Heather
Perfectly Imperfect
Heather – protection
When the doorbell rang the next day, the brothers were huddling together on the couch. Daehyun was lying on his back while he listened to the movie playing on the TV. It was a DVD with audio description which he had bought online, shortly after moving to this town. At the other end of the couch, Jongup was sitting with Daehyun’s legs draped over his lap, playing an intense game on his mobile phone.
Surprised with the sound of the doorbell, Daehyun hastily sat up to find Jongup’s arm. The younger man put his phone away and held his brother’s forearm to make him relax. He tried to be as calm as possible for Daehyun. When he turned to look at the door, the bell rang for the second time.
“Who’d be coming here at this time?” Daehyun whispered nervously. Every hair on his body stood up, along with the accelerating beats of his heart. It was only ten in the morning and nobody had ever come to their house this early.
“I don’t know.” Jongup brought down Daehyun’s legs from his lap. “But if you’re afraid it’s the thugs from last night, I don’t think it’s them.”
“How can you be so sure?” Daehyun pulled the arm he was holding when he felt that Jongup was about to get up.
“I just know,” Jongup retorted when actually, he could never be sure about it. He just didn’t want to scare his brother even more. “Don’t worry, I’ll just go see who it is.”
Daehyun had to let go of Jongup’s arm as his hands were pushed away by the latter. He quickly searched for his phone on the table before going to the far end of the couch, cowering there while hugging his knees to his chest. The phone was tight in his grip, just in case he needed to call for help.
Jongup peeked through the hole and like a déjà vu, he saw Yongguk and Himchan. He sighed at another ring of the bell before opening the door, but only as wide as the size of his head.
“Good morning,” he greeted politely.
“Hi. Morning. How’s Daehyun doing?” Yongguk asked eagerly.
“He’s fine.” Jongup found it annoying at how much this man cared for his brother. He couldn’t help himself from throwing a suspicious look, staring up and down at them. That was when he noticed that they were wearing the same clothes from yesterday. “Didn’t you guys go home last night?”
Yongguk only shrugged his shoulders so, Himchan spoke up for him. “We’re afraid if they might come again.”
Jongup frowned. “They don’t know where we live.”
Himchan was the one to shrug this time. “That doesn’t mean we can let our guard down.”
“Don’t you have any class today?” Yongguk asked.
“Daehyun hyung is still shocked from what happened last night. I can’t just leave him here.”
“I told you I’ll be fine on my own,” Daehyun suddenly argued from behind. Jongup moved aside and opened the door wider. “I asked for a day off and I won’t go anywhere today.”
Yongguk’s face lightened up once Daehyun appeared in front of him. The oversized shirt hung loosely on the younger man’s petite body and the shorts revealed half of the shapely thighs. Daehyun looked exceptionally good, even with messy hair and puffy eyes, probably having trouble sleeping last night. Yongguk wished to put a smile on that beautiful face by agreeing with everything that was said by his mate, but not this time. “No, Daehyun. Jongup is right.”
“But he needs to attend his class,” Daehyun’s tone dropped a pitch lower upon hearing Yongguk’s firm voice.
“I can stay with you.”
“What?” Jongup was in disbelief.
“But you need to go to work,” Daehyun intended to remind Yongguk that he actually had a job.
“I can have a day off too,” Yongguk stated his excused casually.
“No, it’s okay.” Jongup brought up his palms. “I am his brother so I’ll take care of him.”
“Hey, I’m not a kid!”
Yongguk scratched the back of his head with his other hand shoved in his pocket. “I’ve been taking care of Daehyun at the gym too.”
“I don’t need any of you to watch over me…” Daehyun groaned, knowing that he would be ignored again.
Jongup scoffed at Yongguk’s smug before asking Himchan. “Do you actually know those bastards who attacked us?”
Yongguk was faster to answer. “We do, but we don’t really like each other. The same thing had happened before so we know how to deal with it.”
Jongup crossed his arms against his chest, narrowing his eyes at the man. “How exactly are you going to handle them?”
“Don’t worry. We have our own way. But we can promise you, we are not even a bit like them,” Yongguk assured, looking straight into the boy’s eyes.
The unyielding gaze managed to convince Jongup. He sighed, deciding to comply even though he still had a tiny bit of doubt and hesitance towards them.
“I’ll go to my class if you agree to stay with Yongguk hyung,” Jongup said to his brother.
Daehyun frowned, feeling guilty to make Yongguk leave the gym just to look after him. “But…”
“You don’t need to worry about the gym,” Himchan chimed in. “The other staffs and I can take care of it.”
Daehyun finally admitted his defeat with a huff. “Fine…”
After sending Himchan away, Daehyun let Yogguk in and closed the door. Jongup had already went to his room to change and get ready for his class. Yongguk sauntered into the living room while looking around. The brothers’ house was not big but, it was not small either. It should be pretty comfortable for only two persons to be living in. It was a single storey with two bedrooms based on what he had seen so far.
“Have you eaten anything?” Daehyun asked from behind.
“Nope,” Yongguk turned around and replied. “But I’m not hungry.”
“No way! I heard that you didn’t go home last night, so I know you didn’t have any breakfast. How can you not be hungry?” Daehyun chided, the concern was clearly shown on his face, before offering, “I can make something to eat for you.”
Indeed, Yongguk was hungry but at the same time, he didn’t want to cause any trouble to Daehyun. He was the one who insisted on looking after him in the first place.
“Then, a cup of coffee would be nice,” Yongguk requested bashfully.
“Just that?”
“Yeah, I’ll eat anything you have besides that.”
“Alright. You can have a seat here while I make it.” Daehyun smiled before making his way to the kitchen.
Yongguk followed Daehyun’s move with his eyes, impressed that the younger man could navigate himself without any help, as if he wasn’t really blind. Only the tip of his fingers were brushing along the walls to guide his way. If it was him, he would probably trip over his own feet, give bruises all over his body and take forever to go anywhere within his own bedroom. Maybe that was why the house had the least amount of furniture and was kept very neat and orderly.
Without tearing his gaze from his mate, Yongguk went to sit on the only long couch in the living room. The TV across him was playing something that looked like a movie but he had to take a second glance when he heard another voice in the background. It turned out to be describing what was happening on the screen in detail. He had an idea that it was made for blind people to watch the film.
Yongguk’s focus on the movie was interrupted by the sound a door being opened and closed. Jongup got out of his room and walked past by the living room, as well as the kitchen. “Hyung! I’m going now!”
“Okay!” Daehyun replied.
Jongup then turned to their guest with a glare. “If anything happens to Daehyun hyung, don’t ever dream of seeing him again after this,” he warned in a low voice.
Yongguk, as usual, was not even slightly intimidated by it and only gave a thumbs up. Jongup returned him an annoyed scoff before finally going out to his campus.
Shortly after that, Daehyun came with a cup of coffee, four pieces of toasts, and a jar of blueberry jam on a small tray, balanced with both of his hands. His steps were more calculated this time, with an elbow touching the wall to ground himself.
When Yongguk noticed Daehyun was carefully approaching him, he quickly got up to give a hand. “Oh, here. Let me get that for you,” he slowly took the tray before putting it down on the table.
“You made toasts?”
“It’s not much, so you have to eat all of it.” Daehyun felt for the empty spot on the couch before sitting down.
As soon as there was food in front of him, Yongguk realized that he was hungrier than he thought. He just smudged the jam on the toasted bread before shoving it down his throat.
“The movie’s pretty cool. The description is very good,” he commented after taking a sip of the warm coffee.
“I’ve watched it for more than three times already. I almost memorized everything.”
“Don’t you want to buy a new one?”
“I’m in the middle of saving my money for that. It’s pretty expensive you know,” Daehyun sighed.
“Where did you buy it?”
“Online. I don’t know the stores that sell this kind of DVD in this town. I’ve asked my coworkers and my students, but none of them have any idea about it, they don’t even know about the stores.”
“I guess they only download the movies from the internet,” Yongguk chuckled. “Have you tried it?”
“Yeah, I’ve downloaded most of the available movies and audiobooks. But I prefer something physical like DVDs and braille books.”
Yongguk hummed. “I know some DVD stores but I’m not sure if they have ones with audio description. I’ll check them out if I’ve got time.”
“No, you don’t have to. It’d be such a trouble for you.” Daehyun sat up and faced the other man to seriously refuse him.
“It’s no trouble,” Yongguk waved it off. “I have friends all over the town, you know. I can possibly get a discount.”
When Yongguk put it in that way, Daehyun started to be drawn into the offer. It was rare for him to get a discount for the expensive DVDs. “Really? What about braille books? Is there any bookstore that sells them?”
Yongguk smiled seeing Daehyun got a little excited. “I’m not sure, but I’ll ask that around too.”
“Thank you, hyung!” Daehyun couldn’t hold the grin from spreading all over his face.
From then on, Yongguk just couldn’t take his eyes off the cute sight, even when he was smearing the jam on another toast. Being this close to Daehyun in his house, he was surrounded by the crisp honey scent, feeling as if he was in heaven. But it also made him realized how bad he smelled right now, when he had not wash himself after a whole day of working at a gym and a whole night of staying outside.
“Do you mind if I borrow your shower?”
“Not at all.” Daehyun’s smiley face then turned into a frowning one. “But seriously, you shouldn’t have stayed all night outside, hyung. You should’ve told me and I’d at least let you in.”
“Alright, I’ll do that next time.”
Yongguk’s words sounded like a children’s promise when they said they were not going to repeat the same mistake again. Daehyun could only sigh at that since he didn’t want to argue with his savior right now. He believed Yongguk knew anything about those thugs more than he did.
“Aren’t you going to finish your coffee first?”
“Of course,” Yongguk said, already having the cup near his mouth.
“Umm… By the way, thank you for helping us last night.” Daehyun had been waiting for the right time to say it and now that he had done it, he could feel his face heating up.
Seeing Daehyun getting shy, Yongguk started to blush. He never felt so flustered having someone thanking him before. He cleared his throat to stop himself from being carried away. “Now, do you believe how dangerous it is to be outside at night?”
Daehyun pouted when the same thing he had been warned about since they first met was brought up again. “I don’t think it is that dangerous from where I live before.”
“Well, small towns aren’t always any safer than big cities,” Yongguk implied and Daehyun agreed with him by nodding his head.
“Do you know the thugs?”
Yongguk’s eyes widened at Daehyun’s sudden question. “Uh… I’ve encountered them a few times before, just saw them messing around with people. It was not a regular case, so I think they come from the neighboring town or somewhere else,” Yongguk tried to make it sound as trivial as he could, but he knew it was not easy after what had happened to Daehyun.
“They mess around seriously, didn’t they?” Daehyun made a sarcastic remark.
“You don’t have to worry about them. I gave them a stern warning last night,” Yongguk quickly brushed it off, hoping that Daehyun wouldn’t get drowned with the thoughts of the traumatic event again.
Daehyun was actually thinking about something else instead. “It still amaze me how you can get there on time.”
That one, Yongguk was yet to know how to convince him other than that it was because they were mates. “I have a secret power that I can’t tell you,” he joked.
Daehyun scoffed. “What are you? A superhero or something?”
“Yeah, an accidental one that is,” he laughed it off, wishing that the topic would end there. Luckily, he managed to make Daehyun laugh along with him.
“I’m done eating,” Yongguk spoke up right after that. “Thank you for the meal.” He begin to gather everything onto the tray.
Hearing the clang of the utensils, Daehyun immediately scooted over to the man and found his arm, stopping him from whatever he was doing. “Just leave it here.”
“It’s okay. It’s only a little dishes that I can wash on my own.” Yongguk was already holding onto the tray and about to get up.
“Nooo!” Daehyun tugged Yongguk’s arm until the tray was back on the table. “How can I make the guest do the dishes?” He trailed down the arm and stopped at Yongguk’s hand, pulling the tray away from the so called guest.
“Go ahead to the bathroom,” Daehyun nudged Yongguk, telling him to get up. “You can use the one in my room. Just make yourself at home. I’ll bring a clean towel and a new toothbrush for you later.”
Yongguk eventually gave up after being pushed away by the smaller man. “Alright, alright.” He stood up and headed towards what he assumed was Daehyun’s bedroom because he knew the other room was Jongup’s. “Thanks again for the meal!”
“You’re welcome!”
Once Yongguk entered the room, he was hit by a stronger scent of Daehyun. It was as if the younger man was standing right next to him. Everything in the room was also neatly arranged. There were only a bed, a wardrobe, a desk and a small shelf loaded with books.
Yongguk neared the desk and found a laptop among various origami, carved wooden figures and tiny plants in tiny pots. They were as cute as their owner. Checking out the wooden figures, Yongguk noticed some music notes, piano keys, some fruits, a tiger, a car, an airplane, and a bird. But the last one made him take it to get a closer look. He chuckled at how irony it was to find a carved wooden dragon on his mate’s desk.
“What’s with that funny face? Should’ve looked cooler like me,” Yongguk snorted before putting it back down. Then, he noticed a dragon shaped origamis next to it. Not one, not two, but five different shapes of them.
“Seems like he’s quite fond of dragons,” Yongguk chuckled. “Cute.”
He proceeded to go to the bathroom and on his way, he noticed another shape of wooden dragon sculpture on the book shelf. Then, he saw another one on the windowsill. When he was in the bathroom, there was a different shape of dragon next to the sink. He wondered if Daehyun really likes dragons. If he is, it would be such a funny coincidence.
As he was about to get undressed, Daehyun came knocking at the door. He was given not just a towel and a toothbrush, but also a pair of clothes.
“I hope they fit you,” Daehyun said.
“I think they will. Thanks.” Yongguk took all the things and fixed his eyes on the petite body of his mate until he left the room.
Yongguk came out of the room wearing Daehyun’s clothes, although it looked like he was wearing a size smaller than he should be. Daehyun was sitting on the couch, listening to the TV but not the same movie from before. His body leaned against the armrest, perching his elbow on it to prop his chin up with his palm. His eyes were looking at the screen but they didn’t seem to focus on it.
“Thanks for the shower,” Yongguk said while ruffling his still damp hair.
“Oh.” Daehyun just realized the older man had come out to the living room. “Don’t mention it.” He straightened up his body and smiled in Yongguk’s direction.
As he made his way over to Daehyun, Yongguk stopped to take a look at the upright piano. He was not surprised that there was another carved wooden dragon on it. “This must be yours.”
“What is?”
Yongguk turned to Daehyun and saw him making a confused face. “Oh, sorry about that.” He grimaced at his mistake. “I mean the piano.”
“It’s okay,” Daehyun shrugged it off. “My dad bought it for me as my 18th birthday gift.”
Nodding his head, Yongguk took a seat on the stool before mindlessly pressing a key. “My cousin loved to play too.”
Daehyun’s brows furrowed. “Loved?”
“He died two years ago.”
“Oh,” Daehyun placed a hand on his chest at the unexpected answer. “I’m so sorry to hear that.”
“I once asked him to teach me how to play.”
Daehyun’s eyes immediately lit up. “So you can play?”
“Just a tiny bit.” Yongguk scrunched up his face diffidently.
“Show me!” Daehyun was truly excited that he couldn’t contain it anymore.
His mate was looking in his direction with those sparkling expectant eyes and he had known since the beginning that he was weak for that. But the thought of playing the piano which he was barely good at was embarrassing, moreover in front of a piano instructor.
“It’s been so long since I last played. I don’t know if I still remember,” he admitted sheepishly.
“Maybe your fingers will remember,” Daehyun replied, grinning ever so broadly.
Yongguk didn’t have the heart to wipe the smile off the beautiful face. So, he heaved a deep breath and shrugged his shoulders. “Alright.”
The first few notes were a bit hesitant and off-key but slowly, bits and pieces of old memories were recalled in his mind. He only played based on what he could remember and it didn’t last for a minute. He had to stop when the sound didn’t make sense anymore.
Despite the little success, Daehyun cheered as if he was at a concert. He clapped his hands as loud as possible, very much impressed with the gym’s manager ability to play a musical instrument. “That’s very good for someone who haven’t played for so long.”
“You’re exaggerating but, thank you very much.”
“Nooo, I’m a very honest person if you have to know.”
The warmth spread all over Yongguk’s chest. Daehyun’s scent, Daehyun’s face, Daehyun’s smile, Daehyun’s voice, Daehyun’s laugh; everything was becoming even more unbearable to him. He didn’t know how he managed to hold himself from claiming the man right in front of him. He wondered what would happen if he just told Daehyun that he was his mate, that they were destined with each other and shall live happily until their last breaths.
He really wanted to do that because he knew the moment he could hold Daehyun in his arms would be more than he could imagine. He wanted to do that but he also didn’t want to ruin the good momentum they had right now. He always knew it was better not to rush anything as something will happen if it is bound to happen.
“Right, thank you. Maybe I’ll go to the studio and register as one of your students one day.”
“Why do that when I can teach you for free? You let me exercise at the gym free of charge and I can do the same for you.”
“Okay, I see. So, it’s a win-win situation, huh?” Yongguk said, making Daehyun laugh. “But maybe we can talk about that later because now, it’s almost time for lunch.”
“Oh,” Daehyun didn’t realize about the time. He didn’t usually forget to check it everyday. His guest today sure seemed to get his mind occupied. “What should we have then?”
“Don’t ask me. I just had my brunch.”
“Are you going to let me have lunch by myself?” Daehyun whined, his lower lip protruded in a sulky pout.
“No, of course not.” Yongguk just laughed at Daehyun’s antics. “I’ll eat with you as much as my stomach can keep. It’s just that I think you’re the one who should decide what you want to eat today,” he explained what he actually meant to say.
Daehyun had never been the one to decide what or where they should eat every time they had lunch together. He could order his food on his own but he just followed wherever Yongguk would take him.
Daehyun hummed as he gave it a thought. “Well, do you want to eat out, takeaway, or delivery?”
“I don’t know. What do you usually have for lunch if you stay at home?”
“Jongup would usually cook something before he goes to class and I’d heat it up in the microwave later. If not, Jongup would come home and bring some food for me. But when he doesn’t have time to do any of those, I’d have a takeout, or just instant noodles if I’m feeling lazy to go out.”
“You don’t cook at home?”
“Sometimes, but it’s only when Jongup is around. And it’s only a simple meal that I can make. Jongup is the one who always do the cooking but it’s only when he feels like it. If I’m alone, like hell Jongup would let me do that. He doesn’t even let me go near the stove.”
“Well, you’re not alone now. And I won’t let anything happen to you because if not, Jongup said that I can’t never see you again.”
Daehyun gasped. “He said that?!”
Yongguk nodded to himself. “I’m pretty sure he did.”
Daehyun facepalmed. “I swear to god, he can be so embarrassing sometimes.”
Yongguk just laughed before standing up and walked towards the other. Kneeling in front of Daehyun, he pulled the hand that was covering his mate’s pretty face. “I can’t imagine not seeing you again after this. So, don’t worry about what Jongup said because I’ll watch over you.”
Daehyun could feel his cheeks started to burn. Yongguk’s voice sounded so close to his face and his bigger hand was holding his on his lap. “But… I’m not that good in cooking…” he admitted shyly.
Yongguk shrugged. “I can cook something if you let me,” he ventured out his wish.
“Really?!”
Yongguk was loving the way Daehyun’s face was colored with beautiful shades of red, but the way Daehyun’s eyes sparkled with excitement was something he could look at forever. “Yeah, I can make some decent edible food. Just tell me what you want to eat.”
Daehyun was smiling as he bit his bottom lip to give it a thought. “I think there’s some chicken left in the freezer. So, maybe some fried chicken?”
“Sure. What else?”
“Umm… I can make stir-fried vegetables and… omelet?”
“Of course. We can do that. Come on. I’ll be your sous chef for today.” Yongguk stood up, pulling Daehyun along by his hand.
Daehyun just let Yongguk bring him to the kitchen as he tried to wipe the goofy grin off his face. He couldn’t deny the giddying thump of his heart, knowing that Yongguk trusted him enough to cook. That’s why he would trust Yongguk to not let anything happen to him so that Jongup’s warn would never come true.
Going straight to the fridge, Daehyun released Yongguk’s warm hand as he took out the chicken from the freezer. It was immediately taken away from him with Yongguk saying that he would let it thaw in the sink.
Daehyun then proceeded to take out whatever vegetables they had from the fridge. Feeling each of them, he identified them as cabbage, carrot, and cauliflower.
“Need any help with those?” Yongguk asked.
“Yeah, could you wash off the dirt? I’m not very good at it, especially with the cauliflower.”
“Sure.” Yongguk took the bowl of vegetables to the sink.
Daehyun used the chance to find a knife and a cutting board and put them on the kitchen counter. Yongguk brought the bowl back to Daehyun when he was done. Daehyun felt around inside the bowl before taking the carrot out onto the cutting board.
“Actually, I’m not very good at using the knife either,” Daehyun confessed bashfully.
“Really?” Yongguk was genuinely taken aback this time. He just realized he was about to let Daehyun have the risk of getting himself injured. “Do you want me to do it instead?”
“No way. This is my chance to improve my skill. Jongup has never let me do it again after I cut myself for the fifth time.”
Yongguk’s eyes widened. Maybe Jongup didn’t let Daehyun cook not just because he was blind, but maybe he really didn’t have the criteria to be in the kitchen. He had met some people who were hopeless in trying to do something no matter how hard they tried and he started to think that his mate would be one of them because five times of cutting himself? That was not unskillful, that was just not meant to be.
Daehyun ran his fingers from the tip of the carrot until the point where he wanted to cut it, and Yongguk almost lost his breath when the knife was positioned right on his fingers. But before he could say anything, Daehyun moved it onto the carrot, chopping it with a knock on the board and Yongguk could finally breathe again.
“You know, actually, you have to curl you fingers under to avoid slicing you fingertip,” Yongguk voiced out.
“Ah… Jongup told me the same thing before, but I can’t never get used to it,” Daehyun smiled sheepishly. It was adorable, but Yongguk was not having any of it.
“Of course you can.” He moved closer from Daehyun’s left until his body was slightly pressed against Daehyun’s back. Then, he clasped the top of Daehyun’s hand, making their finger curl together beneath the smaller palm. “Just keep your hand like this when chopping.”
“O-Okay.” Daehyun tried to keep calm despite the tingling on his back because of the warmth radiating from Yongguk’s body.
Once his hand was released, Daehyun continued his task with Yongguk telling him that he did a god job every so often. Their positions didn’t change as Yongguk would help him with this and that, and Daehyun was surprised he managed not to chop his fingers off this time, moreover with Yongguk watching him closely like that.
After he was done, Yongguk went to clean the chicken, whereas Daehyun washed the rice and let it cook in the rice cooker. It was one of the things he was good at and didn’t need anyone’s help. Seriously, it was his self-appointed job to cook the rice every time he would eat at home with Jongup, since he wouldn’t feel so useless that way.
He carried on with cracking the eggs into a bowl which he had put a strainer on top of it to avoid getting the eggshells into the bowl. He whisked the eggs that would be used to coat the chicken with flour, which he had prepared in another plate and Yongguk would just have to dip the chicken slices in them before putting them in the frying pan.
As Yongguk was busy with the chicken, Daehyun whisked more eggs to make the omelet. He expertly mixed the seasonings and finally cooked it on the stove next to the other man. Yongguk was once again impressed at how handy Daehyun was with the turning spatula and a pan.
Done with the omelet, Daehyun began to cook the vegetables. Yongguk finished frying the chicken shortly after that, placing it on the dining table together with the omelet. He went to Daehyun later on, telling his mate that he could take over so that Daehyun could prepare the table. But since it was Daehyun’s dish, Yongguk would always ask him what to do with it next and before he finished, he let Daehyun have a taste of it.
“It’s good! I think it’s better than what I usually made!” Daehyun praised.
Yongguk rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. I only did what you told me to do.”
“No, really. Tell me what else you put in there,” Daehyun started to fool around.
“Nothing! Even if I did put something, it would just probably be the overflowing love that I got in my big heart,” Yongguk deadpanned.
Daehyun scrunched up his face. “No wonder I tasted something cheesy in there too.”
Yongguk couldn’t hold his laughter at Daehyun’s remark. He reached up to pinch Daehyun’s cheek, causing the latter to laugh with him. The mellow voice finally made him feel at ease, knowing that his mate was genuinely happy and seemed to slowly forget about last night’s incident.
“Um… I had a look around your room earlier. I’m sorry I did that without telling you,” Yongguk spoke up as they ate.
“Oh, I don’t mind. There’s nothing in my room to look at anyway.”
“I like the wooden figures on your desk.”
“Thank you.” Daehyun smiled for a second before suddenly letting out a gasp. “You didn’t steal any, didn’t you?”
It shocked the hell out of Yongguk that it almost made him choke on his food. “What- No! I’d never- Of course I didn’t!” he sputtered nervously.
Daehyun burst out with a fit of laughter. “Relax! I’m kidding!”
Yongguk exhaled in relief. “You really got me there,” he laughed while shaking his head in amusement. “But I wonder why there are more dragons that I saw, there’s even another one on the piano.”
“It’s because of my father,” Daehyun began. “He believed that every soul has a guardian spirit. His were roses because he could grow them easily. He had a hard time growing other plants.”
“I think I get the gist here. I’m guessing that you love gardening because of your father too?”
“Yeah,” Daehyun pulled a thin smile while gazing blankly at the table. “And also because my father said that my mom loved flowers. Her guardian spirit was supposedly a red rose because it assembled her beauty, according to my father. He also said that guardian spirits between soulmates would almost be the same so, the two souls would be harmonious when they are together.”
“Wow,” Yongguk breathed out, amazed. “I’ve never heard anything like that before, but it’s beautiful,” he said and Daehyun’s smile widened. “What about you? Is it a dragon?”
Daehyun hummed. “Mine is dragon, Jongup’s is the sea. My father said that dragons like a brave heart. He always told me that he was proud of me, because of how brave I am to live happily even though I’m blind. And because of that, a dragon would choose me to be my guardian spirit.”
Yongguk felt like he was being pranked. This would be one of the most obvious signs that Daehyun was his mate. And the sign was not only meant for him, but also for Daehyun, whom had yet to realize it. Daehyun’s father would be so happy to know that his prediction was correct.
“I can’t wait to meet my soulmate. Their guardian spirit should almost be the same as mine,” Daehyun said.
Yongguk wondered if Daehyun would be okay to know that his soulmate was literally a dragon instead of just having the same guardian as him.
After having their meal, Yongguk cleaned the table and passed the dishes to Daehyun, who was already washing some of them as he stood by the sink. However, he didn’t have the chance to finish them when his phone was heard ringing from the living room.
Yongguk was quick to take the sponge and the dirty plate from Daehyun, telling the younger man to leave the rest to him. Daehyun apologetically thanked him before washing his hands. He padded as fast as he could to where the sound was coming from.
His hands roamed the coffee table until his phone was found and a little too familiar voice resounded from the other end of the line after he picked it up.
“Hyung, it’s me. Is everything okay?” Jongup asked in concern. He had just finished some sandwiches he bought from the cafeteria while he sat on a bench outside the building.
“Yeah! Don’t worry,” Daehyun assured, reaching out his free hand to find the couch and took a seat.
“Have you eaten your lunch?”
“I’ve just finished it, actually. What about you?”
“I have. What are you so happy about anyway?”
Daehyun’s face flushed, getting shy that he was caught so easily. He must have been so happy that he couldn’t control it from showing through his voice. Jongup was always so good in knowing how he exactly felt at the exact moment.
“You should know, Yongguk hyung is a pretty good cook,” he said in almost a whisper, biting his lower lip shyly afterwards.
Jongup, on the other hand, couldn’t help feeling a twinge of jealousy. “Just make sure he didn’t poison your food and kill you.”
“Yah! You’re being rude!” Daehyun pouted, moreover when he heard Jongup’s scornful laugh at him. “I think I feel better now. I can go to work again tomorrow.”
Jongup smiled genuinely. “Good for you,” he said, even though it was still hard for him to accept the fact that he had left his precious brother to someone they had yet completely known. But at least, Daehyun was gradually getting back to his usual self. He just hoped the same thing wouldn’t happen again.
His thought then drifted to Youngjae. That man was also there to save them last night, together with the others. He made sure to put a note in his mind to thank all of their saviours later.
Yongguk went to the gym that evening, leaving Daehyun’s place after Jongup was home. Both Daehyun and he were taking their time saying goodbye to each other. With Daehyun thanking him and saying that he had fun while adorably blushing, Yongguk would certainly have a red face too. He lost count at how many Jongup had rolled his eyes at them until he finally left.
However, Himchan told him to go home, shortly after he arrived at the gym. It seemed that his parents had known about what happened last night and probably had prepared a long list of questions for him.
The main house was where he lived, together with his parents who are the clan’s alpha and his mate, and most of the clan members. Some of them chose to move out after they got married, like Himchan and his mate, to have a little privacy with his family, as well as to avoid his loud baby boy from being a bother to the clan, though none of the members thought so.
It was quiet in the house, knowing that no one was yet to be home except the elders. Though his father is a businessman, he always got home earlier than the others, which was also because of his role to protect the clan, especially when the day turned dark. He was a responsible alpha, who Yongguk adored so much.
His parents seemed to be together based on their scents. Yongguk traced the path that led to the library. He could have used the clan’s link, but it would be more polite to knock on the library’s door and let them know that he was there to talk.
His mother was very worried, asking him if he had been hurt anywhere as she was always ready to nurse him. She was so relieved to know that his son was alright, but that didn’t make her less worried about that night’s incident.
“We heard what happened,” his father spoke up before asking, “Do you want to share it with us?”
Yongguk blew out a long heavy breath. He took a seat on the sofa across his father, while his mother moved to sit beside him. He began to tell them that he had possibly found his mate. He told them how he could feel his mate was in danger last night, and he could almost hear clearly his mate calling his name, crying for help. And the strength he had while fighting off the Massif clan was something he had never experienced before.
Then, he told his parents on how he had found his mate, that his name is Daehyun, about his wonderful sweet scent, about how his beauty is out of this world, about how Daehyun’s unimpressed reaction was not what he had expected. He explained why he didn’t tell them about his mate before. It was because he is a human, and unexpectedly, is also a man.
The look on his parents changed the more he told them about his mate. It was more to surprise than disgust. He knew his parents were not that kind of persons who emphasize the normality of society in their life.
“You already know we’d have no problem with that,” his father reassured and his mother agreed by nodding her head.
“But if I’m going to be with him, I won’t have any child,” Yongguk pointed out the obvious.
“You should realize that there are a lot of other cases that is similar to you. I don’t think you should worry about that right now. You should focus on claiming your mate first because a weredragon’s main strength is their mate. You should gain that strength to protect the clan.”
Yongguk fiddled with his fingers. “I’m not sure if I can do that even if I could claim him. You and I both know that I’m not fit to lead the clan.”
His father heaved a deep breath as he sat up, resting his elbows on top of his knees. “For us, a good leader won’t always be a good alpha but, a good alpha will always be a good leader. An alpha is certainly an eligible dragon, a dragon that’s worthy to protect his clan, that’s able to sacrifice himself for the one he loves.”
“What if I don’t have any of those traits?” Yongguk started to become anxious. “The one that’s able to sacrifice himself for the one he loves is Yongnam hyung. Not me.” He patted his chest. “I can’t even spread my wings now. I’m a sky dragon and yet I can’t even fly!” His hands were thrown up in disappointment.
His mother rubbed his arm to calm him down, while his father’s stare at him was unfazed. “Mountain dragons can’t fly. Sea dragons can’t fly,” the elder man said. “Only sky dragons have wings so, flying is just something that differentiates the sky dragons and the others. Fins are the things that distinguish the sea dragons but some of them still can’t swim.”
His father’s word never failed to amaze him. It was mind-opening for someone as immature as him. He wondered why his father didn’t say it sooner to him. It was as if his father was waiting for him, waiting for the right time, the time when he had started to consider himself as the future alpha of the clan. He had thought about it before, but not as often as after he had found his mate.
“If you don’t have the traits, I wouldn’t have wanted you to be the next alpha leader,” his father added firmly.
Yongguk diverted his eyes to the floor for a moment before looking up to his father again. “So… It’s not just because I’m your son?”
The alpha chuckled. “No. I always believe you’re the destined alpha leader for our clan after myself. I see it in you even before your brother passed away.”
Yongguk was chocking back his tears by now. He never knew how much his father trusted him to be the next alpha, although his mother kept telling him about it over and over again. With such a huge faith his father had in him, he knew he shouldn’t let his father down. Even with his human mate and so much lacking in himself, he would try his best to be a good alpha and protect his clan.
Yongguk got up and stepped towards his father. Seeing his son’s opened arms, the man stood up with a welcoming smile before being pulled into a tight hug.
“Thanks, dad,” Yongguk muttered and received a pat on his back. His mother only watched them with a wide smile.
It was not as hard as he thought this would be. His mind was already imagining the day when he would get his mate to meet his parents. He remembered the reactions of the gym members. They were so surprised to know that Daehyun can’t see more than knowing that Daehyun is a male human. That’s when he thought that he should let his parents know about it in prior of their first meeting.
“Ah, right.” He pulled away and looked at both of his parents alternately. “One more thing, Daehyun is blind.”
His parents turned to look at each other before looking back at him. “Oh… Okay…”
They just nodded their head because what else they got to say? At the end of the day, the young man called Daehyun is still their son’s mate for life.
A/N:
Sooo, everyone should have known by now that Yongguk had a brother who had died :( but, his brother was not the only one who has passed away in the clan.
Next chapter will present more members of Yongguk's clan (^_<)
Thank you to all upvoters, subscribers, readers and commenters! XOXO
Thank you so much to all upvoters, subscribers, readers, and commenters!! Everybody take care! XOXO
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