Chapter image by the lovely Imbyul <3 Go PM her for a request

(5 years ago)

Family dinners were supposed to be warm and filled with chattering and laughter, especially if it was a special occassion—at least, that’s what Jae-Yeong remembered.

But it seemed as if there was something off with this graduation dinner, or maybe there has always been something wrong—he just wasn’t that mindful or knowledgeable.

His father was speaking to someone on his phone. In rapid tones, Hwang Kwang-Soo was demanding something from one of the investors and threatening to remove deals if they didn’t agree. That’s how it’s always been, anyway.

His step-mother, on the other hand, was unusually quiet tonight. While she was never too warm to him, she wasn’t exactly too cold either. Tonight, however, he sensed that she was distant from him. She barely even congratulated him when he graduated today. All she did was nod at him in acknowledgement and hand him the bouquet of congratulatory flowers.

He wondered if Il-Sung knew something about it. After all, he spotted his brother looking at their mother every now and then, obviously tensed about something. Jae-Yeong remembered that he noticed something different about his younger brother today.

Resentment? Lack of congratulations? Or the mere fact that Nari dropped by to congratulate Jae-Yeong?

Only Tae-Won was constantly babbling during the dinner, clueless to his family’s tensed situation.

“…Ji-Soo did say I’d have to play for more hours, but who needs a scholarship, right?” he was saying, “I mean, Jae-Yeong hyung here just graduated with honors! I could do that too.”

“If you put your head in it, you might surpass me,” commented Jae-Yeong, sipping his glass of wine.

Tae-Won nodded enthusiastically, slicing his steak. “Yes, that is the goal,” he said.

“As if someone could surpass him,” said Il-Sung, not bothering to look at his brothers. His comment sent a tensed and awkward spark in the air. Jae-Yeong tried to keep his cool, remembering that this was his graduation dinner.

They should be civil, if not happy.

His father finally put the phone down and heaved a sigh.

“What was that, honey?” asked his mother, “Did Go Shik-Ryeom ask for an extension?”

“The idiot is threatening to pull out his sponsorship for one of our events,” said their father, furiously slicing his steak, “He’s babbling about trying to live on his own and what not.”

“He’s always been an egotist. You need not stoop down to his level. He’ll realize it sooner than later.”

“Why don’t you just bust him out, Father?” asked Il-Sung, “I’ve been studying that guy; it seems like he’s no good. Pathetic, even.”

“Are you suggesting that I just let go of one of our partners?” asked Hwang Kwang-Soo.

“If he’s not helping anymore, Father, and threatening, then I don’t see the point of staying,” remarked Il-Sung, “Let bygones by gygones. Let him go, I say.”

There was silence.

“You don’t even know why he’s pulling out,” commented Jae-Yeong, picking on his food.

“Excuse me?”

He saw Il-Sung looking at him in disbelief.

“Go Shik-Ryeom isn’t the type to just pull out or freak out of a sudden,” continued Jae-Yeong. He set his utensils down and looked at his Father. “Did he say why he wanted out of our partnership?”

His father thought about it. “No, it was all too sudden, actually,” he answered.

“Probably a drunk call.”

“Or a sabotage,” suggested Il-Sung, “We should just replace him with Gong In-Sung. It’s easier and he offers a lot.”

“We don’t even know him well,” argued Jae-Yeong, “Rather than pull out on a partnership because of a freak out, don’t you think it’s wiser to get to the bottom of Go Shik-Ryeom’s issues? It saves time.”

“It’s a waste of time! That man has always been a waste of time.”

“You’re just mad he belittled your business proposal six months ago.”

The knife fell on the table with an unpleasant bang. Looking up, Jae-Yeong knew he hit a nerve; it was obvious on his dongsaeng’s face. Il-Sung was definitely annoyed with him. He knew he shouldn’t have brought it up, but sometimes, Il-Sung needed to be put in place.

“That’s enough,” said their Father.

He was looking at both of his sons with interest. Their mother, on the other hand, was displeased with the fighting.Even Tae-Won, who was used to all the squabbling, still looked shocked and frowned at his hyungs.

“I agree with Jae-Yeong,” said Hwang Kwang-Soo, “In the business world, people are bound to go crazy and insecure with their investments. While I was talking to him, I sensed that Shik-Ryeom was panicking. He is a trusted business partner and Go In-Sung is not. I would rather get to the root of Shik-Ryeom’s problem rather than invest more time in a stranger.”

He took a sip of his wine and raised his glass at his eldest. “Wise thinking, Jae-Yeongah,” he commended, “Il-Sung, keep in mind that business is not just about making more money. In most cases, it’s about caring for connections; the money will eventually follow.”

Il-Sung silently expressed his disbelief, choosing to spear his steak furiously. Jae-Yeong, on the other hand, gulped. While he liked hearing praises from his father, he wasn’t comfortable with him doing so in the presence of his irked second brother.

“Which reminds me,” began their father, “I have an announcement to make.”

He wiped his mouth with a napkin and smiled at his eldest.

“Now that you have graduated from school, I’m looking forward to seeing you exert all efforts and applying what you learned by helping out on our business,” said Hwang Kwang-Soo, “I have laid out your duties when you start a month from now. Are you excited?”

“Yes, Father. I can’t wait.”

“He’s too ready for his sake,” commented Tae-Won, “You should see the business plans he laid out on his desk.”

Jae-Yeong flashed the youngest a warning look, shushing him. He didn’t want Tae-Won to add to Il-Sung’s already tensed air.

His father smiled, obviously pleased. “That’s good to hear then,” he remarked, “It proves that I’ve made the right decision.”

“Decision?”

His step-mother stopped forking her salad and was now looking at her husband. Hwang Kwang-Soo smiled contentedly at his wife.

“Regarding the son who will takeover the company once I am gone,” he informed her, “I’ve made my decision.” He then looked at Jae-Yeong with a pleased expression. “I’ve decided that Jae-Yeong should take my place.”

The reactions around the table were mixed. Tae-Won exclaimed, immediately congratulating his brother. His step-mother exclaimed as well, but not in the same tone as her youngest son.

“Honey, are you sure?” she asked, “Why him?”

Her tone stung.

Hwang Kwang-Soo sensed her questioning. He looked at his wife. “Why not him?”

“I…well…Jae-Yeongah…is…”

“Yes?”

She glanced at Jae-Yeong. He knew she wasn’t too keen with the idea of him taking over the company; her body language said it all. While it hurt to see that, he was used to it. She never really believed in him.

She seemed at a loss for words. Hwang Kwang-Soo took this as a sign that he had won the argument. Rather than dive into details, he poured himself more wine and raised his glass at his eldest son.

“To Jae-Yeong, my future successor.”

Tae-Won willingly rose his, smiling proudly at his hyung. Il-Sung, however, remained quiet. Jae-Yeong noticed that he did not raise his glass. He just sat there, looking at his untouched wine glass and in deep thought. His clenched fist, however, gave Jae-Yeong an idea about his dongsaeng’s thoughts.

--

“He what?!”

Tae-Won’s exclamation of shock was nothing new to the others Jae-Yeong heard that day. In fact, he felt tired from all the surprises, disappointments, and expressions of shock. He had enough emotions on his own.

Ji-Hyun, sensing that Jae-Yeong wasn’t up for another explanation, stepped up to the plate.

“Authorities have informed us that Nakahiro-san apparently receives funding from illegal yakuza in Japan,” explained the senior, “Since Il-Sung signed a partnership with them, the company is also up for investigation for illegal operations.”

“Oh my god, Il-Sung hyung went ahead with the deal?” asked Tae-Won, “Didn’t we tell him not to? How did he do it? How could he have gone through it without Father’s approval?”

“Apparently, your brother is good at forgery.”

Tae-Won’s eyes rounded in disbelief as he tried to process what he just heard. He rubbed his tired eyes in frustration.

“I get that he was that keen on winning the Nakahara Group, but god, to forge your own father’s signature!” he exclaimed, “And look where that got us—in a partnership with a sketchy company who, apparently, works with illegal underground people!” He sat down and rubbed his forehead. “How bad is the damage?”

Ji-Hyun sighed. “Pretty bad. Since the company agreed to partner with the Japanese group, a number of our partners and investors got word about it,” he explained, “Of course, who in the right mind would want to work with someone who partners with the yazuka in Japan?”

“But I’m sure Il-Sung hyung didn’t know who he was dealing with.”

“That’s the point. His carelessness, unfortunately, got us into this trouble,” said Ji-Hyun, “As of the moment, he’s being asked to explain by the board of directors, your Father, and the local authorities.”

Tae-Won heaved another exasperated sigh. He mumbled something about his older brother being such an idiot before staring at Jae-Yeong.

“Hyung,” he began, “How are you holding up?”

Truth be told, Jae-Yeong didn’t exactly know how he was holding up. Just 24 hours ago, he was enjoying time with the love of his life. It seemed lifetimes ago that he stared at Go Ha-Jin’s eyes, told her he loved her, and gave her a ring. He never thought he’d end up rushing to the office because his brother was in trouble.

It was a scary sight.

The moment he got into the building, a group of police, accompanied by the district attorney, was escorting Il-Sung out. It was only then he found out what happened: his brother said yes to a partner who participated in illegal activities overseas.

He spent the next hours trying to do damage control and getting his brother out of the mess. Unfortunately, there was a meeting and Il-Sung had to attend that. Their Father, hearing the ordeal, volunteered to go in place of Jae-Yeong.

It’s been three hours.

“I…I’m okay,” answered Jae-Yeong, “It’s Il-Sung I’m worried about.”

“Aisht, how can we worry about that idiot?” complained Tae-Won, “He’s the one who got us into this mess! People are going to start talking, insisting we do sketchy stuff behind their backs. This is all his fault.”

“That’s true, Tae-Wonah. Still, he is your brother,” reminded Ji-Hyun, “Your Father’s first priority is to prove to them that Il-Sung didn’t know what he was dealing with.”

“It’s still going to give us a bad rep because an idiot signed a deal with idiots,” remarked Tae-Won, “Ah, see, I knew he was going to get us in trouble.”

“Tae-Won, that’s enough.”

Jae-Yeong’s commanding voice stopped the maknae’s rants. His deep voice was enough to remind Tae-Won about what he just said, reducing the dongsaeng into a subued ball of fiery.

“I know it seems bad right now, but that’s outside of our control,” he told his brother, “Rather than waste our time complaining, it’s best to wait and see what we can do.”

Tae-Won looked as if he wanted to say something more, but eventually conceded to his oldest brother’s command. Ji-Hyun, on the other hand, nodded, showing his agreement at Jae-Yeong’s decision—despite the fact that the latter was torn between worry and anger.

Il-Sung had always been ambitious, that he knew. He would always try to think of ways to outsmart his eldest brother. Given the countless times Jae-Yeong found himself in a competition with Il-Sung, it wasn’t surprising he went to such lengths to prove himself again. Unfortunately, it affected the whole company.

As the future successor, Jae-Yeong knew he would be facing something bigger soon—bigger and definitely unpleasant. He could already feel his heart pacing faster just at the thought of it.

He felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

Jae-Yeong had been too busy to read his text messages or to answer calls. He was too focused on drawing up a counter-attack for the future bashes they’d get. Now that he had the time, he took out the phone and read the first message out of fifty.

It was from her.

Are you alright?

He opened another message. It was from her again.

Answer your phone please. I’m really worried. What’s going on? I saw the news.

The third and fourth were from her, as well. Up to the tenth, they were all her.

Hwang Jae-Yeong, I’m this close to barging in to your company and seeing you. But I know now is not the right time. I just have to know—are you okay? Said the last message.

He was sorely tempted to dial her number and give her a call. Her voice would be the antidote to the heavy feelings he was dealing with. But he knew that if he called, he’d have to tell her everything and he didn’t want to burden her with that.

He opened the message box and began to type.

I’m okay. I miss you.

--

The following days were probably the worst in the entire history of the Hwang Corporation. Ever since he started working there, Jae-Yeong has never seen a massive dropout in investments and partners. In a span of a week, he counted at least twenty who chose to backout—and the numbers were still growing.

Tae-Won, Ji-Hyun, and their PR team were all busy, trying to subdue the bad press and convince remaining partners to stay. It wasn’t easy, given the fact that their partners no longer trusted them. Jae-Yeong understood their concern, but it was painful to watch them go.

Meanwhile, he had to attend to business meetings too, striving to make them stay and explaining his brother’s mistake. In his head, he sounded like a broken record already. But he had to keep doing his job; otherwise, they would fail miserably.

It was one of those days he just wanted to get away from it all.

After dealing with the nth meeting and begging for the nth time, he decided to have a drink.

Unlike other socialities and big people who chose to drink at exclusive clubs, Jae-Yeong dressed down, put on his cap and coat, and headed towards the secluded drinking spot located nearby Ha-Jin’s apartment. He told Tae-Won of his short break, but refused to say where he was going. He didn’t want to be followed.

As he walked down the street, a sense of familiarity struck him.

Almost a year ago, he ended up drinking in the said area, hoping to drown out his woes concerning Il-Sung and Nari’s engagement. He ended up wandering the streets, mindless, and just walking towards nowhere. Eventually, walked towards a secluded alleyway where he saw two men harassing a girl—who was none other than Go Ha-Jin.

It’s been almost a year and how times have changed. But this time, he was still going for a drink because of Il-Sung.

As he approached the small area, he took a seat on his usual spot and asked for Soju—his usual. He tucked his hat carefully, hoping no one would recognize him. The waitress came back, placing a small shot glass and his bottle of Soju, commenting on how good-looking he was despite the cap, and left.

He poured Soju on his glass, took a shot, and heaved a sigh. He poured another, took a shot, heaved another sigh. This process repeated for three more times until the bottle was already empty.

God, he was tired of life.

Before he could even finish his first bottle, Jae-Yeong stopped when he heard a commotion just nearby. He heard tables being overturned, chairs flying, and the sound of men yelling at each other. It didn’t take long before bottles broke.

“…don’t you know who I am?!”

That voice was too familiar. Jae-Yeong stood up to confirm his suspicions. He walked over to the other side of the area where he saw bystanders musing over a fight between the regulars and a solitary man sporting a dark jacket. He had a chair in his hands and was ready to strike.

“Don’t you idiots know who I am?!” he demanded.

“Even if we did, we wouldn’t care!” yelled one of the regulars, holding a bottle in the air, “You’ll have to pay for your rudeness!”

The man charged the others, swinging his chair. Once he got closer, it was only then Jae-Yeong realized who it was.

Oh for Pete’s sake.

Before Il-Sung could do more damage, Jae-Yeong himself at his younger brother and used all his strength to subdue him.

“What the f—!” exclaimed Il-Sung, thrashing wildly, trying to get out of Jae-Yeong’s grasp, “Who the hell do you think you are? Let go of me!”

“Il-Sung, stop this,” Jae-Yeong whispered.

Despite his drunken state, Il-Sung recognized his hyung’s voice. His bloodshot eyes then directed themselves at Jae-Yeong, as if trying to recognize him. Before his younger brother could cause more trouble, Jae-Yeong dragged Il-Sung out, placing money for damages on the table. The people watched them with curiosity, but Jae-Yeong quickly pulled his brother out of the scene.

Hopefully, no one recognized them.

He was surprised at how strong he was, given the fact that Il-Sung moved every now and then, yelling drunkenly. He had to keep one hand on Il-Sung’s face to make him stop. When they reached an abandoned alleyway, Jae-Yeong pushed his brother to the ground.

“What the hell was that?!” complained Il-Sung, trying to stand up, “How…dare you do that?!”

“You ask me how dare I do what?” retorted Jae-Yeong, “I should be the one asking the questions. What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Drinking! Then you came butting in!”

“You were about to beat people up.”

“They deserved it,” said Il-Sung, getting up on his feet, “Let me at them!”

He was about to charge when Jae-Yeong blocked his way, grasping Il-Sung thrashing body and pushed it down to the ground. The dongsaeng was furious, screaming profanities at his brother. Jae-Yeong tried his best to keep his cool, but this was too much.

“SHUT UP!” he yelled, “SHUT UP! YOU’VE DONE ENOUGH DAMAGE ALREADY!”

And without thinking, he punched his brother’s face.

In a normal setting, Il-Sung would’ve immediately retaliated, throwing in a punch or two. But instead of getting up, he just stayed there, looking at the ground and speechless. Jae-Yeong couldn’t help but unleash his fury.

“YOU’VE MESSED UP ALREADY, ISN’T THAT ENOUGH?” he said, “We’ve told you countless times not to go through with it, BUT YOU STILL DID! AND NOW WE’RE IN THIS MESS! AND YOU HAVEN’T DONE ANYTHING ABOUT IT!”

Il-Sung was still frozen on the ground.

“Tae-Won and the team have not been sleeping properly, trying to do damage control. What about you?” asked Jae-Yeong, “You’ve been hiding away, drinking! NOT EVEN BOTHERING TO HELP OUT. NOW YOU’RE PICKING UP FIGHTS?! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?”

It didn’t help that Il-Sung eerily resembled his Third brother in Goryeo. Jae-Yeong didn’t know if his anger was empowered more by that fact, but right now, all he knew was the he was so furious at his second brother.

But staring at Il-Sung on the ground, he also sensed that something, apart from the current situation, was not right. He wasn’t standing up; in fact, Jae-Yeong could hear him sobbing—a thing he rarely encountered with this dongsaeng.

“You’re right,” whispered Il-Sung, his face still hiding behind his mess of hair, “I am mess—I have always been a mess. It’s no wonder Father favored you, because I am a mess.”

He lifted his eyes to look at his hyung. Jae-Yeong saw that his brother’s eyes were bloodshot; a singular tear rolled down his cheek, passing by the dark circles.

“I don’t know what the hell is wrong with me either,” he continued, “I try my best to succeed, but somehow, you always get to be on top. You always get what you want with very little effort. Me?” he laughed sarcastically, almost insane, “I have to exert ALL efforts just to prove that I also have what it takes. But where does that get me? Nowhere. I’m always the second best.”

He wiped his mouth with his arm.

“You were always the perfect one, even if you were adopted. Now, I’m realizing I’ll never live up to you no matter how hard I try,” said Il-Sung. He looked up at his hyung again, a manic yet depressed gleam in his eyes, “Do you know how bad life is right now? You don’t even know the half of it! No wonder Nari left!”

Jae-Yeong was stumped.

“What…Nari left?”

Il-Sung smiled sarcastically at him. “Isn’t that the type of news you’ve always wanted to hear?” he said, then he drunkenly stood up, “That’s right, she left. She broke off the engagement.”

Jae-Yeong watched as his brother tried to keep up a brave face, but his depression showed. It was evident that he was beyond broken.

“She called a while ago, saying the wedding was off,” he said, “Apparently, she couldn’t be associated with a man like me.”

He then looked at his brother.

“Isn’t life beautiful, hyung?” he asked in a broken voice, “Not for me though…but for you.”

Il-Sung tried to look as tough as he wanted, but Jae-Yeong saw beyond his younger brother. He wasn’t the old Il-Sung with so much talent and swagger. Opposite him stood a man who seemed broken beyond repair.

“Come on, punch me again,” dared Il-Sung, “Make me more of a mess.”

Jae-Yeong advanced towards his brother and extended an arm. Before Il-Sung could speak, he found himself engulfed in a tight hug. It wasn’t like Jae-Yeong to do this, but this lifetime has had enough of pointless fights.

Before, they might have killed each other; but now, it was different.

“You’ll be okay,” he whispered.

--

The sun peeked from behind the shutter shades, momentarily blinding him. He didn’t want to get up yet, knowing that he’d be faced with meetings again. He just wanted to  bury himself under the sheets and never wake up.

He pulled his blankets close, but the sun was persistent in shinning.

“Hey,” came a soft voice.

Jae-Yeong jumped up in surprise at the small voice. He was alone in his apartment, so the mere fact that someone else spoked spooked him.

Fortunately, it was just Ha-Jin. She was standing by his door, also surprised at his jerking reaction.

“Wah, Ha-Jinah, you scared me,” he said, running a hand through his hair, “For a second, I thought a robber broke in the apartment.”

“Well, I’m not a robber,” she said, going inside of his room, “I’m sorry, I thought you knew.” She walked inside his room with her socks on, shyly as she did. It was only then that he realized he was only wearing his boxers.

“Don’t come closer!” he exclaimed, pulling his sheets close.

“Why not?”

He looked down at himself.

“I…sort of have a boxer situation over here.”

He saw that instant blush creep on her cheeks as she realized. She started fidgeting with her hands, but she decided to brush it off. Jae-Yeong, despite the countless problems he was encountering, he couldn’t help but notice how cute she was.

“Unless…I dunno,” he said, “You want to come over here—“

“No way!”

She squealed, immediately taking three steps back. Jae-Yeong thought she looked pretty with her hair down like that. She was dressed in nothing but her favorite shirt and some jeans, but she still managed to radiate a gorgeous glow.

“Come on Ha-Jinah, I’ve had a rough week,” he complained, pouting at her, “I think I deserve the extra love.”

“I’ll give you the extra love if you put some pants on.”

“What? Are you bothered that I’m just wearing boxers?” he asked, getting out of the bed and letting the blanket fall on the floor.

“Hey Hwang Jae-Yeong! Get dressed!”

“I am dressed!”

“No you’re not!”

He stood up, unashamed. The blush on her cheeks was intensifying, it didn’t help that the sun illuminated their glow.

“Come on,” he said, “You can’t resist.”

“Shut up!” she exclaimed and ran out of the room.

For a second, it was as if Jae-Yeong wasn’t facing any problem concerning partnership pullouts or lost investments. The sight of her running around his kitchen as he pursued her, her voice telling him not to come closer, and her eyes sparkling as she did was enough to make him forget.

As she jumped over the couch, Jae-Yeong drowned in her laughter. It was then he realized something.

Life was hard—but it also has its rewards.

She was one of them.

--

“Our Busan branch might close down,” said Tae-Won, “As much as I want to keep it, it can’t be helped anymore.”

Jae-Yeong felt a pang of regret at the news, but there was nothing he could do. Unlike the first news he received, this one he took like a dull blow to the stomach. It’s only been two weeks and they had already lost half of their partners, closed twenty stores, and the numbers were still going. Apart from that, the press didn’t exactly help them out.

Now, new investors were scared of partnering with them.

Tae-Won gazed at the charts worriedly and was making quiet calculations in his head.

“Shouldn’t Il-Sung hyung be fixing this?” he asked, “It’s his mess.”

“He’s not doing well, Tae-Won. You know that,” remarked Jae-Yeong, “I gave him time off. He needs it.”

Tae-Won said nothing more and continued to calculate statistics. Jae-Yeong looked at his dongsaeng who was obviously worn out from all the discussions, meetings, and deals he’d been through.

Still, it was good to have the youngest by his side.

“At this rate, we’ll lose probably more than a half of our partners,” said Tae-Won, “That’s not a good sign. We’ve already laid off more than we want and to be honest, I’m so fed up of seeing people let go because of this.”

“We’ll have to find more options, I guess,” said Jae-Yeong, “I’m sure there’s a way to get out of this.”

“Have you tried reaching out to Bok Se-Sung?”

“Yes, he said he’ll consider it.”

The door to Jae-Yeong’s office suddenly opened. Both brothers were startled at the sight of their aging father, who came in with a group of men. His face, however, looked a bit brighter and optimistic compared to the previous days. But he also seemed unsure and confused, Jae-Yeong wondered what was on his father’s mind.

“Boys, I have news,” he announced, “We might have a way out.”

“Really?” asked Tae-Won, standing up from his chair, “What is it?”

Their father hesitated to speak, but the crowd of men behind him parted, letting someone pass by. Eventually, she got to the front.

Jae-Yeong hadn’t seen her for weeks and here she was—fresh-faced, glamorous, and looking as if she owned the place. Her long hair fell behind her. He can’t believe he used to fall for that.

“Me,” answered Nari.

--

A/N: So, I started watching Weightlifting Fairy Kim Bok Joo to subdue my feelings after Goblin’s 13^th episode. It’s nice to see the 13^th Prince as a professional swimmer/boyfriend material who makes hearts go wild. I haven’t gotten to the part where he reunites with his 14^th brother, but I’m sure to squeal if that happens.

Let me know what you think about this chapter. What are your speculations?