~ Soryong ~

My Doc Martins were being an absolute to tie up this morning. The flat laces kept twisting on their own as they were threaded, and somehow mysterious knots would appear along the string when I wasn’t doing anything to them.

If my retailing job hadn’t set any footwear policy I would’ve long given up and turned up for work my battered sneakers. But no, black laced shoes were a strict requirement for a sales assistant at a girls clothing store and so I had the honour of donning this pair of dastardly things for my four-hour shift every alternate weekday. Right now, because of this unexpected predicament I was running ten minutes later than usual and I was going to have to sprint into the mall from the bus stop instead of taking my leisurely stroll. Damn shoes. Stupid shoes.

Just as I was threading the uncooperative shoelace through final loop with immense concentration, the gaudy sound of my ringtone erupted from my back pocket, giving me the shock of my life, causing my hand to jerk and miss my destination. I flopped onto my back in defeat and kicked my shoed feet into the air, allowing for the unthreaded laces to drape down towards my face.

Daeryong, who had been perched on the couch since the start and observing my antics from the start with much amusement, clutched his midriff and roared with laughter. “Loser!”

I threw a sofa cushion at him and flipped him off.

It had to be my colleague from work, asking me to cover his shift at the last minute so that he could bring his girlfriend out on a date. I raised my hips from the couch slightly and pulled the ringing device out, not bothering to check the caller ID before pressing the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I opened my mouth and was about to berate the caller on the other end of the line when luckily, I heard who the voice had belonged to and stopped myself in time.

“Soryong ah, it’s Mr. Jo here. How are things going for you?”

I sat up rod straight at once, my entire body going rigid at the sound of his voice.

“Ah, yes, of course, Mr. Jo,” Daeryong’s ears pricked up at the mention of our… employer’s name and he stopped laughing immediately. He jerked his chin at me, mouthing ‘What’s he talking about?’ repeatedly as I waved him off. He arched a shapely brow at me before disappearing to find food. “Great, sir. How may I help you today?”

“Ah, aren’t you a bright little spark. You know immediately what I’m calling you for. I’m phoning you to inform you that Young Min has moved out of the apartment, so you can prepare to move in anytime. You’ll be staying with Kwang Min while Daeryong stays with Young Min at the family home.”

“Sure, sir. That’s no problem. Since I need to head out to my part-time job now, I’ll get to packing tonight so that I can move in within the next two days.”

“Is that really as soon as you can do so? Is it not possible for you to miss work today? It would be great if you can do it by the end of today, so that you can be acquainted with Kwang Min. Besides, with my boys covering you for the rest of your life, you don’t really need those jobs anymore.”

He definitely sounded a lot less amicable and a whole lot more demanding and business-like than the last time we’ve heard from him. He didn’t even act like he was part of a community or an eco-system anymore. He had become a dictator, defying the way nature normally functions to force things to work his own way.

Young Min and Kwang Min, covering for us? Did he really see Daeryong and I as two good-for-nothing bums who only leeched onto the rich and affluent and lived off them? Sure, we were doing this in terms of a fair trade where we were promised comfortable lives after marriage, but we weren’t completely useless either. We could still support ourselves. We’ve come thus far doing so.

I swallowed my pride and raise my pitch to ensure that he couldn’t tell that I was absolutely fuming inside. Daeryong too had just emerged from the kitchen, and I can’t let him see that I was upset. “Most definitely, sir. I’ll just ring up my boss after this and let him have someone cover me for the day. I’ll get right to packing immediately.”

“I knew we would be able to reach an agreement. I just want to remind you that the wedding is in a month’s time, so let’s not take too long with minute details like this, alright? That’s all I have for you for now. I have some other things to take care of so I’ll hang up now. Please relay this message to Daeryong and I’ll see the two of you soon.”

“Totally can’t wait,” I muttered under my breath after the older man had hung up.

“So, what was Mr. Jo calling you for?”

I turned to my older twin, who was happily peanut butter he’d scooped out of the jar directly from a metal spoon and I clucked my tongue at his immature behaviour to show my disapproval. “Plans have just been fast-forwarded. We’ll be moving out tonight.”

~ Kwang Min ~

I sat unmoving on the couch for an hour. Maybe two? I’d lost track of any concept of time since Young Min left. I was missing a half of me. I couldn’t function properly.

The doorbell rang again. Despite all logic in my head telling me otherwise, my heart swelled with hope that it would be my twin standing on the other side of that wooden door, a warm smile on his face and his belongings piled up behind him. I sprang to my feet and dashed to the door, throwing it wide open with a bright smile, ready to greet the return of my twin. “Young Min ah!”

It wasn’t him.

Instead, it was one of the Jung twins we were supposed to marry. The younger one, it seemed, judging from the colour of his hair, It was a plain shade of light chestnut brown unlike his elder twin’s plethora of colours. Even though it was stated in his profile that he was 1.85m, he really was very tall in real life, and this was considering how Young Min and I, both standing at 5’9”, were above the average height of a Korean male.

The disappointment in my eyes gave my expressionless face away and Soryong scratched his nape awkwardly. “Uh… I’m not your twin. As you can tell… Sorry about that.”

“I didn’t know what I was expecting, really.” I replied him honestly. Was it supposed to be reassuring to the other man? I didn’t know, nor did I care. He was already well-aware of our animosity towards him and his brother, and that wasn’t going to change much even with this radical alteration in living arrangements. I was going to make sure of that.

“Kwang Min, am I right? The younger twin?”

“Yeah,” I couldn’t even bother myself with coming up with a smartass reply. He wasn’t worth the effort for a snarky comment. “And I take it that you’re Soryong?”

“Uh huh,” A single stack of cardboard boxes stood towering over Soryong, threatening to tip over any moment. He had a plain black suitcase by his feet, another cardboard box in his hands and a worn backpack slung over his shoulders. It didn’t take me much, even in my self-induced psychosis, to realise that he was the one moving in to take Young Min’s place.

“I guess Appa has already decided for us.” I muttered under my breath.

In all honesty, I was glad that Soryong was to be my fiancé instead of Daeryong. The elder Jung twin, despite never having met him once, just seemed too unrestrained. The wild look in his eyes, seen even through the mug shot Appa had provided, unsettled me. I didn’t want to be saddled with a troublemaker; I didn’t know how to handle people like Daeryong. Young Min would, though. After all, my brother’s always had a playful streak in his DNA.

Yes, Young Min would definitely be the better candidate.

But this revelation didn’t make me feel any better. I still didn’t want anyone but Young Min.

I stepped aside lifelessly and brought my arm up, sweeping it across the foyer in a graceless arc. “Well, here’s your new home. Come on in.”

“Sorry for the intrusion.” I could hear him kick of his sneakers and shuffle indoors, grunting at the tight fit as he tried to get through the doorway with all the paraphernalia in his arms. Quite ironically though, I could hear the genuine emotion of remorse in his voice. “You… You must have wanted some time to yourself to assimilate to this sudden change.”

“It’s fine,” I deadpanned and waved him off with a flick of my hand and padded back into the living room without waiting for him. He knew what to do and he would follow when he was ready. “I can’t get too used to the feeling of living alone, anyway, since I knew either you or your brother would be moving in. I just didn’t expect it to be this soon. I’ll go prepare the guest room for you.”

“Once again, sorry about this. I hadn’t expected to be moving in with you so soon too, it’s just Mr. Jo, your father, he…” Soryong petered off at the end but I knew what he was going to say even without him completing his sentence. Mr. Jo, my father, also known as the overbearing tyrant, ordered for the move to happen as soon as possible to prevent further delays on our part which he knew would definitely occur if Young Min and I were left to our own devices.

Behind me, the heavy clunk of luggage wheels hitting the marble floor echoed through the quiet apartment and I winced, barely able to hold my tongue. Don’t do that! Young Min hates the floor being scratched! I took a lengthy breath to calm my nerves and exhaled deeply. “You don’t have to be so polite with me, Soryong-sshi, since it seems we’re going to be married to each other anyway. Can I call you hyung?”

“Definitely. I… I want to at least be comfortable with you, Kwang Min ah.” I knew he was smiling without having to turn around to check. I could feel his grin radiate through the tension in the room and into my back as he transferred all his belongings indoors. “As the older one I should have been the one offering to use informal speech but you had to do that for me. So I’m thankful for that.”

I couldn’t stand his optimism. He needed to stop this incessant chattering. The two of us aren’t even that close yet.

I looked back to find Soryong in the middle of unloading another cardboard box in his arms onto the floor. “Do… Do you want to go to your room directly? That way you can unpack your things while I clean up the place, instead of you simply piling everything up here in the foyer.”

“I’d love to. Thank you.” He smiled gratefully and bent down to pick up the same box he had just placed on the ground.

Stop being so thankful.

Without providing a response I merely turned around and headed for the guest bedroom, knowing that he would be following after me. “This is your room. It has an attached bathroom to it, so you don’t have to worry about sharing with me or anything. Mine room’s right across the hallway from yours.”

Despite now having another presence in this apartment with me the loneliness I felt never left. The gaping hole in me where my emotions once resided was still unfilled and raw. Because I wasn’t craving for just anyone’s company but only one.

~ Daeryong ~

While my brother was assigned to live with Kwang Min in the twins’ apartment, I was to move my belongings so that I would stay in the Jo family home along with Young Min. We didn’t even have the time to decide between the two of us who would be safekeeping Umma’s items and we’d hastily stowed whatever was left lying around into cardboard cartons to be transported to Kwang Min’s loft. As soon as we were packed and stepped out of our crappy apartment, Mr. Jo had the place put up for sale on the market and it was gone in the next hour. Nothing belonged to Soryong and I anymore. The both of us were now completely at the mercy of Mr. Jo and his family.

Like all the other affluent Seoul citizens, the Jo family home was located in the suburbs a ten minute car’s drive away from the bustling, polluted city. The street which the Jo’s stayed on seemed to stretch on forever and each house that I passed looked larger and grander than the previous. If I thought the fancy suburban houses I’d seen on TV were big, the Jo family home completely blew me away. These people practically lived breathing the smell of money.

In the short span of a couple of years when Umma was still married to Min Woo’s father Soryong and I had led pretty comfortable lives. But the wealth of the No family were by no means comparable to the Jo’s. Our house wasn’t nearly half as big as theirs and the architecture not quite as fanciful, but still we had relatively spacious bedrooms, had domestic helpers clean up after us, and the occasional chauffer to send us to school if we needed. It really was fretless living, if you ask me.

But this… This was on a whole new level of rich.

I thought I’d even caught a glimpse of a swimming pool in the backyard when my cab pulled up at the front gates. I paid for my ride, alighted, and headed right up to the doorstep. Even their doorbell was ornate. It was made of heavy brass, carved to shape like a dragon’s mouth, and the button was a round silver pearl that sat on top of the dragon’s tongue. I felt so incredibly small and undermined with just my backpack and four boxes of personal belongings. Like an orphaned child who was going to meet his filthy rich foster parents for the first time, I was apprehensive of my new surroundings and my heart was filled with anticipation yet dread all at once.

I pressed the bell gingerly and took two intimidated steps back when I heard the resounding chime echo through what sounded like a huge, spacious foyer. The same star-struck expression I wore since I entered the neighbourhood stayed and I couldn’t help but remain gaping at my exorbitant surroundings even when Young Min came to open the door.

“Hi,” I whispered airily, having lost my breath after peeking over his shoulder and taking in the stark modern interior. “Wow.”

He chuckled bitterly at my reaction as he let me in, using a stopper to hold the door open as I moved my first cardboard box in. “No need to look so awed. This isn’t even the biggest house yet. Wait till you see our friend’s. He lives in a different district, and his is a freaking mansion. And in case you’re wondering, that’s not a pool back out but a Jacuzzi.”

“Oh,” I was so dumbstruck I couldn’t speak in coherent sentences anymore.

“The house was recently renovated about two years ago. It didn’t use to be so big and the furniture was a bit of a drab. I guess Appa’s business has been doing pretty well, so he decided to expand this entire place and give it a facelift.” Young Min pushed past me and aided in transporting the boxes indoors, setting all of them down in a stack along the foyer. He dusted his hands and planted them on his hips as he turned to look at me blankly. “I’m as new as you are to this house, really. I haven’t gone to explore half of the newly added rooms.”

So this is how the rich and affluent live… They weren’t even intentionally bragging about their wealth. Because they’ve been brought up in such an environment, they’re just…. Used to talking about it cavalierly.

“I’ll bring you on a mini house tour later after you’ve settled in. But first, I’ll show you to your room. Follow me.” Young Min said simply and he turned and walked off with a carton in hand.

I picked up the one closest to me and hurried after him as he brought me through a hallway and up a flight of wrought iron stairs. They led to a common space that branched out in two different directions, bearing two doors on one end of the corridor and another one on the other end. Young Min stopped in the middle and pointed to the only wooden door that was on the left. “You’ll be staying there, in Kwang Min’s old bedroom. All his old stuff are long gone now, so it shouldn’t be a hassle to unpack. You just need to deal with your own belongings and put them away.”

“And just by the way, you do realise that you don’t have to move these boxes yourself, right? We have hired staff in the house for that job.”

“O-oh,” From what I’d gathered, it couldn’t have been past a day since Young Min had returned here from his shared apartment with his twin for the first time in close to half a decade, yet he appears to be so assimilated to the environment already. As expected, he’s born to be a prince.

I glanced down at the cardboard box in my hands and flushed in embarrassment. Of course I didn’t have to. Jung Daeryong, did you already forget where you’re in right now? “It’s alright, still. I can move them on my own. They probably have other things to busy themselves with and I don’t want to be a bother.”

“Suit yourself. You’re only tiring yourself out unnecessarily, anyway.” Young Min shrugged indifferently and he placed the box in his arms down on the carpeted floor. “Here.”

“If you need me for whatever reason, my room is there on the very end of the corridor and you can find me there.” Young Min jerked his chin towards the furthest door, the only one of the three that were closed. “I’m going to my room now.”

It was like someone had flipped some switch in his head and turned off his emotions. We were talking just fine a minute ago, and suddenly he does a total 180 and becomes icy and unapproachable again. With a flick of his head to get his floppy fringe out of his line of sight, Young Min stuck his hands into his pockets and strolled off, leaving me standing gobsmacked in the middle of the hallway, wondering if he suffered from some kind of personality disorder.

Barely ten minutes into putting away my personal effects I’d already become restless and wanted to do something else. I picked up a couple of towels, water bottles and a change of clothes from the pile on the floor and tossed them into my bag, destination already in mind. It had been instinctual to just slip out unnoticed, but I figured since I was now staying in someone else’s residence it was only courteous to invite the house owner along. Besides, it would prove to be valuable bonding time between my fiancé and I.

I left my room and padded over to Young Min’s and found him lying on his back on his bed reading a manga. A couple of cardboard cartons lay strewn around the room, still sealed and unopened, and two suitcases that sat in a corner were thrown open to reveal the unkempt mess that was inside. It seemed that he too couldn’t find the will to properly unpack his belongings either.

I leaned against the doorframe and knocked lightly on the door intentionally left slightly ajar to catch his attention. “Hey Young Min, since we’re both bored and there’s nothing to do around here, do you want to head down to the dance studio with me?”

“Dance studio?” The younger blonde echoed incredulously as he stared at me upside down with his head hanging off the side of his bed. He rolled over to his stomach but the quizzical expression on his face never left. “Why ever the dance studio of all places?”

“Because it’s where I feel the most comfortable.” I shrugged nonchalantly. “And also because I have another class to teach in an hour’s time so we can’t really hang out at a place too far away, but I really want to hang out with you anyway. So let’s go to the dance studio.”

Young Min tossed his paperback aside carelessly and climbed off his bed. “Well, I can think of a dozen and one other places to go to kill our boredom, but sure, I don’t see why not. It sounds interesting enough, and it’s not like I have anything better to do around here, anyway.”

I stepped aside and allowed him to lead the way downstairs. “Do you drive?”

“I have a licence but no car. What about you?”

“Same. Licence but no car. Can’t exactly afford one.” I could have sworn I saw Young Min bite his lower lip for a split second when I mentioned my family’s financial status, but the gesture was gone in a blink of an eye. I decided not to think too much into things and went with the flow. “Let’s just borrow the car from your dad and tell him we’re heading out for a while. Not that he would mind, anyway. I can let you drive if you’re paranoid of me wrecking the vehicle.”

Young Min pursed his lips and nodded. “Appa has a spare in his garage. He was intending on gifting it to Kwang Min as a University graduation present I think, but after hearing our decision to remain situated in the city for work he kind of flipped and ended up leaving the car here to rust. He keeps the keys in the drawer in his study.”

“Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go.”

~ Young Min ~

When I heard Daeryong’s offer to visit his dance studio for fun I couldn’t help but feel excited on the inside. Despite having an avid love for dance, I had never been to a legitimate dance studio before, not one with proper audio equipment, huge wall mirrors and polished wooden floors, because Appa never approved of my hobby. He said that it was a useless talent to have and that it could never earn me a career, unlike soccer. I guess he was partially right, seeing how I managed to enter university on a sports scholarship and graduated with a degree in sports science.

But back then in my younger days, Appa’s disapproval did little to dampen my passion for the art form. To me, dance served as a channel for self-expression that none other could provide. It was the alter-ego to the cold, rigid soccer player I portrayed when I was on the field. When I danced, I was free from restrictions and society expectations that tied me down on a normal day-to-day basis. It was what kept me sane.

My bedroom was my makeshift studio. I would learn moves through online tutorials, using a cheap portable audio speaker for music and my grubby wardrobe mirror as a guide. I would secretly practice in my room late at night after everyone’s gone to sleep for fear of being found out. Eventually, soccer practice took up my energy and time and my dancing days were reduced to the occasional showdown at parties and birthday celebrations.

In all these years since high school, that fierce passion of mine had not faded. Like a candle flame in a breeze it flickered and waned, but it had never once gone out. At Daeryong’s mention of the prospect of dancing again, that fire rekindled and burnt brighter than before. I was practically bouncing in my seat when the car pulled up outside a building. Daeryong locked up the vehicle and followed closely behind, chuckling at my abnormally ebullient behaviour but choosing not to comment about it.

“Second floor,” His shoulder brushed against mine when he edged past me to lead the way to the studio. He unlocked the place and began to bustle about setting up various pieces of equipment while I stationed myself in front of the floor-length mirrors and warmed my muscles up.

Daeryong plugged in the amplifiers to the main power socket and flipped the switch and a low buzzing filled the room. “I heard from your mum that you’re a really good dancer. Is that true?”

Now that was not what I was expecting from him. I didn’t know Umma and Appa were bragging about their elder son to people now. “Well, not really. I just like to dance, a lot. It’s more of a hobby than a talent.”

“Yeah?” He did not sound one bit convinced as he bent down to eye level and connected his iPod, scrolling through a playlist before settling on a suitable song and straightening up. “I’m afraid I’m in no position to comment. We’ll let the music be the judge of that. Give me your best shot, Young Min.”

When the strum of the first guitar chords began trickling in, I immediately recognised the song as Justin Bieber’s Baby and I cringed. “Justin Bieber, really? I can’t believe you’d even have her… uh, his song on your iPod! And there I was thinking that you’re a pretty cool hip hop kind of guy. I don’t think I can look at you the same ever again.”

“Hey, it has nice beats and a catchy rhythm. Besides, it’s amusing to see what people can freestyle to it.” Daeryong defended hastily. “Aish! Why am I even explaining everything to you? Just dance, okay?”

The days of suppressing myself were over. Once the music came blaring from the speakers my body took a life on its own, undulating and swaying to the beat. As soon as I caught hold of the rhythm I was on a roll. A step to the left before pivoting to the right; a hold over here before throwing in an impromptu spin. I felt like I was back in high school again.

At the end of three minutes, I snapped out of my dance-induced trance at the sound of slow clapping that echoed throughout the empty studio. My eyes darted to the control panel to find Daeryong resting his weight against a speaker, a wide grin crossing his face as he folded his arms across his chest and rose to his feet. “Not bad. That was pretty decent footwork you have there, Young Min.”

I ran a sticky hand through my hair and brushed my damp fringe from my face. “Thanks, I wouldn’t fathom calling it decent, though. It’s been years since I’ve traded in my dancing shoes for a pair of soccer cleats.”

“Don’t be silly, your technique is solid enough. You just need some more practice to brush up on some of your rusty–”

“Teacher!”

“Teacher, we’re here!”

Daeryong and I turned around simultaneously to see six teenagers barrelling through the doorway, pushing one another out of the way as they fought to entre the studio first. Noticing a new face in the crowd that was me, they hastily dumped their bags in a corner and made a beeline towards the centre of the dance floor where I stood shuffling my feet.

A bright-eyed girl turned towards Daeryong. “Teacher, who is he? Do you know him? Is he a new student? Is he your friend?”

“I… Uh…” Aren’t introductions supposed to be done by oneself?

Seeing my apparent lack of words, Daeryong immediately came to my rescue. “His name is Young Min and he’s a friend of mine. He decided to drop by the studio to say hi today. What’s the matter, can’t your teacher have a social life too?”

“Wah, he’s really good looking!” Cried out a girl whose hair was in a French braid. “Is he a great dancer too? Will he be helping out today?”

“Yes, he’s a really good dancer, but I don’t know if he’s staying.” Daeryong answered slyly as he smirked at me over the heads of the giggling girls. “Why don’t you ask him yourself?”

The crowd shifted and I found myself surrounded by the gaggle of teenagers peering up at me with wide, sparking eyes. “Young Min Oppa, are you joining us today? Please say you would. You’re really good-looking.”

“Uh… Thanks?” I rubbed the back of my nape awkwardly at the sudden attention I was receiving. I was about to accede to the request when the thought of Kwang Min flitted through my mind and I hesitated again. “But I don’t know, really. I might need to be somewhere…”

“Oh, but please, Young Min Oppa, can’t you at least stay a while? At least dance for us before you leave. We’re really curious of your skills. This is the first time we’ve heard Teacher praise anyone before.” This girl with long, straight hair and round, almond shaped eyes pleaded while tugging on my arm. “Please, Oppa? Can’t you dance for us? Pretty please?”

“But our dance styles are completely different…” I protested feebly despite knowing full well that I was going to be won over eventually. “Daeryong does hip-hop and b-boy while I’m more of a contemporary R&B person. I really can’t do fast songs.”

“All the more we should see it!” A boy with side-swept hair piped up.

Daeryong chuckled as he came over to the crowd that was surrounding me and placed his arms on the shoulders of the two kids closest to him. “Oh come on, you’re not going to be so mean as to deprive them of some entertainment, are you? Please, Young Min, won’t you say you’d stay?”

Seven wide pairs of eyes turned towards me expectantly and I held up my hands in mock surrender. “Alright, alright, I’ll stay, okay?”

It was the first genuine smile that had crossed my face in a while.