”

“It’s okay. It’s been two years already,” Junhong reassured.

“Um… May I ask how did he pass away?” Daehyun asked after contemplating for a moment.

“Oh, well, Youngjae hyung’s clan-” Junhong was promptly stopped by a kick to his foot from Sungjoon.

“What?” Daehyun asked, his brows furrowing in confusion.

“Yongguk hyung!” Junhong’s voice was uncontrollably loud as he panicked, giving Daehyun’s body a slight jerk out of surprise. “He didn’t tell you about it?”

“No, I didn’t have the chance to ask him about it,” Daehyun said, the frown on his face deepened.

“Oh what do I tell him?” Junhong widened his eyes at Sungjoon.

“I don’t know, just think of something!”

“Should I link with Yongguk hyung?”

“No, that’d take too long! Daehyun hyung’s already seemed very confused right now. Hurry up and say something!” Sungjoon urged while bulging out his eyes.

“It was a heartbreak,” Junhong spurted and Sungjoon slapped his forehead.

Daehyun was silent for a moment. “...What? How could he die from a heartbreak?”

“Oh, did I say heartbreak?” Junhong acted to be at a loss. “I meant to say heart attack.”

“He’s blind, not deaf,” Sungjoon shook his head, staring sharply at the teen but Junhong just shrugged at him. Feeling stressed with Junhong’s many mistakes, he swigged half of his wine.

“That’s terrible. And at such a young age too.” Daehyun was feeling genuinely sorry for Junhong’s brother.

Sungjoon was relieved when Daehyun actually believed in whatever he had been told. He downed the remaining wine in one draft.

“I’m gonna go refill my drink.” He stood up. “Do you want another glass, Daehyun hyung?”

“No, I’m fine,” Daehyun refused since his drink was still untouched.

“Don’t drink too much, hyung. We still have to make rounds after the party,” Junhong uttered. Sungjoon felt like throwing the empty glass right onto the thickhead.

Daehyun’s brows quirked up. “Rounds?”

“He meant cleaning around the house. This boy talks too fast sometimes,” Sungjoon quickly covered it up with an airy laugh. “We don’t hire any housekeepers here since we’re able to do everything on our own. Even all the food were prepared by ourselves,” he said to Daehyun, but he was glaring at Junhong.

The boy cowered in his seat, finding the older guy a lot scarier when he was smiling with those glowering stare. He couldn’t believe he actually forgot to use the link in front of the human.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that. The food was so delicious as if it was made by a top chef,” Daehyun was honestly impressed.

“Yeah, Aunt Minjee really has the skill of a top chef. The rest of us only helped her as much as we could.” Sungjoon once again felt so relieved to get away with another mistake Junhong made.

Maybe he shouldn’t really brought Junhong with him in the first place. The boy was the one who almost blurted out their secrets. No matter how much Yongguk was fond of Junhong amongst the members, nothing would be more precious to him than his own mate. Sungjoon just hoped Yongguk wouldn’t find out and get mad at them like he did to Suwoong.

A/N:

I tried my best to write about Yongguk's clan without getting you guys confused ~~(I've been confused while writing it too)~~. But if you are, feel free to ask my anything ^^

Thank you to all upvoters, subscribers, readers and commenters! XOXO